Webhost Pioneer Netfirms Gets Bigger -- Expands Office & Data Center

Webhost Pioneer Netfirms Gets Bigger -- Expands Office & Data Center

Leading Web Host, Domain Name and Cloud Host Netfirms, Inc. Continues to grow - expanding into new offices, new 40,000 server capacity Data Center and hiring campaign to support 2009 opportunities.

Toronto, Ontario (PRWEB) March 2, 2009 -- Web Host, Domain Name and Cloud Host provider Netfirms, Inc. (www.netfirms.com) announced today it has completed its office space expansion and move into their new data center and headquarters allowing for continued expansion in staffing and hosting solutions to meet the opportunities found in this market.

The new office provides over 200% more space to handle Netfirms' growing team. This expansion, the fifth since 1998, includes a hiring campaign to attract the a range of new positions to capitalize on the tremendous growth Netfirms continues to see. Netfirms will be expanding its talent team in customer care team, marketing, software innovation team and senior executives. In addition to the new office space, and hiring campaign, Netfirms will also be launching a 40,000 server capacity Tier 1 Datacenter in Markham, Ontario in June. The current operational mission critical datacenter serves the banking industry and will be upgraded to provide further features for Netfirms customers.

"We are in a challenging times, when trust, security and peace of mind is increasingly important to our clients. Our reputation for a solid service offering coupled with our strong incentives we have seen a tremendous growth in all of our services and look to support more small and medium businesses in the coming year." says Thomas Savundra, Netfirms' CEO and founder. "We have seen unprecedented demand for our award winning web hosting solutions with over 1 million client websites under management- and we intend to continue to capitalize on this success."

With this growth Netfirms will be able to accelerate their customers ability to build their vision online. We offer a comprehensive solution to achieve success online right from domain registrations, site building tools, grid web hosting, e-commerce and mission critical business email solutions.

About Netfirms

Netfirms, Inc., founded in 1998, provides Web hosting solutions and Grid Web Hosting technology to successful small and medium-sized businesses, startups, entrepreneurs and individuals worldwide. Netfirms hosts over 1,000,000 websites and has offices in the U.S. and Canada

For more information about Netfirms, visit: http://www.netfirms.com/

Media Contact: Tawnya Mahoney, Netfirms Inc. 1-866-317-4678 x 221

###

Contact Information Thomas Savundra

Netfirms

http://www.netfirms.com

416-661-2100

Why Pay $$s to Xero When You Can Have Ubikwiti for Zero $$s?

Why Pay $$s to Xero When You Can Have Ubikwiti for Zero $$s?

Building on last month's offer of a free, "no strings" online alternative to Intuit's single-user QuickBooks Online Basic, Ubikwiti™ now extends the same free "no strings" offer to single-user, single company users (or prospective users) of Xero accounting system. According to Xero's own pricing information, Xero requires a monthly subscription fee of NZ$49/month (US$$25 per month at the exchange rate prevailing as at Feb. 25, 2009 of US$1.00 = NZ$1.96).

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) March 2, 2009 -- Ubikwiti offers free, "no strings" software-as-a-service (SaaS) for SMBs - hosted on US-based Amazon.com servers - as an alternative to single-user, single company users of Xero accounting system.

Click here (http://www.ubikwiti.com/apps/free_offer.html?type=nav_app) to find out more.

Ubikwiti's announcement will save single-user Xero customers NZ$499 (US$255) (http://www.xero.com/pricing/) per annum for the first year, and NZ$588 (US$300) per annum subsequently. Xero offers new signups a 30 days free trial period and a one-time discount of NZ$89 (US$45), but ONLY if customers pre-pay for twelve months.

According to Ubikwiti CEO Tim Loving, "Ubikwiti's Online Software for single-user SMBs - now offered as a free "no strings" alternative to single-user Xero customers - is simple, intuitive and easy to use. Neither accounting knowledge nor technical programming skills are required to setup and customize the software."

"Ubikwiti Online Software for SMBs™, although free, does not skimp on features and functionalities (http://www.ubikwiti.com/apps/features.html?type=nav_app). It has all the functionality needed to enable SMBs providing products and services to manage customers and customer-related activities, as well as vendors and vendor-related activities. Full financial reports are available, including Profit & Loss Report and Balance Sheet. A base time zone can be set to ensure consistency of reports and operations across multiple time zones."

"Ubikwiti Online Software for SMBs screens, business forms and reports are easily and quickly customizable by SMB end-users by means of Ubikwiti's business-user-friendly DIY-GUI™ toolkit. Application navigation settings are also customizable by end-users using Ubikwiti's DIY-Configuration™ toolkit. The DIY-Configuration toolkit makes it easy to simplify the already simple, clean, easy-to-use Ubikwiti Online Software for SMBs by removing unnecessary components (replaceable at any time)."

"End-users can easily upgrade or add vertical market and other optional components and packages at any time from Ubikwiti's Online U-KwikShop™ (http://www.ubikwiti.com/shop/ukshop.html?type=nav_shop)."

In an otherwise complimentary post on Xero, Bevan Rudge wrote (http://drupal.geek.nz/blog/xerocom-online-accounting-done-right?page=1) "The only thing Xero hasn't got right is the platform. They wrote this from scratch on the .Net framework, and it shows in the many small but annoying bugs."

"In contrast to vendor-proprietary platforms like the Microsoft .Net platform used by Xero," said Tim Loving, "Ubikwiti's architecture is based on Open, SOA-compliant, definition-based (http://www.ubikwiti.com/shop/bcl.html?type=nav_shop) components. That means users don't get locked-in to proprietary platforms."

"In Ubikwiti, virtually everything can be customised on-the-fly by end-users to suit customer-specific business needs using our DIY-configuration and DIY-GUI toolkits. That includes country-specific and industry-specific business, accounting and sales tax needs (including New Zealand GST, Australian GST, UK VAT, as well as the multiplicity of sales taxes levied by US states and cities)."

He added, "While individual UK, NZ and Australian SMB customers can do that themselves as of now using our DIY toolkits, we can, subject to sufficient market interest, greatly simplify and shorten the customisation process by providing a free country-specific base template for SMBs, and even, free industry-specific base templates, including modifiable charts of accounts. The Open, SOA-compliant, definition-based architecture of our SaaS platform enables us to produce country-specific and industry-specific base templates within days.

In responding to queries relating to concerns of PaaS/SaaS customers raised by the recent demise of Coghead and the consequential problems for Coghead customers, Loving referred to a recent Ubikwiti blog post (http://www.ubikwiti.com/blog/?p=386) on the need for PaaS/SaaS customers to ask a few "caveat emptor" questions, such as:

•    Is the "real" hoster of my application and data robust, secure, trustworthy, and likely to be around for the long haul (e.g. a company like Amazon.com)? Ubikwiti response: Yes - we use Amazon.com EC2.

•    Is there an escrow provision in my agreement that allows me to continue running the application code myself if my PaaS/SaaS supplier succumbs, or, as in the case of Coghead, is swallowed by a whale sans existing customers? Ubikwiti response: Yes.

•    Does the escrow provision permit me to transfer my application and data to a secure hosted environment such as Amazon EC2? Ubikwiti response: Yes.

•    Does my PaaS/SaaS application toolset enable me (and/or my ISV) to continue to enhance and maintain the application on a DIY basis? Ubikwiti response: Yes.

•    Do my SaaS provider's platform architecture and contract termination processes optimize portability of my application and data to another SaaS provider? Ubikwiti response: Yes.

In terms of web browsers, Ubikwiti supports any major browser that supports JavaScript (e.g. Firefox).

In terms of operating systems, Ubikwiti Online Software for SMBs supports Microsoft Windows (XP and above), as well as Linux and Mac OS.

About Ubikwiti Ltd:

Ubikwiti is a leading designer and developer of online DIY component-based business application software. Amazon.com data centers in the United States host all Ubikwiti software and customer data.

Ubikwiti enables SMB businesspeople to quickly and easily define, configure, launch, modify and enhance business applications to meet their own business needs at the lowest possible cost. Businesspeople first select a business template and then add additional business components from U-KwikShop to tailor the template to their needs, using simple "point and click" methods.

Xero is a trademark of Xero Limited. Intuit, the Intuit logo, and QuickBooks, among others, are registered trademarks and/or registered service marks of Intuit Inc. in the United States and other countries. Windows, Windows 2000, .Net, IE, Vista and XP are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Firefox, Linux and any other trademarks used herein are trademarks of their respective owners.

Ubikwiti applications interface easily to free office productivity tools, social networking sites, web hosting services (such as online stores) and online payroll services.

For additional information, please visit www.ubikwiti.com.

###

Contact Information Tim Loving

Ubikwiti Ltd

http://www.ubikwiti.com

(++60 3) 7620 8733

Ambient Insight Report: Recession Good for the Learning Industry

Ambient Insight Report: Recession Good for the Learning Industry

Venture Capital Flowing to Learning Technology Companies

Seattle, WA (PRWEB) March 2, 2009 -- According to a new report released by Ambient Insight, venture capital is flowing into learning technology companies at the highest rate since the last recession. There was a dramatic spike in private investments made to learning technology companies in 2007 and 2008.

"Private investment in 2008 totaled over $1 billion, higher than any other year in the last ten years except 2000," reports Sam S. Adkins, Ambient Insight's Chief Research Officer. "This report identifies the types of companies, products, and services that are attracting that investment. Over 160 learning technology companies were funded in 2008, compared to 50 in 1999."

A free Executive Overview is available at:

http://www.ambientinsight.com/Reports/LearningTechnology.aspx

The report is called, ''Private Investment Trends in the US Learning Technology Industry: 1999-2008 Longitudinal Analysis'' and includes a detailed analysis of the funding amounts across eight types of learning products. It also analyzes the capital flowing to the training outsourcing companies. The analysis compares the funding activity in the last recession to the patterns in the current recession. There are some similarities, but investment trends are different this time.

"In the last recession, the vast majority of investment went to Self-paced eLearning companies," comments CEO Tyson Greer. "This time capital is flowing to companies that are 'innovating their way out of the recession' with second and third-generation products."

The research provides evidence that the current recession is now a growth catalyst for both the sales of learning technology products and the investment in learning technology companies. While no industry is immune from a recession, education is known to be "recession-resilient" and investment firms are moving money into the industry in response to the downturn.

"There are discrepancies between total funding activity for specific product types and the product's potential revenue growth," adds Adkins. "On the other hand, there are clear revenue opportunities for both suppliers and investors that are targeting products with sustainable and long-term revenue streams."

For more information on this research, please contact:

Sam S. Adkins, Chief Research Officer

Ambient Insight, LLC

360-805-4298

# # #

Contact Information Sam S. Adkins

Ambient Insight, LLC

http://www.ambientinsight.com

360-805-4298

Vocus to Host Its Eighth Annual Users Conference for Public Relations, Government Relations and PAC Professionals

Vocus to Host Its Eighth Annual Users Conference for Public Relations, Government Relations and PAC Professionals

Leading Industry Experts to Gather in Washington D.C. for One-of-a-Kind Conference Exploring Techniques and Best Practices for Communications

Lanaham, MD (Vocus) March 2, 2009 -- Vocus, Inc., (NASDAQ: VOCS) a leading provider of on-demand software for public relations management, today announced that it will hold its eighth annual Users Conference from June 3-5, 2009 at The Mandarin Oriental in Washington, D.C. The 2009 Vocus Users Conference (http://www.vocus.com/UC2009/), "The Time is Now. Lead," will feature leading PR, GR and PAC experts offering techniques and best practices to help Vocus customers communicate effectively and emerge as a leader in today's world.

The 2009 Users Conference will offer customers new ways to leverage Vocus' software (http://www.vocus.com/) to improve results and demonstrate their contribution to the bottom-line. Professionals will

* Hear from industry leaders who will discuss how organizations can emerge as leaders in a tough economy.

* Gain a better understanding of how technology and social media are accelerating the convergence of PR and Marketing.

* Choose from Basic and Advanced PR, GR and PAC training sessions to help maximize the success of campaigns.

* Build relationships and share best practices with hundreds of other professionals to help grow business networks.

* Learn how to maximize the value of their investment in Vocus to meet the organization's needs.

"Today's tight budgets mean doing more with less without sacrificing results," said Bill Wagner, chief marketing officer at Vocus, Inc. "The Vocus Users Conference is a one-of-a-kind opportunity for our customers to learn new ways to leverage our software to not only increase the momentum of communications campaigns in today's economic climate but also demonstrate their impact on company success."

Register by April 3, 2009, and take advantage of a $100 early bird discount on normal conference registration rates. For more information, please visit the Vocus Users Conference page (http://www.vocus.com/uc2009/details.html).

About Vocus, Inc.

Vocus, Inc. (NASDAQ: VOCS) is a leading provider of on-demand software for public relations management. Our web-based software suite helps organizations of all sizes to fundamentally change the way they communicate with both the media and the public, optimizing their public relations and increasing their ability to measure its impact. Our on-demand software addresses the critical functions of public relations including media relations, news distribution and news monitoring. We deliver our solutions over the Internet using a secure, scalable application and system architecture, which allows our customers to eliminate expensive up-front hardware and software costs and to quickly deploy and adopt our on-demand software. Vocus is used by more than 3,300 organizations worldwide and is available in seven languages. Vocus is based in Lanham, MD with offices in North America, Europe, and Asia. For more information please visit www.vocus.com or call 800.345.5572.

This release contains "forward-looking" statements that are made pursuant to the Safe Harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements that are predictive in nature, that depend upon or refer to future events or conditions, or that include words such as "may," "will," "expects," "projects," "anticipates," "estimates," "believes," "intends," "plans," "should," "seeks," and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause actual future results to differ materially from those projected or contemplated in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements may be significantly impacted by certain risks and uncertainties described in Vocus' filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

###

Contact Information Robin Lane

Vocus, Inc.

http://www.vocus.com

301-683-6022

Tripology Appoints Social Media and Internet Strategy Specialist to Board of Advisors

Tripology Appoints Social Media and Internet Strategy Specialist to Board of Advisors

Leading online travel referral service Tripology has appointed Elizabeth Osder to its Board of Advisors. Osder will assist Tripology with the company's social media planning and internet business strategy to advance in the digital world and further engage consumers as the Internet continues to evolve.

New York, NY (PRWEB) -- February 26, 2009 -- Tripology (http://www.tripology.com/), the leading online travel referral service, today announced the appointment of Elizabeth Osder to its Board of Advisors. Osder will assist the company with planning in the areas of social media and internet business strategy.

"Elizabeth's knowledge and experience are invaluable resources for Tripology and we are very pleased to bring her onto our Board," said John T. Peters (http://www.tripology.com/consumer/team/), CTIE, President and CEO of Tripology. "Her success as a pioneer in internet strategy, online marketing, and social media will help our company maximize reach, guide content and tone, and enhance user experience in the ever-changing online landscape."

With nearly 20 years background directing media, marketers and publishing brands in the interactive space, Osder is currently Principal of the Osder Group (http://www.osdergroup.com/), a consultancy specializing in social media, new product development, and internet business strategy for media companies. Previously, Osder served as Senior Vice President of Audience for Buzznet.com, where she was responsible for establishing roadmaps and staffing for all products, marketing, design production, and programming teams. Her leadership provided a solid operating foundation and enabled Buzznet to grow rapidly into the one of the largest consumer entertainment brands online.

Prior to Buzznet, Osder was Sr. Director of Product at Yahoo!, responsible for local, search, and social media products for Yahoo!'s global news and information sites. During her tenure, Yahoo! News became the Internet's number-one news destination, serving 40 million-plus unique users a month. Osder also launched social media initiatives such as "You Witness News." Her work at Yahoo! Media Group was preceded by her role as Director of Product Development for Yahoo! Search Marketing (YSM), where she helped develop Content Match, Yahoo!'s Publisher Network and many of YSM's publisher services.

Since the early 1990s, Osder held several posts as editor, producer, senior manager and consultant for publications, broadcasters and online services including NPR, the Washington Post, Time Warner and Applied Semantics/Google, and New York Times Digital and other highly acclaimed media outlets.

"I look forward to helping Tripology advance in the digital world and further engage consumers," said Osder. "My unique experience on the leading edge of social media innovations and direct experience with social activation will help bring a definitive edge to the online referral service and help Tripology achieve the goal of being #1 in its space."

For additional information about Tripology, visit Tripology.com. Travel Specialists can access the company's dedicated agent website at Tripology.com/agent (http://www.tripology.com/agent/) for information on how to become a registered Tripologist.

About Tripology:

Tripology is an interactive travel referral service focused on connecting travelers with qualified and customer-rated travel specialists. Available at no cost to consumers, Tripology utilizes proprietary technology to match traveler requests with travel professionals. The company has received and processed more than 65,000 consumer trip requests since Tripology.com (http://www.tripology.com/trip/step1/) launched in June 2007. Based in New York, NY, Tripology offers travelers the best of both worlds, combining a content-rich online experience with access to knowledgeable travel specialists in their desired destination or type of travel for the personal attention and service they seek. Tripology is a privately held corporation based in New York, NY. Its principal investor is Ascend Venture Group (http://www.tripology.com/consumer/investors/). For more information, visit Tripology.com.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Marlene Oliver, NJC Communications

(305) 491-0512, moliver @ njccorp.com

Mayra Etayo, NJC Communications

(305) 505-7089, metayo @ njccorp.com

###

Contact Information MARLENE OLIVER

Tripology

http://www.Tripology.com

305-491-0512

Veronique Deblois

Tripology

http://www.Tripology.com

800-924-0722

Afilias Releases Update on the .INFO Domain

Afilias Releases Update on the .INFO Domain

.INFO's success story offers a blueprint for new TLD launches and growth

Dublin, Ireland (PRWEB) February 26, 2009 -- Afilias, a global provider of internet infrastructure services, has released a report highlighting the growth of the .INFO domain and its new developments. With changes expected for the domain industry in coming year as new top-level domains are introduced, .INFO's success story allows for reflection on the building of a strong and stable domain with staying power.

"Building a new TLD is hard, long-term work and many elements need to be in place for it to be successful," said Roland LaPlante, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for Afilias "This report reveals that over the past eight years, .INFO has proven itself to be not just a globally intuitive path to information on the Net, but an enduring one as well."

.INFO now has over 5 million registrations and is approaching 4 million active Web sites. The top regions for registrations are North America (56 percent) and Europe (34 percent). The report also reveals that .INFO owners are finding genuine value in the domain, as more owners are renewing their names each year. .INFO sites are also attracting many visitors, as shown by the 13,000 .INFOs that are ranked in ALEXA's most trafficked sites list.

In addition to statistics on the health of .INFO, the report provides an update on important initiatives undertaken in .INFO over the last year--especially in the security area. Of particular note is .INFO's successful campaign to curb illegal domain use that has resulted in .INFO being among the "least-phished-in" large domains. This campaign combined rigorous monitoring and enforcement with a pioneering new Anti-Abuse Policy and serves as a model for other domains.

The full report is available at: http://www.info.info/webfm_send/70

About .INFO

.INFO was the first generic, unrestricted TLD to be launched since .com. Registrations in .INFO first became available in 2001. Since then, .INFO has grown to become the fourth largest gTLD in the world. Domains are currently available in ten Internationalized Domain Name (IDN) scripts. For more information please visit http://www.info.info

About Afilias

Afilias is a global provider of Internet infrastructure services that connect people to their data. Afilias' reliable, secure, scalable, and globally available technology supports a wide range of applications including Internet domain registry services, Managed DNS, and services in the RFID and supply chain market with its Afilias Discovery Services. For more information on Afilias please visit www.afilias.info.

Contact:

Heather Read

Afilias

Tel: +1-215-706-5777

Cell: +1-732-277-8125

hread(at)afilias.info

###

Contact Information Heather Read

Afilias

http://www.info.info

215-706-5777

Prepare to do Battle with New iPhone App - Fastego

Prepare to do Battle with New iPhone App - Fastego

A lethal game of capture the flag.

Winchester, MA (PRWEB) February 26, 2009 -- Victory is in the palm of your hand if you can capture the flag without getting blown up. Fastego, the new iPhone application from GoToTheBoard.com combines strategy, deduction and risk for a battle sure to challenge both novice and veteran digital gamers.

Fastego works on both the Apple iPhone® and iPod® touch. Players simply set their preferred level of play, arrange their soldiers and 'rage against the machine.' Advance the right combatant and you live. Send out a weak soldier and you die. Forget where your opponent's bombs are hidden and you might as well go home.

"We designed Fastego as a classic strategy game for all generations, said GoToTheBoard.com President Jared Carlson. "It instantly engages your competitive side and it's great for de-stressing or filling a few minutes with mind-testing fun."

Fastego is now available for download at the App Store (http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=303654767&mt=8) for $0.99. More game information is also available at Fastego.com (http://www.Fastego.com).

GoToTheBoard is a start-up company with experience in intellectual networking, consulting and game and application development. Several games and applications for the iPhone® and iPod® Touch are currently under development.

Apple, iPhone and iPod are trademarks of Apple. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

###

Contact Information Jared Carlson

GoToTheBoard.com

http://www.fastego.com

781-706-0079