ITGumbo: spicing IT up

This past week saw PLYmedia named Israel's most promising Internet start-up of 2008 by Microsoft, and HP unveil plans for startup incubation. The Internet was abuzz with Fring making unlocked iPhones now VoIP accessible and EyeBlaster's and Dapper's joining to do the mash... up. Oh yeah, and for those who missed my previous post, IBM continued its data storage solutions providers shopping spree, with its purchase of Diligent Technologies for an estimated $200 million. For a link to details on this latest acquisition and the rest of this past week's 24 Israel-related technology headlines, check out the list below.

Cleantech
3. Project Better Place

Water expo opens

Hollywood Premiere Of Award-Winning, New Documentary, "Water"


M&A and Investments
IBM buys Israel's Diligent

Venture Capitalists: U.S. Recession and Unstable Markets Will Slow Investing and Fundraising Activities, M&As and IPOs, KPMG Study Finds

Economy making venture capitalists cautious


Information Technology
TrusCont and CoakleyTech Announce the Launch of TrusCont Enhanced DVD-R Security Solution

Aternity Co-Founder & CTO Recognized as Leading Serial Entrepreneur by Distinguished Financial Journal

HP Israel unveils plans for startup incubation

World’s First Single-Chip, Multi-Message, Digital ChipCorder

Eyeblaster and Dapper Mash It Up Code Free


International
Microsoft names PLYmedia as Israel’s Most Promising Internet Startup of 2008

Israeli firms shine in Red Herring ratings

WorkLight selected AS A WINNER for the Red herring 100 Europe 2008

TruMedia's iCapture Wins Gold Medal at the Euro-Reklama Outdoor Expo


Telecom
Israel Wimax Pilot Moves to Next Stage

Motorola and FIRST Inspire Next Generation of Engineers

Israeli telecom firm Koor intends to buy stake in Tata Teleservice

iPhone gains VoIP with Fring


Miscellaneous
Interview with BluePhoenix Solutions' Chief Marketing Officer

Virtualization Start-Up to Present at Virtualization Conference & Expo in New York City

ClickSoftware to Automate Scheduling and Mobile Workforce Management for Rogers Cable Communications

Sentrigo Executes on all Fronts in 2007, Priming Database Security Leader for Continued Rapid Growth

BOS Announces Finalizing a Supply Agreement With a Major European Manufacturer in the Aircraft Industry Valued at Approximately $ 1.5 Million, for Supply Over 2 Years


About the author: Lisa Damast is the Membership Manager of ebizQ.net and currently resides in Israel. Any questions or inquiries regarding this blog or ebizQ membership services can be directed to her via email at ldamast (at) ebizq (dot) net. She can also be followed on Twitter, where she covers additional Israeli technology companies and Israel-related headlines and topics.

Globes is reporting that in the next 24 hours, IBM is expected to officially announce its purchase of Diligient Technologies, an enterprise data storage and deduplication solutions provider, for an estimated $200 million. Here are some quick facts from the Globes article regarding the deal:

• Diligent Technologies is IBM's third acquisition in Israel so far this year (after XIV in January and FilesX Ltd. last week).
• Diligent Technologies is a spinoff from EMC Israel, which still owns a 20% share in Diligent.
• Diligent was co-founded in 2002 by current CEO, Doron Kempel and data storage legend, Moshe Yanai (currently the XIV chairman and an IBM employee).

For more details, check out the Globes article and my entry on the rumor from a few weeks ago.


About the author: Lisa Damast is the Membership Manager of ebizQ.net and currently resides in Israel. Any questions or inquiries regarding this blog or ebizQ membership services can be directed to her via email at ldamast (at) ebizq (dot) net. She can also be followed on Twitter, where she covers additional Israeli technology companies and Israel-related headlines and topics.

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Globes is reporting that IBM has agreed to acquire Israeli data protections and data-recovery solutions provider, FilesX for an undisclosed sum. According to Globes,

"IBM intends that the FilesX technology will become part of the Tivoli Storage Manager family of products, IBM’s flagship suite of data protection and information infrastructure offerings. IBM expects that FilesX enterprise-level continuous data protection solutions will complement IBM's existing file-based software - called IBM Tivoli Continuous Data Protection for Files - which is targeted at small and mid-sized business customers and individual PC users. With its patented technology, FilesX helps IT staff restore data from virtually any type of failure and from nearly any point in time. FilesX offerings may be particularly attractive in environments where IT skills and budgets are limited, as it is considered easy to use and offers self-managing features."

For those who are keeping track, if IBM goes through with this purchase, it will be the company's second acquisition of an Israeli storage company since January (when it acquired XIV), and the third Israeli company it has been connected to in relation to acquisitions since the New Year (the second being the rumors of its in talks to acquire Diligent Technologies Corp). It will also be the first one without any connection to Moshe Yanai.

News of this acquisition comes amidst its rival, EMC, being in the news lately with its own acquisitions. However, there doesn't seem to be any direct connection between EMC's recent moves and IBM's purchasing FilesX, which will "enhance its data-recovery offerings for remote offices."

Perhaps more relevant is that this comes after FilesX announced last week "the immediate availability of support for multi-language versions of Microsoft Windows in its Xpress Restore software product." But, that's enough speculation.

While IBM's constant interest in storage is part of a general trend that the company and several others in the industry will continue to follow throughout the year, it will be interesting to see if other company's, perhaps EMC, will follow IBM's lead in acquiring Israeli data storage companies. What do you think? Fill out the survey to let me know. 

Company Facts

Founded in 2000.

Jimmy Garcia-Meza, President and CEO.

Ami Kleinman, VP R&D.

Products: Xpress Restore CDP, Xpress Restore DR and Xchange Restore.

Website: www.filesx.com.


About the author: Lisa Damast is the Membership Manager of ebizQ.net and currently resides in Israel. Any questions or inquiries regarding this blog or ebizQ membership services can be directed to her via email at ldamast (at) ebizq (dot) net. She can also be followed on Twitter, where she covers additional Israeli technology companies and Israel-related headlines and topics.

CEPCO Holding Ltd., provider of the Med-O-Card, recently informed me that the company (first covered by Israel Innovation 2.0 in December 2007) is in the process of setting up a consortium that will carry out,

“product and system development and is geared towards a nationwide implementation of the USB Med-O-Card in Germany in 2008, and in other European countries.”

Expected members of the consortium will include “National Phone Carrier, German Doctors Associations, various German Medical Foundations, Hospital Groups and the IT industry.”

CEPCO’s new push comes during a time when Germany’s intended deployment of the “eGK”, a stripped-down and non-editable device from GEMATIK, is being protested by the German public and the German health sector for its absence of basic necessary features.

Two benefits of the Med-O-Card - a credit card-sized USB storage device that contains secure software and an operating system that can store personal medical records and history - over other personal health management recording solutions, including the “eGK,” are its providing an operating system and system security. CEPCO’s advanced technology that protects the confidential information on the Med-O-Card has also created interest and demand from USB hardware manufacturers.

IT professionals in the health management field in both the US and Europe (aside from just Germany) should look for CEPCO to make moves in those markets throughout 2008.

TechCrunch and Globes are reporting that user-driven data management company, BeInSync has been acquired by core systems firmware provider, Phoenix Technologies for $25 million. BeInSync was first featured on Israel Innovation 2.0 earlier this month after it was announced that the company was a finalist in the 2008 Webware 100' Awards in the Utility & Security field.

According to the news release from Phoenix Technologies,

"The integration of breakthrough synchronization technology from BeInSync will allow Phoenix and its customers to help end-users alleviate concerns about the loss of important files and to give them complete mobile freedom to access their data from any Internet-connected computer."

BeInSync founder and VP R&D Sharon Carmel will continue to work for Phoenix and its Tel Aviv operations will be maintained. Regarding whether or not BeInSync wins a Webware 100 award, its management team and investors are certainly already taking home a better prize.


About the author: Lisa Damast is the Membership Manager of ebizQ.net and currently resides in Israel. Any questions or inquiries regarding this blog or ebizQ membership services can be directed to her via email at ldamast (at) ebizq (dot) net. She can also be followed on Twitter, where she covers additional Israeli technology companies and Israel-related headlines and topics.

Enterprise Internet security company, Check Point Software Technologies Ltd., announced yesterday that in mid-2008, Tal Payne will be replacing current Chief Financial Officer Eyal Desheh.

Check Point is one of Israel's largest hi-tech companies and focuses on IT security as relates to network security, data security and security management solutions. Some of the company's products include its NGX platform; Pointsec product line, such as Check Point Full Disk Encryption; and the ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite.

According to the Website, Check Point's Pointsec product line offers "market leading data security solutions" by "protecting and encrypting sensitive corporate information stored on PCs and other mobile computing devices." Its Check Point Full Disk Encryption offers security on mobile devices, such as laptops, that are heavily used for business and contain confidential information outside of the office walls, where breaches are more likely to happen.

With more company information in the hands of business professionals who work away from the office, data security is essential as data breach attempts are inevitable. Security software, such as Check Point's, can help database managers take more preventative measures to lessen the chances of data breaches happening on their watch.


Company Facts

Founded in 1993.

Gil Shwed; Founder, CEO and Chairman.

Marius Nacht; Founder and Vice Chairman.

Products: Check Point Full Disk Encryption and ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite, among others.

Website: www.checkpoint.com


About the author: Lisa Damast is the Membership Manager of ebizQ.net and currently resides in Israel. Any questions or inquiries regarding this blog or ebizQ membership services can be directed to her via email at ldamast (at) ebizq (dot) net. She can also be followed on Twitter, where she covers additional Israeli technology companies and Israel-related headlines and topics.

It looks as though another Israeli company might be heading towards a major exit and, again, through IBM. Globes reported earlier this week that IBM is in advanced talks with Israeli enterprise data storage and deduplication solutions provider, Diligent Technologies Corp. The deal is estimated to be worth $200 million.

This news comes two months after IBM purchased its first Israeli start-up, XIV, another data storage solutions company, for $300 million. Here are some noteworthy facts and trends related to both these deals:

1. Diligent Technologies Corp. was spun off from EMC Israel in 2002. EMC is a huge competitor of IBM.
   
2. EMC Corp owns 20% of Diligent.
   
3. Data Storage pioneer, Moshe Yanai sits on Diligent's board. He is best known as a former EMC employee and technology storage legend. He also sat as XIV's Chairman.  

According to Diligent's website, the company is an innovator in enterprise-class disk-based data protection solutions,

"Focused on meeting the challenges of storing, protecting and managing the ever-explosive growth of backup data and the continued inefficiencies inherent in traditional methods."

Diligent's main product is the ProtecTIER platform which is one of the most "cost-effective and robust disk-based data protection solution on the market." It is powered by HyperFactor, and "eliminates redundant data and radically reduces the amount and cost of physical storage required" through its innovative platform which "provides a single instance store for backup and recovery, archive, and compliance applications."

If IBM does purchase Diligent, it will be interesting to see what response, if any, EMC will take and how IBM will integrate it.


Company Facts

Founded in 2002.

Doron Kempel, Chairman and CEO.

Ron Asher, VP of Engineering.

Products: ProtecTIER, VTF Open and VTF Mainframe. 

Website: www.diligent.com.


Related ITGumbo content:
AlgoSec unveils new firewall analyzer product suite.
Sentrigo releases Hedgehog 2.0.
BeInSync selected for offering Utility and Security.
High demand for Mellanox Technologies' virtualization solutions.


About the author: Lisa Damast is the Membership Manager of ebizQ.net and currently resides in Israel. Any questions or inquiries regarding this blog or ebizQ membership services can be directed to her via email at ldamast (at) ebizq (dot) net. She can also be followed on Twitter, where she covers additional Israeli technology companies and Israel-related headlines and topics.

Earlier this week, Sentrigo, Inc., an enterprise database security software provider, announced the release of Hedgehog 2.0.

According to the news release, the updates to Hedgehog 2.0 now allow Microsoft SQL Server users to

enjoy the same level of security provided by Sentrigo’s Hedgehog to Oracle database users—defending against insider breaches, external attacks and vulnerability exploits.

Regular followers of ITGumbo's parent website, ebizQ.net, should be familiar with Sentrigo from a podcast that ebizQ's Security Editor, Peter Schooff did with Sentrigo Vice President of Marketing, Rani Osnat, last summer. In it, the two discuss virtual patching and granularity (Hedgehog's main differentiation points) and what gives it its flexibility to work within a dynamic, shared system (the database) without requiring downtime or preventing other work, unrelated to the vulnerability, from continuing.

The company's innovativeness in an area of growing concern for database managers hasn't only caught the attention of ebizQ though. Data security-related websites and blogs throughout the Web have covered the company and its active blogger, CTO and co-founder, Slavik Markovich.

Anyone who wants to get an idea of the data security field, Sentrigo, and Markovich's role in the company's success, should check out his blog, "Musings on Database Security." IT professionals serious about security and preventing database breaches, should consider Hedgehog 2.0 as a possible software solution. There are two main versions of Hedgehog: Hedgehog Enterprise and Hedgehog Standard. Hedgehog Standard can be downloaded for free via Sentrigo's website.


Company Facts

Founded in 2006.

Nathan Shuchami - Co-founder and CEO.

Slavik Markovich - Co-founder and CTO.

Products: Hedgehog Enterprise, Hedgehog Standard and Hedgehod IDentifier.

Website: www.sentrigo.com


About the author: Lisa Damast is the Membership Manager of ebizQ.net and currently resides in Israel. Any questions or inquiries regarding this blog or ebizQ membership services can be directed to her via email at ldamast (at) ebizq (dot) net. She can also be followed on Twitter, where she covers additional Israeli technology companies and Israel-related headlines and topics.

BeInSync Ltd., a user-driven data management company based in Israel, has announced that it was "selected by the editors of Webware, a CNET site, as a finalist in this year’s 'Webware 100' Awards for Utility & Security."

According to the BeInSync website, BeInSync Business (Professional) management software boosts the productivity of mobile workforce, small teams and telecommuters by deploying a,

reliable online backup, synchronization, access and sharing services to 5-1,000 users within minutes and with virtually no IT investment.

The software provides security through encryption and is "transferred directly between the different user computers." It is easy to activate as it is wizard-based and "synchronization works automatically in the background and does not require any user intervention."

IT professionals looking to cut spending costs and for freedom from relying on different applications to manage data collaboration can find an all-in-one solution in BeInSync Business. 

 
What is Webware?

Webware (www.webware.com) provides the latest information on Web 2.0 sites, services, and applications. Its timely and relevant blog entries about hundreds of web-based services, such as wikis, blogs, and social networking sites, help users determine the best products for them to use in their daily lives.

Voting on the Webware site is going on now.


Company Facts
Founded in 2002.

Motti Vaknin, CEO.

Sharon Carmel, Founder & Vice President of R&D.

Products: BeInSync Professional and Business Editions.

Website: www.beinsync.com.


Related ebizQ and ITGumbo content:
2Win-Solutions.
Company in Focus: XIV.
Company in Focus: Voltaire Ltd.


About the author: Lisa Damast is the Membership Manager of ebizQ.net and currently resides in Israel. Any questions or inquiries regarding this blog or ebizQ membership services can be directed to her via email at ldamast (at) ebizq (dot) net. She can also be followed on Twitter, where she covers additional Israeli technology companies and Israel-related headlines and topics.

Mellanox Technologies Ltd., a semiconductor-based server and storage interconnect solutions provider, announced yesterday that since the January release of its InfiniBand drivers for VMware ESX 3.5, it has received a sharp increase in demand and inquiries from "partners, and end-users from multiple enterprise data center vertical markets". The drivers are drawing interest primarily for their ability to consolidate I/O adapters and, as a result, minimize the set-up process in virtualized environments.

According to the news release, Mellanox's consolidation claims have drawn "heavy interest from Fortune 500 companies" interested in "the ability to immediately save I/O power (up to 30%) and I/O cost (up to 50%)."

To back up claims about its drivers performance capabilities, Mellanox will be showcasing its InfiniBand drivers in action at VMworld Europe 2008 this week. VMworld Europe is led by VMware (Virtual Machine ware) and is a key conference for business and IT professionals on "virtual technology and business solutions."

VMware's website defines virtualization (also termed "cloud computing" by IBM and Google) as letting, 

one computer do the job of multiple computers, by sharing the resources of a single computer across multiple environments. Virtual servers and virtual desktops lets you host multiple operating systems and multiple applications locally and in remote locations, freeing you from physical and geographical limitations. In addition to energy savings and lower capital expenses due to more efficient use of your hardware resources, you get high availability of resources, better desktop management, increased security, and improved disaster recovery processes when you build a virtual infrastructure.

Data center architects and IT managers in vertical sectors (such as banking, Web 2.0 and healthcare) who are trying to cut their data center costs and decrease risk through virtualization should look into how Mellanox's InfiniBand drivers for VMware ESX 3.5 can help simplify the implementation process.


Company Facts

Founded in 1999 and based in Yokneam and Tel Aviv, Israel.

Eyal Waldman, Co-founder, Chairman of the Board and CEO.

Roni Ashuri, Co-founder and Vice President of Engineering.

Products: Silicon adapters, adapter cards, software and production development kits.

Website: www.mellanox.com.


Related entries:
Company in Focus: G.ho.st.
Company in Focus: XIV.

About the author: Lisa Damast is the Membership Manager of ebizQ.net and currently resides in Israel. Any questions or inquiries regarding this blog or ebizQ membership services can be directed to her via email at ldamast (at) ebizq (dot) net. She can also be followed on Twitter, where she covers additional Israeli technology companies and Israel-related headlines and topics.