Industry news

Equifax Inc. has announced it has reached an agreement to acquire eThority, an innovative provider of workplace and other analytical software that brings powerful, easy-to-use data interaction and reporting to business enterprises of all sizes. Financial terms for the transaction were not disclosed. eThority will become part of TALX, Equifax's workforce solutions business unit.

eThority creates and markets analytics software that integrates data from multiple disparate sources and, through an intuitive, secure process, analyzes and converts it into customized, relevant insights and information – in a self-service model .

"By combining the workforce and other analytical software of eThority, with our unemployment, payroll/HR and I-9 data, we will be able to offer workforce analytical solutions that are unmatched in the industry," said Dann Adams, president of TALX. "We will be able to offer organizations of all sizes, unprecedented insights to ensure they're getting, retaining, growing and planning for the right workforce – in a simple and cost-effective way. It also provides a unique way to benchmark within respective industries."

Google has selected CSC to participate in the new Cloud Transformation Program. The program highlights Google partners who have expertise and a demonstrated ability to help businesses make the most of their IT investments.

CSC is one of two global systems integrators invited to join the program.

Google's Cloud Transformation Program comprises select Google partners committed to helping businesses get the most out of Google’s cloud services, including Google App Engine, Google Storage for Developers, Google Apps Script and Google Prediction API.

As a Cloud Transformation Program partner, CSC uses Google’s cloud services to build and offer businesses customized:

•Cloud-based applications such as websites, mobile apps, social media apps, business process apps and customer-facing internet apps

•Predictive solutions such as fraud detection, customer sentiment analysis, and customer churn prediction

•Enterprise storage solutions such as storage for applications, data sharing and high-reliability backup

Chancellor George Osborne has told delegates at the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester that the government will step up investment in high performance computing (HPC).

“We will invest £145 million in High Performance Computing and the associated e-infrastructure,” he said.

“This will make the UK a world leader in supercomputing. Improving computing infrastructure is vital to driving growth and giving businesses confidence to invest in the UK.”

RM , the computing company, has announced about 460 redundancies and a significant restructuring, including hiring the former education minister Lord Adonis as a non-executive, after trading failed to pick up in the second half.

The company, which makes much of its money supplying schools with computers and electronic whiteboards, has been hit hard by the ending of the Building Schools for the Future programme, which poured taxpayers' money into refurbishing schools.

The company said that it usually experienced a pick-up in trading during the second half of the year but this had failed to happen this year.

British firm Carillion expects its support services business to deliver substantial growth in 2012, helped by the acquisition of energy-saving firm Eaga and an increase in public sector outsourcing.

The group, which maintains motorways, railways, military bases and telephone lines, on Tuesday said public sector outsourcing work represented a major chunk of its bid pipeline and expected this to propel growth in the division, which accounts for around 50 percent of group profit.

Many public sector organisations at both local and central government levels are considering outsourcing large parts of their operations in a bid to meet tough cost saving measures

BHF-Bank, is outsourcing part of its IT system management to Atos. The international IT services provider will take over responsibility for the bank’s workplace computers, file and e-mail services as well as its telecommunications and network technology. BHF-Bank employees responsible for these services will transfer to Atos.

The transfer of the IT infrastructure services is due to start in October 2011, with Atos assuming full responsibility by first quarter 2012. The company will provide the services mainly from its location in Frankfurt, its nearshore centre in Poland, and the BHF-BANK computer centres in Offenbach.

"The project with BHF-BANK is a key part of the Atos growth strategy in the German finance sector" explains Winfried Holz, CEO of Atos Germany. "Under this agreement, we will use our industry and technology expertise and workforce integration experience to deliver a high quality and cost efficient service to BHF-BANK"

Mr Richard Bruton, TD, Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, has announced that Google has acquired 11 acres of land and an existing building on Dublin’s Profile Park and will soon begin construction work on a highly energy-efficient data centre. A data centre is a specialised building full of computers that run online services such as the Google search engine, Gmail and Google Maps.

Once complete, the facility will rank amongst the most energy-efficient data centres in the world. Google will use advanced air-cooling technology that has been tested and perfected at Google’s existing rented datacenter facility in Dublin. This technology takes advantage of Ireland’s naturally cool climate and uses outside air to cool computers instead of costly and energy-hungry air-conditioning units.

Google will invest up to 75 million Euros in the acquisition, build and fit out of its new facility, and will provide work for over 200 people from local and national firms at the peak of the construction phase. The contractors have already been selected after taking part in a competitive bid process.

Minister Bruton said: “As I have said repeatedly, the global cloud computing industry offers Ireland a massive opportunity for jobs and economic growth. I am determined that government will act decisively to seize that opportunity, and that is why I have established a cross-government implementation group to ensure that prompt action occurs.”

The world's largest mobile phone maker Nokia said on Friday that it had finished outsourcing 2,300 engineers to US-based global consulting firm Accenture.

"Nokia has announced that it has completed the transaction to outsource its Symbian software development and support activities to Accenture," the company said in a statement.

Nokia chief executive Stephen Elop announced in February the company would phase out Symbian as its smartphone platform in favour of a partnership with Microsoft, resulting in the loss of 4,000 jobs and the outsourcing of around 3,000 Symbian developers.

The number of outsourced jobs is fewer than the 2,800 that Nokia estimated in June.

The engineers will continue to develop Symbian software for Nokia through 2016, according to the company.

The news that Nokia and Accenture completed the transfer came just a day after the Finnish mobile phone giant announced it was slashing 3,500 jobs in Romania, Germany and the United States.

Those job cuts came on top of the 4,000 Elop announced in April, when he said no more layoffs were expected "for as far as we can see into the future."

Ultra announces that it has acquired AEP Networks Ltd. for an initial cash consideration of $57.5m.

A further sum of up to $17.5 million will be paid to the vendors based on financial results to 31 December 2011. The vendors were management, who have signed service agreements with Ultra, venture capital companies and private investors.

AEP is a leading supplier of secure network communication solutions. AEP‟s proprietary products are accredited by CESG/GCHQ, the UK government‟s national technical authority for secure electronic communications.

AEP has more than 5,000 blue chip and government customers in over 60 countries. Sales by region comprise 74% EMEA, 14% North America and 12% APAC. AEP undertakes system development in the UK and the USA. The majority of AEP‟s 80 employees are based in Ascot, Berkshire and Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire. AEP also has a sales and engineering operation in New Jersey, USA together with sales and support hubs in Australia and Malaysia.

The acquisition of AEP will be financed using Ultra‟s existing facilities and is expected to be earnings-enhancing in 2011 before the amortisation of intangibles. AEP is a bolt-on acquisition within Ultra‟s Tactical & Sonar Systems division.

Rakesh Sharma, Chief Executive of Ultra, commented: "I am very pleased that we have been able to bring AEP into the Group. AEP provides important complementary technologies and products to advance Ultra‟s strategy in the growing cyber security domain. AEP is a technology-rich company with strong intellectual property and wide global reach, operating in a fast-growing market place. AEP‟s encryption and network communication capabilities have strong market-facing synergies with Ultra‟s CIS, 3eTI, DNE, ProLogic and TCS businesses.”

Andy Haywood is leaving his role as IT Director at pharmacy chain Boots to join the Co-operative Group as Group CIO.

Haywood’s new role is as group CIO reporting directly to Peter Marks Group CEO of the Manchester based retailer, pharmacy, funeral services and banking group.

Haywood will remain with Boots until the end of this year and join the Co-operative Group in January 2012.