Village Gamer

EFT Canada Inc. has announced that it has entered into a Letter of Intent to acquire the technology assets of privately held, Toronto-based Linterna Technologies Ltd. (“LTL”) for a total purchase price of $650,000. The acquisition is expected to close on August 19^th, 2011 and is subject to certain customary conditions, as well as the completion and signing of a definitive agreement and approval by the TSX Venture Exchange.

LTL operates mainly as an electronic transaction processing consulting firm specializing in operational processes, banking relationships and fraud related controls. The java based software provides its users a web-based point of sale interface that merchants can utilize to accept server to server credit card transactions and the ability for a variety of mobile e-wallet options. In addition, the technology has a built in rules based fraud detection system that is integrated with a number of third-party services that will allow EFT Canada to expand its product offering beyond just financial transactions.

EFT Canada will pay LTL for its technological assets, namely the credit card processing gateway, a total of $650,000 by way of $325,000 in cash, of which $125,000 is due on the closing date, and $325,000 payable in common shares of EFT Canada. The remaining cash payment of $200,000 is due on the twelve month following the closing date, subject to delay and reduction if operating targets are met.

Common shares of EFT Canada issued to LTL will immediately be held in escrow and released in three equal installments following months 6, 12 and 18 following the closing date.

In addition to the purchase price, LTL will be paid by EFT Canada $0.05 per credit card transaction processed for a period of three years following the closing date. Such payments shall not to exceed an aggregate of $330,000.

On the closing date and as part of the agreement, James Watt, a principal of LTL, will enter into a two year consulting agreement with EFT Canada. Further, EFT will be creating and filling two new employment positions to support the new credit card gateway platform.

SMEs are increasingly using internet based services to manage their businesses and there is a growing demand for cost effective and secure transaction processing services, coupled with high levels of support. The acquisition of the LTL credit card gateway technology is an important step in fulfilling EFT Canada’s vision to provide a business solution to SMEs which enables them to transact in EFT’s, debit and credit card transactions. EFT Canada believes the acquisition will allow it to significantly increase gross revenues.

Once the acquired asset has been integrated, in addition to electronic funds transfer, EFT Canada will be able offer its client base of over 800 SME’s, credit card processing services.

Jonathan Pasternak, President of EFT Canada, commented: “The technology being acquired from Linterna, represents an important part of EFT’s vision to place under one umbrella organization all services needed by our merchants to process electronic payments. Moreover, we anticipate excellent long-term value and shareholder appreciation in the combined entity”.

EFT Canada has not entered into any definitive financing arrangements at this time and believes it will be able to complete the acquisition using existing capital resources.

N-able Technologies has announced an alliance with International Business Products, Inc. (IBPI), a buying group that focuses on copiers, printers, accessories, supplies and services for the U.S. market. Effective immediately, N-able’s N-central 8 RMM platform and complementary toolsets can be purchased by IBPI members, as part of the organization’s growing portfolio of technology products from top manufacturers.

“Many copier and equipment vendors are incorporating managed IT services into their services portfolio to avoid commoditization and generate new, recurring revenue streams,” says Randy Horshok, executive director, IBPI. “Managing the equipment they sell and servicing it remotely is a logical next step for our members and will strengthen their existing customer relationships and give way to new business and technologies. N-able’s reputation as a managed services innovator, along with its hybrid licensing model and cost-effective solutions, represent an excellent choice for IBPI members looking to provide higher-value services to their client base.”

As part of the new alliance, N-able and IBPI will provide the technology, resources and expertise required by IBPI members to establish recurring service revenue streams, help customers reduce IT service costs and increase customer satisfaction by offering proactive managed services in a cloud, SaaS (software-as-a-service) or an on-premise model.

“Through IBPI, we’re extending our reach into a new customer base and bringing the value of managed services to a new audience of business owners,” says JP Jauvin, president and chief operating officer for N-able Technologies. “We look forward to engaging with IBPI and building long-term success with its members.”

IBPI’s membership is composed of nearly 300 independent commercial copier and print dealers located throughout the U.S. Formed in 1987, IBPI is focused on negotiating deep discounts and quality rebate programs with the industry’s top manufacturers and service providers. By combining the buying power of its members, IBPI is able to provide pricing that historically was reserved for the biggest players, and pass those savings on to the member dealers. The organization’s services enhance member companies by enabling them to retain their identity and independence in their respective marketplaces.

Launched in May, N-central 8 offers the industry’s most advanced remote IT automation technology and business-oriented support services. Through use of the software, MSPs and IT professionals can remotely manage and effectively support up to 750 devices per technician.

JobServe.ca has introduced job branding solutions to assist customers with their employment branding initiatives. Available to all customers free of charge, these value added services enable recruiters to display their company logo on their job postings. Recruiters can further highlight their brand through a banner advertisement appearing on top of their job details page and within the Recruiter Directory. Job branding services can be easily configured and managed through the customer’s account.

Les Powell, General Manager Product & Service Delivery, commented, “At JobServe we have always taken pride in providing the best possible user experience to our candidates and continuously seeking ways to provide value added services to our customers. Candidates performing job searches on JobServe will now see company logos displayed alongside job search results. This branding will be carried forward into the job description pages allowing candidates to quickly identify the company recruiting and in turn complement the employer’s employment branding initiatives.”

Explaining how recruiters can setup their logos, Powell continued, “For recruiters, getting their branding on JobServe is very easy. Recruiters may log into the website and upload their branding through their account configuration/settings page. Once checked, the logo will then be put live and will display against search results and job descriptions.”

Lingo Media Corporation and Lenovo have signed a Custom Software Business Partnership Agreement which provides for a custom version of Lingo Media’s English language learning software to be installed on millions of Lenovo computers sold in China.

Under the terms of the agreement, Lenovo will promote, distribute, and resell Lingo Media’s software, primarily by pre-installing a custom version on Lenovo’s popular Think-branded commercial PCs and Idea-branded consumer PCs. Online marketing, joint promotional activities and other marketing activities are underway between the two companies.

The new custom learning product will be a Lenovo branded version of Lingo Media’s ELL Technologies English Basic software. Each individual who purchases a Lenovo computer will have the opportunity to take three free lessons on a trial basis. Upon completion of the trial offer, the customer will have the opportunity to purchase the full course for a Lenovo promotional price of 200 Yuan RMB ($29.00). The profit potential is significant, and will become progressively stronger with the launch of custom versions of English Intermediate, Advanced, Master and the Business courses – in future phases of the partnership.

“This is a significant and very lucrative agreement for both Lenovo and Lingo Media with great profit potential as China continues to focus on teaching and learning English. We are pleased to partner with the largest computer manufacturer in China and deliver our product on their platform,” said Michael Kraft, President & CEO of Lingo Media. “The combination of Lenovo’s brand and Lingo Media’s ELL Technologies’ proven solutions will result in a rewarding learning experience for millions of Chinese computer users. We expect to generate significant revenue from the partnership, which represents another major milestone in the growth of our company as we pursue our mission of, Changing the Way the World Learns English. This deal comes at a time when Lenovo is expanding dramatically in the Chinese computer market and the demand for English grows daily.”

Jeff Chai, Director of Software & Content Services, Product Group of Lenovo,  added that “We believe we have found the ideal partner in Lingo Media to enhance our customer needs as the demand for English expands rapidly in China. In today’s market, installing practical, cost-effective software applications like those created by Lingo Media’s ELL Technologies for Lenovo consumer and SMB notebook models, ensures that we address and continue to meet our customers’ needs. With Lingo Media as our partner, we will demonstrate that Lenovo is the leader in offering customers new choices. Lingo Media has a long record of success in China. They know how to meet the needs of people — from school children, to university students, to employees — who want to enhance their incomes by becoming proficient in English as China emerges as an economic super-power in the global economy where English is the main language of business.”

Desire2Learn UK Ltd. (Desire2Learn), today announced that after an extensive review process, Oxford University Press (OUP) has chosen Desire2Learn^® Learning Suite, better placing OUP to deliver its English Language learning resources to customers across the world. Many aspects of the Desire2Learn Learning Suite will aid with this goal, including

– Learning Environment

– Learning Repository

– ePortfolio

– Analytics

“It is extremely important that our customers can access ELT courses anytime, anywhere,” explained Ernst Kallus, Digital Media Director, English Language Teaching, Oxford University Press. “The Desire2Learn solution offers great flexibility and ease of customization, and enables us to integrate and optimize our Learning Management Systems. We look forward to being able to attain new levels of global reach as well as an enhanced customer experience.”

“We are extremely pleased to be partnering with OUP, given their position as one of the global leaders in the provision of educational resources,” commented John Baker, President, Desire2Learn. “Our Desire2Learn Learning Suite will allow Oxford University Press to offer their customers content with increased efficiency and enhanced scalability, shortening response times, and bolstering the delivery of educational resources to institutions and organizations around the world.”

OUP will run a pilot programme in 2011, with a view to launching a global offering in 2012.

Companies constrained by rising costs of license fees are rapidly turning to Zylog for help to migrate to lower cost Red Hat JBoss middleware solutions. A growing number of companies have made the transition from Oracle WebLogic to Red Hat Enterprise Application Platforms. The industry is quickly turning from traditional proprietary and heavyweight offerings that are notorious for complex, large, and expensive installations. JBoss leads the way to faster restarts, easier debugging, and proven technology for server and configuration management, performance monitoring and diagnostics, application provisioning and automation.

Companies investigating the total cost of ownership have quickly learned the rapid return on investment for migrating to JBoss. Some license fees and support costs for other legacy middleware products have risen as much as 70%. The transition to JBoss typically covers the costs for migration in the first year.

JBoss provides a proven foundation for mission critical applications that require superior performance and scalability. JBoss includes an application framework that simplifies building Web 2.0 applications. JBoss provides a process engine to create and automate business processes that coordinate people, applications, and services. The JBoss open source business rules management system enables easy policy and rules development, access, and change management.

Companies are turning to JBoss for total cost of ownership, significant return on investment with short payback period, reduced ongoing operational costs, improved IT productivity and time to market, and improved ability to consolidate virtualization. Zylog migration services enable companies to achieve these goals faster, at lower cost, and with dependable delivery.

Zylog contracted consulting services are immediately available to assist with installation, migration, and maintenance. Contact Zylog to find out more about options to reduce license costs, preserve budget, and keep pace with evolving technology.

Zylog has more than fifteen years of experience in providing migration services for esteemed clients worldwide. These services are now available in Canada, supported by Zylog offices in Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, and Vancouver.

The Government of Canada, in collaboration with funding participants, is helping to enhance the business productivity and competitiveness of small- and medium-sized businesses in northern Alberta.

The Honourable Lynne Yelich, Minister of State for Western Economic Diversification, announced a federal investment of $500,000 towards the Mobile Business Incubator (MBI) today, an initiative that will create economic opportunities for rural entrepreneurs by connecting them to a wide range of business resources and services. In addition to federal funding, the Province of Alberta is investing $500,000 towards the project, while industry participants, ConocoPhillips Canada and Statoil, are contributing a total of $500,000.

Today’s investment provides rural communities with access to the skills and resources they require to help drive our economy forward, said Minister Yelich. Our Government will continue to create the conditions for rural entrepreneurs to contribute, innovate and succeed, by laying the foundation for long-term economic growth.

Federal funding, provided through Western Economic Diversification Canada, will enable The Business Link to convert three mobile trailers into a portable business support centre. The business incubator will provide services such as business development, training and consulting expertise, as well as high speed Internet access, office space rental, web-conferencing services, meeting rooms, and referrals to service professionals.

There is a lot of entrepreneurial spirit in rural Alberta and this project will help owners get their businesses off the ground, said Thomas Lukaszuk, Minister of Alberta Employment and Immigration. I am very pleased that this project will enable better access to services for our northern communities.

Contingent on market demand, growth and opportunity, the MBI will relocate along the Highway 881 Corridor between Fort McMurray and Lac La Biche. Small-medium sized businesses will be provided access to training, knowledge and expertise in an economical and affordable manner.

Our role as Alberta’s Canada Business service centre is to help entrepreneurs start and grow their business, said Cathy Goulet, executive director of The Business Link. The MBI initiative allows us to reach more businesses in rural communities and address their business information needs.

This project also brings together two oil and gas production companies, ConocoPhillips Canada and Statoil. Their involvement and expertise in the project will help strengthen the MBI’s presence in northern Alberta.

ConocoPhillips Canada has a commitment to hire, buy and build locally, which results in local and regional benefits associated with all our oil sands developments, said Lloyd Visser, vice president of environment and sustainable development for ConocoPhillips Canada. We’d like to see the creation of many competitive regional companies and the development of long-term commercial relationships with multiple industries.

Beyond the services offered through the MBI, The Business Link will continue to work collaboratively with industry stakeholders, companies, and local communities to ensure that the business incubator is strategically positioned to help rural entrepreneurs generate new business ventures and opportunities.

This initiative demonstrates innovation bringing together industry partners and government in support of economic development in our communities, said Lars Christian Bacher, President of Statoil Canada.

Western Economic Diversification Canada works with the provinces, industry associations and communities to promote the development and diversification of the western economy, coordinates federal economic activities in the West and advances the interests of western Canadians in national decision making.

Arkadin Inc., a NY-based company with offices in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal, has just launched its newest product to the Canadian market, Arkadin Express. The new service means that business owners and mobile professionals alike now have access to a top-notch audio and web conferencing service – a first of its kind on many levels.

It’s no secret that business owners across the nation have been limited to audio conferencing services, both in scope and in price. This has all changed as the availability of Arkadin Express means that businesses in Canada now have the option to communicate via state-of-the-art technology that is highly efficient and affordable.

Glenn Fleischman, Executive Vice President of Arkadin’s e-Commerce business, states, “We all know that Canada is a major hub in the world for entrepreneurial activity. What’s even more exciting now is that businesses here will be able to communicate and grow through technology and options that once never existed.”

What’s unique about the service? Fleischman explains Arkadin Express provides enterprise-level audio conferencing at prices that small and mid-sized businesses can afford. Arkadin Express is an online, browser-based service; the web conferencing service portion provided to clients is highly reliable and secure. At present, there are a large number of Fortune 500 companies utilizing this telecommunication service.

The price is also right. Along with a full-service 7 day trial, Arkadin Express customers can select the option of an unlimited conferencing monthly plan for a low monthly rate of $39.95 with local U.S. and Canadian dial-in access numbers or a Pay-As-You-Go plan offering both local and international conferences toll and toll-free dial-in access numbers costing as little as 2 cents per minute. This is now the only unlimited plan on the market that provides access numbers in Canada for a low monthly fixed fee for up to 50 participants.

Fleischman adds, “The lagging economy has prompted many business owners in Canada to continue closely monitoring their costs. Our technology, coupled with its very low cost for ongoing service, now means that businesses owners will be able to achieve their target goals for growth at home and beyond with less restrictions.”

Fleischman indicates that Arkadin carried out research from its 14,000 customers around the world – including Canada – that proved there is a distinct need for a reliable yet economic conferencing solution for professionals constantly “on the move.” Arkadin Express is also the perfect solution for mobile professionals such as consultants, lawyers, outside salespeople and others.

“With the click of a mouse on the Internet, Arkadin Express is all about creating more options and allowing people to communicate more efficiently and effectively,” says Fleischman.

OpenText™ has been named a Microsoft Global Launch Partner for SQL Server Code Name “Denali” – a cloud-ready information platform now available for community review. OpenText also announced that it has been selected as a finalist for the 2011 Microsoft ISV/Software Line of Business Partner of the Year Award and continues to deliver market-leading solutions in support of key Microsoft cloud initiatives including fax server integration for Office 365 and an Azure-based business process management solution.

The announcements were made at the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference 2011 (WPC11), the annual gathering for the Microsoft partner community to learn about the roadmap for the upcoming year. OpenText has a strong presence at the event and is exhibiting in the Solution Innovation Center in booth #435.

“Our customers are continually pushing for new and more powerful ways of dealing with the explosion of data and content across their organizations,” said Lubor Ptacek, Vice President of Strategic Marketing and General Manager of the Microsoft Solutions Group at Open Text.  “As a Microsoft Global Launch Partner for Denali we are well-positioned to help our enterprise content management (ECM) customers take advantage of new capabilities in SQL Server around performance, scalability, security and information access. We see Denali as supporting our mission to help enterprises claim, control and capitalize on content.”

As part of the agreement as a Global Launch Partner for Denali, OpenText will provide support for SQL Server Denali for core ECM products shortly after the final release of Denali.

For those in the creative fields, anticipating and adapting to change — from the tools they’re using at work to the people they’re interacting with to the audiences they’re targeting — has become part and parcel of the job. A new research guide, The Creative Team of the Future, explores key trends shaping the marketing and design fields, and how industry professionals can prepare for and capitalize on upcoming changes.

The guide is part of a new research project, which also includes video interviews with leading creative thinkers, that was co-developed by The Creative Group and the American Advertising Federation (AAF). For the project, The Creative Group and the AAF surveyed more than 500 AAF Ad Club and corporate members, interviewed industry thought leaders and conducted exclusive research to assess how marketing and design teams may operate in the next three to five years.

Key Findings:

– Nearly two-thirds (64 per cent) of AAF Ad Club and corporate members said creative professionals will have more influence on their companies’ business decisions in the future. Fittingly, one-third of survey respondents cited problem-solving skills as the most useful trait for creative professionals to develop.

– More than six in 10 respondents (62 per cent) said they expect creative professionals to work more hours over the next several years. In addition, an overwhelming 85 per cent said they anticipate being more connected to the office outside of business hours by 2016.

– As collaboration tools become more accessible and affordable for creative teams, employers may offer their staff the ability to telecommute more frequently during the work week. In fact, 84 per cent of respondents said a greater number of creative professionals will work remotely in the next three to five years.

– In today’s global marketplace, collaboration often means working with people in different countries and marketing to a multicultural audience. But the colleagues sitting next to you will likely become more varied, too: Eighty-two per cent of respondents said they expect creative teams to become more culturally diverse.

– Two-thirds of survey respondents said spending on mobile-related projects will increase significantly in the next three to five years; another 28 per cent said it would increase somewhat. Further, 34 per cent of AAF Ad Club and corporate members said mobile will be the most influential advertising medium over the same period.

Design and marketing professionals are holding more sway in their organizations as companies recognize they can do more than develop eye-pleasing designs and catchy ad campaigns. The ability to think outside the box and pitch ideas effectively will become essential for creative professionals in the near future.

“Organizations are increasingly turning to their marketing and creative teams for help generating ideas and solutions that solve business problems, improve customer service and, ultimately, grow the bottom line,” said Donna Farrugia, executive director of The Creative Group.

While smartphones, laptops, tablets and other communications tools provide employees greater flexibility, they also have made it more difficult for creative professionals to unplug from the office. “Mobile devices certainly free us up to work where we want, when we want, but they also blur the boundaries between our personal and professional lives,” said Farrugia. “Finding ‘me’ time on your calendar to relax or enjoy a hobby will become as important as juggling on-the-job deadlines and meetings.”

Creative professionals are interacting with more people than ever before, working with colleagues in different departments — and even different organizations — to concept, develop and execute multifaceted campaigns. Managing relationships with freelancers or business partners located in different cities, states or countries also will become more common. Consequently, the ability to communicate effectively with people across and outside an organization, who may or may not be familiar with design or marketing terminology, will be crucial.

“Being flexible is key to surviving and thriving in the creative industry of the future,” said Farrugia. “Professionals with an open mindset — who are willing to embrace new tools, consumer trends and work processes — will be in the best position to move their careers and businesses forward.”

To download a complimentary copy of The Creative Team of the Future, watch video interviews or find more information about the research project, please visit the study’s information page.