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Toronto-based IT Service Management Best Practices educator Pink Elephant has announced that the addition of social media to its roster of education topics. The course, Social Media Essentials For ITSM Professionals, introduces IT professionals to the growing and ever-evolving world of social networking.

With its 2010 acquisition of ServiceSphere, Pink Elephant is leveraging the resources of the IT market leader and innovator in the area of social networking. ServiceSphere founder Chris Dancy, who has moved into the role of Digital Engagement Director at Pink Elephant, has created a unique course exclusive to Pink Elephant. As one of the IT support industry’s most respected social networking experts, this course is an outlet for Dancy to share his wealth of knowledge and experience.

“As information technology departments of the world’s leading enterprises evolve, a growing void is taking place with the skill sets of today’s professionals to focus on working with Information Systems,” said Dancy, “Social Media has established itself as the democratization of the information custodian. I look forward to helping our customers transform the way they do business through a better understanding of social media”.

Today, there are numerous social media tools available to organizations. Many experts hold a common view that social media has the power to transform business as much as the Internet did in the 1990s. This course allows IT professionals to walk away with an understanding of how exactly IT can use social media to create business advantages. Read the rest of this entry »

PEI developer Timeless Technologies (2007) Inc. has announced the beta release of a new online tool called DomainHole which is designed to help people find great domain names. During the beta release, Timeless hopes to test the stability of servers and ensure DomainHole can scale properly. Timeless is also looking to get feedback on the user interface and effectiveness of the current tools.

DomainHole provides a set of web based tools to help eliminate the pain of not being able to find an available domain. One of the flagship tools that DomainHole offers is the Expired Domain Search. There are approximately 60,000+ new domains that expire every day, and DomainHole maintains this full list of expired domains in a searchable database. Using this search tool, you are able to find keyword rich and high Search Engine Optimization value domains by entering just a few search values.

“We are very excited to announce our public beta testing launch of DomainHole,” stated Brad Pineau, CTO of Timeless Technologies. “Over the past few years, we’ve been developing internal tools to help us find great domain names, so we’re excited to finally share these tools with everyone. We’ll be rolling out several more tools over the next few months.”

DomainHole provides users with additional domain related tools. These tools currently include: a name spinner, instant availability check, and name generator. The name spinner combines a keyword search with hundreds of words to get domain name ideas. The instant availability check tool checks the availability of domains in real time to quickly find a domain name. The name generator tool generates random, unique, brandable and pronounceable domain names. The DomainHole team is currently working on several other tools to help people in their search for a great domain.

The automated business process discovery industry took a giant leap forward this week with the formal recognition of StereoLOGIC as a cool vendor in Business Process Management from Gartner Research. This is the third time in ten years that a company founded by business process luminary Sofia Passova has been awarded the coveted cool vendor status.

“Discovery Analyst™ is a genuine breakthrough in business process analysis,” said Dr Sofia Passova, president and CEO of StereoLOGIC. “In a nutshell, Discovery Analyst eliminates the need for lengthy and expensive stakeholder interviews and manual process documentation, and replaces it with a more accurate automated recognition of business processes in real time.”

Sofia Passova

As business transactions are executed by an employee, Discovery Analyst automatically recognizes and maps these processes using a proprietary semantic recognition engine that provides an accurate picture of what is going on. The current industry statistics for process documentation has an accuracy rating of approximately 30 per cent. Discovery Analyst increases the accuracy of process mapping to more than 90 per cent while dramatically reducing the cost. Process discovery results are available in a matter of days instead of months.

When executing or planning a major IT project, Discovery Analyst essentially creates a level playing field by capturing process information provided by employees at every point of interaction. This approach limits the risk associated with big budget IT projects getting off-track in the early stages and leads to a much higher project success rate and reduced costs. Shorter time spent on process discovery creates project efficiencies of 80 per cent or more in the development lifecycle. Read the rest of this entry »

Uk-based emuse and Toronto’s ES3 have announced the establishment of an exclusive partnership that will see emuse’ Raven Advanced Advertising System pre-integrated into ES3’s award-winning suite of TV applications for Microsoft’s Mediaroom IPTV platform.

“We are very excited about this partnership,” said Douglas Edwards, Chief Executive Officer, ES3. “emuse and ES3 are the two leading developers in our respective areas, coming together to drive a powerful offering that accelerates revenue opportunities to TV operators via their TV apps and 3-screen strategy. As the two original “Global Premier Partners” on the Microsoft Mediaroom applications platform, we’ve always worked closely and now feel that our combined knowledge, experience and access to our respective markets will be advantageous to both companies and our customers.”

Raven provides digital television platform operators and content owners with an end-to-end advertising decision, delivery and reporting solution, and has been deployed globally in many major markets. ES3 has developed the world’s largest catalog of turnkey IPTV applications for the Microsoft Mediaroom platform. Under the new partnership, the companies will continue to collaborate and initiate a program to pre-integrate the Raven ad delivery and decisioning capabilities into ES3’s current and future products. This native integration will provide operators with the ability to drive targeted advertising to the TV applications under a seamless model.

“We are tremendously excited about the partnership between emuse and ES3,” commented Patrick Rainsford, Chief Executive Officer, emuse. “We have consistently maintained that two essential elements in any successful digital TV offering are a broad range of compelling apps coupled with the ability to monetize these through advertising support. Bringing together ES3’s app portfolio and Raven’s advanced advertising capabilities now allows operators to launch apps which are immediately revenue generating. This is a hugely positive development for subscribers, operators, advertisers and agencies.”

The partnership will focus on the Microsoft Mediaroom IPTV platform. Mediaroom is currently the world’s most broadly deployed IPTV platform and is available on over 14 million devices through TV services delivered by 36 operators including AT&T, Deutsche Telekom and TELUS. As the most widely deployed existing Mediaroom developers, the emuse and ES3 partnership is intended to provide a business model for the deployment by operators of increasing numbers of consumer apps and in particular to support new developments like app stores.

“This partnership between emuse and ES3 represents an important milestone in the evolution of applications on the Mediaroom platform,” said Andreas Mueller-Schubert, general manager, Interactive Entertainment Business, Microsoft Corp. Combining emuse’s capabilities to pair targeted ads globally with ES3’s proven creative applications is a win-win for advertisers, and adds another important dimension to our Mediaroom end to end IPTV platform for operators.”

Calgary’s Print Audit®, the print management company, has followed through on its promise to provide great products and support to its customers with the enhancements made in the recent releases of Print Audit Facilities Manager and ICE.

Facilities Manager is a powerful, easy to use tool designed to remotely collect meter reads, automate supplies fulfillment and report service information for managing fleets of copiers, printers, fax machines, and MFPs. The Facilities Manager release has enhanced many of the program’s core features including faster and more accurate reporting capabilities.

ICE gathers information for Facilities Manager by tracking and scanning print devices from all major manufacturers and when incorporated with Print Audit 6, it can accurately track local devices. With the newest release, ICE enhancements include better detection of Kyocera Mita devices and improved integration with Print Audit 6.

The Facilities Manager web portal is updated automatically so all changes are already implemented. Through ICE’s automatic update function, the program will periodically check for a new version and will automatically download and install the update.  Print Audit invites you to try a free demo today.

E-Learning solutions provider Serebra Learning Corporation has announced a new philanthropic partnership with TechSoup, a nonprofit focused on providing charitable organizations with technology that assists them in fulfilling their missions and serving their communities.

Serebra and TechSoup will partner to deliver Serebra’s easyLearning online courses to charities and their constituents. The easyLearning catalogue offers 1,500 technical and professional courses that help individuals develop their workforce and job skills. The only program of its kind, easyLearning offers the same courses provided to corporate clients at drastically reduced costs.

“We at Serebra believe education should be accessible to all. We are delighted to be working with TechSoup to help make that possible,” said Taleeb Noormohamed, Serebra President and CEO. “TechSoup is the perfect partner to connect charitable organizations around the world with our easyLearning program. We look forward to working together to help people gain the skills necessary to succeed in today’s global knowledge-based economy.”

“One of the most needed resources for nonprofits is the training required to fully understand and implement new technology resources and services,” said Gayle Carpentier, Chief Business Development Officer, TechSoup Global. “We are delighted that Serebra is making their excellent training courses available to nonprofits across the TechSoup Global network. We look forward to seeing how this rich array of new educational offerings will benefit nonprofit organizations worldwide.”

Vancouver tech entrepreneur Ms. Shahrzad Rafati, founder of BroadbandTV, is the only Canadian to join household names such as Oprah Winfrey, Conan O’Brien, and key industry players such as Sebastian Thrun of Google and Andy Mooney from Disney on Fast Company magazine’s 2011 list of top 100 most creative people in business. Fast Company magazine is the world’s leading progressive business media brand.

In 3 short years, Rafati’s company, BroadbandTV, has partnered with content providers such as the National Basketball Association (NBA) to help curate, and match user-created video content with online advertising opportunities.

BroadbandTV is helping change the relationship between “pirates” and corporate content providers. BroadbandTV identifies positive and potentially revenue-generating fan-created content and helps its partners claim it, put advertising against it and generate revenue.

“Corporations no longer look at piracy as a black and white issue,” explained Rafati. “Instead of battling against their most enthusiastic fans, they’re starting to realize there’s more value in working with them. We’re helping companies identify and take control of their content and generate revenue from it.

The next big step for the company is a mobile app that will suggest video content, often from BroadbandTV’s content, for users based on their interests and personal preferences.

Shahrzad Rafati emigrated to Canada in 2000, studied Computer Science at The University of British Columbia and upon graduation founded BroadbandTV. BroadbandTV has curated more than hundreds of thousands of videos and monetized billions of impressions generating millions of ad dollars for its clients.

Astral’s The Movie Network (Eastern Canada) and Corus Entertainment’s Movie Central (Western Canada) today announced their participation in the 12-part action series Transporter-The Series. Based on the high-octane Transporter films, the series is an international co-production between The Movie Network and Movie Central, Canada’s QVF Inc., M6 and Atlantique Productions in France, Germany’s RTL Group and HBO/Cinemax in the U.S.

“The Movie Network is all about premium entertainment and we’re proud to add this made-in-Canada big-budget action series to our original content offering,” said Aubie Greenberg, Director, Original Programming, Movie Services, Astral Television. “The theatrical Transporter franchise has connected with audiences on The Movie Network and around the world through its iconic characters and frenetic pace. We’re excited to further this connection through participation in such a large-scale production, especially one that takes our long-standing partnership with HBO to the next level.”

“We are thrilled to be partnering with HBO/Cinemax,” said Jocelyn Hamilton, Vice President, Original Programming, Kids, Comedy, Drama, Corus Entertainment. “As a franchise, Transporter offers a solid fan base with appeal to grow into an exciting series. Filming in Toronto with our world class production partners, the action-filled series will bring the beloved character of Frank Martin to premium television.”

MonkeyMedia Software®, a provider of strategy, education and software services for multi-unit restaurant operators, today announced that Boloco will deploy MonkeyCatering™ and MonkeyOnlineOrdering™ to enable end-to-end visibility and control over the company’s catering business. Boloco is a Boston-based group of 17 restaurants located throughout New England that serve traditional and inspired burritos, bowls, salads, smoothies, and shakes using a blend of bold, inspiring and often unexpected ingredients. Every order is made to the specific wishes of each guest.

“The decision to work with MonkeyMedia Software was an easy one. Their catering software can be tailored to meet our specific requirements,” said Patrick Renna, CFO Boloco. “Additionally, they bring a single solution to facilitate each catering order from time of order to completion and payment, including follow up with our clients.”

MonkeyCatering will provide Boloco with many operations- and communications-enhancing features, including catering management, production and distribution management, integrated sales and marketing tools to help drive more catering business, and powerful, real-time reporting for better business intelligence. The scalability of MonkeyCatering will allow for seamless, continued integration into the restaurant’s kitchen operations as the franchise chain grows and expands their catering business. Specifically, Boloco will implement:

• Online Ordering for Catering: Catering orders made online through MonkeyOnlineOrdering™ will directly integrate into Boloco’s MonkeyCatering™ solution, enabling the restaurant with a powerful, back-end system that can easily execute all catering operations. Using existing IT assets to integrate data, MonkeyCatering™ empowers each unit with valuable insight into business intelligence, including up-to-date sales figures, customer ordering behavior, promotional performance and other important data.
• Winning Strategy and Educational Services: When Boloco chose to work with MonkeyMedia Software, they knew they weren’t just selecting a software provider. They were selecting a business partner. MonkeyMedia Software will work directly with Boloco’s corporate staff and catering managers to develop a winning strategy specifically designed for the restaurant’s catering business. MonkeyMedia Software is staffed with highly knowledgeable, industry veterans who know the catering business inside-out. They will equip each Boloco team with catering best practices and will be there every step of the way to assist with the software implementation and training.

In addition to eventually integrating with Boloco’s POS system, MonkeyMedia will integrate with other third party systems, including the restaurant’s solutions for credit cards, Boloco cards, accounting and above store reporting systems.

“Boloco has become a leader in the world of traditional and inspired burritos, and it is an honor that they chose MonkeyMedia Software to help manage their catering and delivery business,” said Erle Dardick, CEO, MonkeyMedia Software. “We will work closely with Boloco to ensure the implementation of MonkeyOnlineOrdering™ and MonkeyCatering™ is as seamless as possible, and that they successfully leverage the most innovative and catering-focused technology to increase efficiency throughout their catering operations.”

The mark of a great mentor is that it’s not “all about you,” a Robert Half Management Resources survey suggests. More than half (54 per cent) of chief financial officers (CFOs) interviewed who have served as mentors said the key benefit is the satisfaction that comes from helping someone else.

The survey was developed by Robert Half Management Resources and was conducted by an independent research firm and includes responses from 270 CFOs from a stratified random sample of Canadian companies with 20 or more employees.

CFOs were asked, “Have you, at any point in your career, served as a mentor, either formally or informally?” Their responses:

Yes:  54%
No: 46%

Those who responded “yes” to the question above were asked, “Which one of the following do you think is the greatest benefit of being a mentor?” Their responses:

* Provides the internal satisfaction of helping someone else –  54%
* Offers you the opportunity to improve your leadership skills – 22%
* Allows you to stay current on industry trends – 18%
* Helps you build your professional network – 3%
* Something else/No benefit/Don’t know – 3%

“Mentoring can help anyone at any career stage; its benefits are not restricted to those just starting their careers,” said David King, Canadian district president of Robert Half Management Resources. “The challenging business environment over the past few years has heightened the importance of having a mentor who can provide valuable guidance on a variety of professional questions and dilemmas.”

Below are four tips to get the most out of your mentoring experience:

– Consider your strengths. What are the most valuable things you’ve learned over the course of your career? Think about what you have to offer someone just starting out.

– Don’t rely on a formal program. Many companies don’t have established mentoring programs, and those that do may still be ramping up after scaling back during the downturn. If you identify someone you think you can help, extend the offer.

– Look beyond new grads. Professionals at all levels can benefit from having a mentor. Those trying to advance to the next level or looking to make a change might particularly welcome your advice.

– Listen. The best mentors are often the best listeners. Understand your mentee’s situation and his or her greatest needs before you offer guidance. Sometimes the most valuable role you can play is that of sounding board.

Vancouver’s Serebra Learning Corporation and St. John’s based Blue Drop Inc. are continuing their due diligence investigations into the proposed business combination announced March 24, 2011. In accordance with the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange trading of the shares continue to be halted. In compliance with the requirements set forth by the Exchange, trading in the company’s shares will remain halted until a sponsor has been engaged and satisfactory documents have been provided to the Exchange in accordance with Policy 5.2.

Serebra is also pleased to announce a reseller agreement with Bluedrop for a portion of Serebra’s sales team to sell Bluedrop’s Coursepark product. Coursepark is a leading online learning site that offers individuals access to skills that promote career development, and small businesses a training solution that allows them to build and/or buy courses, and implement, track and manage users’ completion of courses.

“We are very excited about the opportunity to expand our suite of products on offer to current and future clients,” said Taleeb Noormohamed, President and CEO of Serebra. “Coursepark is rapidly becoming a leading global learning site and we are thrilled at the opportunity to help expand its ever-growing user base. It is an excellent complement to Serebra Campus, allowing our sales team a different target market to pursue.”

In addition, Serebra and Bluedrop have negotiated a separate service agreement to have select members of Serebra’s development team provide specialized technical assistance to support Bluedrop’s roadmap for the Coursepark product.

“As we continue to negotiate the terms of a reverse takeover, these reseller and service agreements provide an opportunity to expand our mutual understanding of our products and business models,” added Taleeb.