MediaFirst PR - Atlanta - Technology

Speaker Bio of Jim Caruso

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 19:02:39 +0000

Jim Caruso has spoken across four continents, offering insights on applying technology to business. he enables his team to make clients famous in their niche. This fame leads to more business and, ultimately, successful exit through acquisition. He is expert in using technology tools to generate market awareness, educate buyers, identify decision-makers, and sell. On Jim's creative side, he crafts strategic, attention-getting messaging for clients that wins attention from media, analysts, and prospects.

Jim is CEO of MediaFirst

Profile of Stephanie Frost

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 18:56:57 +0000

Stephanie Frost, Director - Mobile Communications Practice

Stephanie Frost, author of Marketing: Unmasked and host of a weekly business radio show called Gravity Free Radio, helps business owners harness the power of online interaction. These days, having a website is just a starting point. She helps her clients understand the ever-evolving, social web. Sites such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and so many others have presented companies and brands with a whole new set of tools for engaging their customers. Used effectively (and efficiently), these tools can help businesses network to achieve more brand recognition, a larger pipeline of prospects, and a happier customer base. Stephanie is a frequent speaker on the subject of sales, marketing and social media.

Stephanie Frost has more than fifteen years experience in the wireless industry at Cingular Interactive, BellSouth Wireless Data, Skytel, Motorola, and startups. She creates innovative, sales and marketing strategies that ride trends in consumer communication and interactivity to promote wireless products and services. Stephanie is co-author of "Marketing: Unmasked," a tactical guide to marketing for startups and businesses. She frequently is asked to speak about the use of technology--including mobile--in marketing, branding, publicity, and social networking.

As Senior Manager of Business Development at Cingular Interactive (2001-2005), Stephanie grew the subscriber base across verticals, such as transportation, financial services, public safety, and health care. She worked with applications service providers, facilitating their implementation of wireless data solutions for telemetry and
machine-to-machine (M2M) communications. Since 2005, she continues to work with carriers, service providers, and hardware manufacturers in both B2B and consumer applications, assisting clients with business development, marketing and public relations.

How did you find this Website?

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 01:45:36 +0000

Services: MediaFirst Wows Target Audiences & Creates Customers

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 20:38:49 +0000

Our cornerstone is to reach audiences most effectively - at points in the sales cycle - and with the right, cost-effective tool to do the job. We build targeted audiences, creating awareness, investor interest, and competitive advantage.

Better Tech Backgrounds For Better Results

With the deeper roots in technology than competitors, we easily understand your technology, formulate resonating value propositions, evangelize your products and services, and open new markets. We design and implement outstanding communications solutions for high technology ventures. Staffed by experienced people, MediaFirst brings rigorous methods that accomplish your goals.

MediaFirst Service offerings:

Public Relations (PR): Third-party Endorsement by the Media
Corporate Marketing & Branding: Create the Right Identity and Build your Brand
Award Opportunity Management Garners High Praise
Speaking Opportunities: Sell Hundreds or Thousands at Once
Web Presence & Hosting: Bringing Your Expertise to the Customer's Door
Social Media: Leveraging Friends of a Friend
Advertising: Cost-Effective Awareness & the Right Call-to-Action for Lead Generation
Analyst Relations Validate Your Position & Direction
Event Management & Execution: Impart Knowledge to the Target Audience
Marketing: Creating Awareness & Knowledge, Leading to Selling & Closing

Call Jim at 770/642-2080 for tech PR services that lead to your complete success.

Are Web Apps and Services Heading to Extinction?

jimcaruso — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 16:37:11 +0000

Are Web apps and services heading to extinction as common Web functionality becomes embedded in Mobile apps and interfaces - or - within commonly used apps, such as e-mail? Specifically, Web-based apps like Twitter have new competition in Google Buzz, which integrates micro-blogging directly into your e-mail. Another example would be the many Web-based calendar and event services. Many of these independent Web apps have their own interfaces. Can a Google Calendars, iCal, or Outlook calendar disintermediate these Web-based calendar services with the direct access they have to your calendar on mobile devices and your most critical calendar app. Google, Apple, and Microsoft already have expansive and third-party calendars that you can subscribe to without going to any third-party Web site.

Lame to Fame: Whys & Hows for Taking Your Website to the Top

jimcaruso — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 02:09:09 +0000

As part of our participation in the Drupal community, I've offered a presentation for the annual North American conference in San Francisco, California.

The session is entitled:

"Lame to Fame: Whys & Hows for Taking Your Website to the Top"

With some specific requirements for functionality (semantic Web and social media) and usability (ease of content management and rapid response time), Jim will discuss what is making his business services Website ever more successful. How did a dangerously technical, business guy find the skill sets to run a small business site like the big guys? Why pick Drupal when all your friends run WordPress? What community resources are available and why you should connect? How using Drupal and being a member of the community helps my business. Key issues discussed are hosting, performance, themes, modules, and site-building.MediaFirst is in a Website redesign project using Drupal.

Link to

Link to my DrupalCon SF Session"

MediaFirst Recommends Volacci for Your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Needs

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 19:19:52 +0000

There are three clear advantages to working with Volacci for your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) needs.

Volacci knows Drupal – Volacci has been working with Drupal and the Drupal community since 2006 – way back when version 4.5 was the stable release.
They have worked on well over 100 Drupal websites for content and SEO. They know how Drupal works and how best to use it to maximize your ranking in the search engines.
Like M ediaFIrst.net, www.Volacci.com runs Drupal because it is hands-down the best platform for SEO available today.
Volacci is an Acquia Gold Partner – Created by the Drupal founders, Acquia provides commercial Drupal support, certification and training.

By selecting an Acquia Partner for your SEO needs, you can be assured that you are working with a team committed to the same standards of quality, innovation and success that you expect from MediaFirst. In fact, not only is Volacci an Acquia partner but Acquia has selected Volacci as their exclusive SEO since May, 2008. Please see the attached Volacci case study for Acquia Volacci and the Drupal community – Volacci has shown that they are committed to the Drupal community. They are a Drupal Convention sponsor, they create and maintain the SEO Checklist module – the single most popular online-marketing add-on to Drupal – as well as help in the development of several additional modules related to search. They show their commitment to the success of the Drupal platform by publishing the Drupal SEO Podcast, helping in the forums, and writing documentation for Drupal.org.

Volacci is committed to working with MediaFirst to provide you with the best possible solution to your web marketing needs. For more information, please visit www.Volacci.com or to request a quote for your project, please call Ben Finklea at (512) 989-2945 x204 or e-mail ben [at] volacci [dot] com.

Technology Public Relations Atlanta

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 17:19:14 +0000

For more than ten years, MediaFirst has helped power clients to successful acquisition and exit. These include Gideon Technologies (acquired by Symantec 2010), LeanLogistics (acquired 2008), Optimus Solutions (acquired 2008), Eircom (IPO 2004), ExtremeLogic (acquired by HP 2003), and many more.

MediaFirst combines creative and engineering to deliver great strategy, positioning, writing, and guidance. We get you more press coverage by better serving reporters and editors.

Awareness of your successes increases the valuation of your firm and generates sales leads, investor interest, and competitive advantage. Beyond PR, MediaFirst services win speaking opportunities, gain industry analyst praise, draw consistently better media coverage, and garner significant industry awards.

To accomplish your goals, we craft programs that:

Create awareness in your target markets
Build mind share
Impart knowledge of your value proposition
Establish customer loyalty
Synchronize the marketing attack
Secure executive thought-leadership
Engage and grow audiences
Outmaneuver and outshine the competition

Notes From "SEO Best Practices for the Drupal.org Redesign" Webinar

jimcaruso — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 05:13:17 +0000

Notes From "SEO Best Practices for the Drupal.org Redesign" Webinar

Noted here are SEO recommendations for the drupal.org redesign, as presented by Erik Wagner and Josh Ward of Volacci. The video of their presentation is available at http://blip.tv/file/3006098 and on the Acquia site.

Purpose of SEO Within The Drupal.org Redesign

Part of the Drupal.org redesign is a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) effort to raise page rank and direct visitors to the correct content. Successful site visits build the community, increase awareness of Drupal, and facilitate learning about Drupal. Page rank drives d.o results higher on the search results page of search engines, such as Google.com. Properly directing visitors to the correct content makes them happier and more successful during each visit to the Website.

Help With D.O Redesign

Note that members of the Drupal community can help by writing SEO-friendly content, following the guidelines for high search ranking when they write for Drupal.org. Volacci will be filing required changes in the issue queue for Drupal.org, so please feel free to take a look and see if you can help.

By Linking To Drupal.org You Can Raise Drupal's Page Rank

Use links that contain keywords describing Drupal.org on your own sites, blogs, and while micro-blogging or using social media and social networking tools. Links are like votes and give credibility to Websites by the total number to links pointing to that site or page

SEO Key Performance Indicators

KPIs are Bounce Rate and New Visits, referring sites, etc.

Keyword Research and Keywords, such as: Drupal, Content Management, etc. Where is the most potential in terms of search volumen and where we want to be

Page Titles and Title Tags

Tag strings should have fewer than 69 characters and avoid duplicates. Search results are displayed among the search results and therefore need to accurately describe that content. Use the most important keyword for that content first and within the title.

Directory Silo

Use a directory silo strategy on Drupal.org to improve the ability of visitors to find what they need and have a successful visit. Directory silos mean distinctly different sections that include keyword and point visitors to the correct content. A directory silo helps to more clearly define the purpose of each page

Who is the audience, what are the different visitor types and how can we serve each visitor

Header Tags

Make sure each page has header tags and the right ones. There should be a single <h1> tag per page.
The most important search terms should be used in the <h1>. Add a few <h2> and <h3> tags. Note that <h2> tags should be around keywords, not links

Meta Description and Tags

Each page needs a unique Meta Description that is less than 156 characters. This should include keywords for the page and is delivered to search users in the search result. Each page should have a few keywords.

Page Content

Use the keywords (see blow) on each page within the text content and image "alt text." Use fewer than 100 links per page because that is the maximum followed by Google. Fewer links per page increases the Google search value of each link. Watch redirects so that the "from link name" is in accord with the "to link," which means to properly format URLs. Make sure lots of links on a single page don't look like a link farm, which means you should create separate pages for different types of links with fewer links per page.

Website Robots.txt File

Exclude content that should not be search indexed via the robots.txt file.

Disallow search indexing if the site goes up on the Web before it's ready, again via robots.txt.

Correct any error in your robots.txt file

HTML and CSS (as output by the theme)

Test for valid HTML and CSS output at http://validator.w3.org/
Google ranks your page higher if it validates properly

Images:

Include images with "alt text"

Conversions

When the redesign is complete, A/B testing with Google Web Optimizer can help identify what Call-To-Action wording yields the greatest number of downloads of Drupal. What should be the "Call-To-Action," which is dependent upon the type of visitor and their need. Simple, clear calls-to-action prevent visitors from leaving without taking the desired action, such as finding the right answer, downloading Drupal, identifying the right module, etc.

References

Ref: Book, "Drupal 6 Search Engine Optimization" by Ben Finklea, founder and CEO of Volacci: http://www.volacci.com/drupal-6-search-engine-optimization-book

Ref: Volacci SEO blog: http://www.volacci.com/blog

Ref: Drupal.org Issue Queue

Ref: http://acquia.com/blog/webinar-search-engine-optimization-drupalorg-redesign-0

Ref: Contribute to the Drupal.org redesign: http://groups.drupal.org/drupalorg-redesign-implementers/guide

Ref: "Search Engine Optimization for the Drupal.org Redesign" at BlipTV: http://blip.tv/file/3006098

Keyword List to include in your writing:

Keyword with average monthly search volume, estimated at Google

framework: 6120000

cms: 4090000

open source: 4090000

drupal: 2240000

document management: 1500000

webdesign: 1220000

content management: 823000

content management system: 246000

cms made simple: 201000

webdesigner: 165000

cms php: 135000

content management software: 90500

web content management: 90500

web publishing: 90500

website cms: 90500

document management system: 74000

open source cms: 74000

open source php: 74000

free cms: 60500

simple cms: 60500

content management systems: 49500

open source content management: 49500

web cms: 49500

open source crm: 40500

cms software: 33100

cms system: 33100

open source content management system: 33100

best cms: 27100

drupal joomla: 27100

drupal tutorial: 27100

using drupal: 27100

website content management: 27100

drupal development: 22200

drupal template: 22200

web content management system: 22200

document management systems: 18100

Twitter Influence & Tracking Tools

jimcaruso — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 22:05:07 +0000

Here is a quick list of Twitter tools, Websites with differing measurements of influence.

For real tracking, I like Filtrbox ( http://www.filtrbox.com/ ). Fitrbox has tool to check your influence, http://www.filtrbox.com/twitter.htm ranking you on a scale of 1-10 (10 is highest). Also, you can access this through their API.

Twitter Influence Trackers:

http://www.twitalyzer.com

http://twitter.grader.com

http://www.filtrbox.com/twitter.htm

http://tweetstats.com

http://twittercounter.com

tweetreach.com

http://twinfluence.com

http://www.buzzom.com

http://twscore.net

http://friendorfollow.com

http://klout.com

Twitter Activity

http://topsy.com

Twitter Statistics

http://tweetstats.com

twitteranalyzer.com <~ Results not valid

TweetEffect.com <~ Results not valid. Did not even come close to showing which tweets yield new followers or unfollowers.

WordPress: Websites, Content, & Hosting

jimcaruso — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 06:00:00 +0000

MediaFirst was a sponsor of WordCamp Atlanta, 8-9 January 2010. Find Twitter streams with the hash tag #wcatl. Next year's WordCamp is scheduled for 11-12 February 2011.

Tie Tech PR Strategy Directly To Tactics For Best Results

Sat, 02 Jan 2010 23:47:57 +0000

One method for attaining higher quality results, is a PR process that embeds strategy within the tactical documentation for the client. MediaFirst identifies the desired, future positioning for a client. This is a view of how the client firm wishes to be viewed in a year. Since most of our clients are privately held, we work for executives that have shareholdings in their firm and want to increase valuation. To succeed we use a technique applied by excellent, venture-backed companies. This technique establishes: a.) the qualification and capability of the management team, b.) the value proposition, c.) the pursuit of a market size large enough to generate revenues worthy of investor interest and strong growth, and d.) the team's ability to execute effectively across creating customers, competitive offerings, revenue growth, and respectable margins. Our approach drives valuation, which enables attractive funding or exit, by communicating your successes to investors in their language. This has led to the acquisition of many MediaFirst clients. This positioning also supports merger, acquisition, or Initial Public Offering (IPO). TARGET AUDIENCES: Reaching a desired audience is the prime goal of a client. Reaching the audience generates awareness and knowledge of a client's offerings, value proposition, and successes. Target audiences are reached through media outlets: magazines, newspapers, Websites, blogs, social media, news wires, etc. Therefore, a targeted Media Outlets List is one of the first strategic decisions in PR. Embedded in the tactical, working documentation, the Client's Editorial Calendar (EdCal), it becomes the basis for researching potential news stories - yet to be written over the next year. The tactical Client EdCal evolves into a tickler of opportunities for a client to be covered in an upcoming article. Each opportunity is a chance to "sell" the client's story, spokesperson, case study, offerings, etc. to a reporter or editor. The result is an interview with the specific reporter or editor assigned to the story. This connects the reporter with the client spokesperson - and possibly the client's customer, alliance partner, technology provider, or industry analyst. The scope of work is proportional to the number of targeted media outlets. Metrics that MediaFirst uses in assessing performance include: quantity of EdCal opportunities that "fit" for the client, number of interview opportunities acquired with reporters/editors, number of interviews conducted - or missed - by the client spokespersons, and the quantity and type of press coverage obtained by the client. STRATEGIC INITIATIVES: The Proposed Press Release Schedule is the tactical document that MediaFirst uses to capture strategic initiatives of the client, scheduling the release of news and positioning each initiative in ways that match the desired positioning. This schedule is used to consistently release information on the client, covering the:

Management Team press releases describe how the client has the top talent that enables success. This includes announcing awards, promotions, hiring, and other newsworthy recognition of the executive management team.
Offerings include hardware, software, or services (products and services) that reflect the client's ability to deliver what customers want - recognizing the emerging needs or opportunities for customers to be better served by the client than elsewhere. MediaFirst writes (press releases, newsletters, Web pages, brochures, etc.) in ways that prove that the client understands the needs of the marketplace and executes to provide better value for the customer.
Market: our writing describes the market served by the client and the importance, size, and client success in meeting that industry's needs. In addition, MediaFirst writes to position the client as a thought-leader in identifying and meeting emerging needs of customers.
Ability to Execute: The ability to execute is shown through press releases that announce: new clients, alliance partners, new product or service offerings, winning awards, speaking at industry conferences, hiring the right people, and growth in revenues, profitability, or staff. For private firms, growth may be described in percentage increases - avoiding disclosure of exact revenues. Quarterly growth - or quarter over quarter growth over the period of a year - are examples of other, flexible ways to describe growth.

YEAR-FORWARD POSITIONING:

MediaFirst and Service Management

Sat, 02 Jan 2010 06:02:01 +0000

At Media First, we understand the Service Management marketplace better than anyone. Our experienced staff has worked with and for some of the largest and most successful players in the Service Management market. Whether your company is looking to increase awareness through public and analyst relations or is in need of in-depth competitive analysis to arm your sales force for battle, Media First is your one-stop shop for marketing and business development services to increase your Service Management business and build your brand in the economic downturn.

Service Management - A Complex and Often Overwhelming Market

A complete Service Management solution includes several technologies that, when brought together, can help enterprises better service customers to increase profitability and build strong customer relationships.

Today, there is no one vendor who can supply all of the best-of-breed technologies required for an end-to-end Service Management enterprise implementation. This reality poses issues for both vendors and enterprise buyers alike. Vendors struggle to differentiate themselves and partner with the important players, while enterprise buyers can become overwhelmed by building piecemeal solutions that don’t do the desired job.

At Media First, we understand these issues from both vendor and buyer perspectives so we can help your company position itself to compete--and win—in an overcrowded and ill-defined market.

Service Management – an Overview

Enterprises that deploy and implement Service Management technologies and business processes enjoy benefits that lead to improved profitability through cost reduction or the driving of new or enhanced revenue streams. Among those benefits are:

- Improved Service Level Agreement Compliance

- Improved utilization of staff and resources

- Reduction in lost inventory

- More accurate and timely billing cycles

- Rapid response and first call resolution

- Improvement in equipment uptime

Enabling Technologies:

Mobility Platforms and Applications

Mobile is a critical component of any successful Service Management deployment, and there are a number of software vendors that provide enabling mobile technology for Service Management deployments. The mobile software marketplace is crowded and includes GPS vendors, platforms for building and deploying enterprise service applications as well as packaged, off-the-shelf applications focused on specific industries. For a mobile software company to secure customers and, sometimes, even get in the door, it is essential to differentiate through competitive positioning and focused, high-impact public and analyst relations efforts.

Mobile Devices

Rugged or consumer-grade devices are deployed globally in Service Management implementations, and it can often be an uphill battle to find the right partner and identify the optimal device for a specific use case. Service Management companies need to identify software, service and carrier partners that will help improve its position and gain traction in the Service Management marketplace.

Wireless – Wide Area or Wi-Fi

Carriers and Wi-Fi network providers supply an essential technology piece to achieving rapid ROI and real-time communication within Service Management deployments. Identifying and forging marketing and sales relationships with key partners in the telecommunications and network provider markets is an important first step on the path to success.

Customer Relationship Management and Enterprise Asset Management

CRM and EAM systems are the backbones of any successful Service Management deployment. Enterprise customers are looking for vendors with proven successes and tight-knit partnerships that can rapidly deploy, provide projected ROI and continue to innovate into the future and help their customers stay ahead of the competition.

Logistics and Inventory Management

Knowing what parts are where, when, and ensuring fulfillment is essential to reducing service-related costs and overstocked inventory. Poor logistics leads to lost inventory and make-shift parts depots in service rep’s garages and trucks, which, in turn, costs the enterprise money in time, equipment and noncompliant SLAs.

Scheduling and Routing Optimization

Not very long ago, automated and optimal routing and dispatching was a pipedream for most enterprises. Not today as specialty software vendors have spent time, money and sweat on developing systems based on proprietary algorithms that allow enterprises to route and reroute dynamically based on requirements like customer priority, emergency, SLA, and warranties.

Service Management Business Processes and Systems

MediaFirst sees the Service Management marketplace as encompassing the following business processes.

Customer Management

- Customer Information Systems

- Service Level Agreements

- Order Management

- Partner and Channel Management

- Help Desk and Customer Contact Center

Field Service Management

- Trouble Tickets/Work Order Management

- Scheduling and dispatch

- Routing and Optimization

- Inventory Tracking

- Service Billing

Enterprise Asset Management & Maintenance

- Work Order Management

- Inventory Management

- Remote and On-site Diagnostics and Testing

- Analytics and Scheduling

Parts and Inventory Management

- Operations and Logistics

- Service and Supply Management

- Fulfillment and Supply Chain Management

- Depot Service and Reverse Logistics

- Warranty, Returns and Billing Management

- Reverse Logistics

MediaFirst: Corporate Marketing Services for technology ventures

Sat, 02 Jan 2010 06:00:18 +0000

Corporate Marketing Services

MediaFirst works with our clients to develop and execute on the key cornerstones of successful technology marketing so your organization can quickly reap the benefit of improved revenue generation. MediaFirst offers both corporate marketing services as well as business development and market research services to address and solve your company’s business challenges.

Brand Strategy, Development & Look & Feel

Need brand? MediaFirst will work with your company to help define perceptions, impressions, ideas and feelings that target markets and buyers have and SHOULD have for your product, software, or service offering. From there, if needed, our team of design professionals will help craft a look and feel for your company and product.

Marketing Strategy & Development

When it comes to technology marketing, companies need to understand the entire picture. MediaFirst understands that the strategic underpinnings are crucial to the success of any marketing organization and plan. MediaFirst will facilitate an on-site workshop that sparks discussion, builds consensus and leads to a finalized marketing strategy and plan complete with:

Vision and purpose
Business goals
Marketing Communication Programs
Lead Generation Programs
Trade Show Programs
Public Relations & Analyst Relations Programs
Search Engine Optimization Programs
Web Strategy and Program
Metrics
ROI analysis
Milestones
Timeline
Organizational Structure
Budget
Resource Plan

Corporate and Product Messaging Development

Technology markets are crowded and competitive. Any company that wants to become a serious player needs a clear, consistent and concise message for its products, services and goals. Still, most early and mid-stage companies do not have defined messaging. Instead, many rely on fluid press releases, sales collateral, presentations and web content to tell their story. MediaFirst will work with your company to deliver a complete document that details the history and message of the company, key executives, products and services—a one-stop reference document that makes communicating with your key audiences, from investors to press to target prospects, easier and more consistent.

Collateral and Copy Writing

Need white papers or product sheets? Contract with MediaFirst for a quick-turn-around project. Our group is packed with technology and Service Management market experts as well as award-winning writers who have drafted everything from press releases to interactive web commercials. So, whether it is standard fare like a trade publication byline or a white paper, MediaFirst is your shop. Our team also offers graphic design services to develop PowerPoint presentations, brochures, web site copy, client success stories and more.

Web and SEO Development

A company’s web presence needs to reflect its brand and message clearly while speaking to the right prospects, partners and customers. Yet, it’s not as easy as it sounds.

MediaFirst provides clients with everything they need to get up and running on the web and, then, maximize their presence. So, you can focus on turning those web leads into sales.

Services include web copy development, search engine optimization (SEO), graphic design, blogs, online advertising, e-mail marketing, newsletters and, if needed, web architecture development.

Prepping for the Press & Analysts

When it comes to the press, MediaFirst knows its stuff. Our award-winning team includes PR pros and former members of the press, so, if your company is in need of more buzz, you’ve come to the right place. MediaFirst can help you:

Develop a media strategy including tactics, targets, messages, & timelines
Draft Press kit materials
Schedule media and analyst tours
Train your executives to speak to the media and analysts
Secure coverage in industry-leading business and technology publications
Build relationships with key analysts that influence purchase decisions and help to define market opportunities.

Speaker Placement

MediaFirst can help your executives land exciting and influential speaking engagements. MediaFirst will work with you to identify the key conferences and sessions where your company will be able to reach prospects, customers and analysts. Speaking engagements help companies establish leadership and added credibility in their markets while driving leads and more visibility opportunities, like press coverage and bylined articles.

Awards Programs

Winning awards given by impartial third-parties is a great way to enhance the credibility and reputation of your product and company. MediaFirst will customize a program for your organization that is designed to secure awards that recognize excellence, accomplishments, and best practices, creating awareness and increasing the visibility for a company or professional role model.

Business Development & Market Research

Channel Identification

Trying to expand your channel? MediaFirst has extensive experience at identifying new distribution strategies and market opportunities for Service Management technology offerings. Our expertise spans the gamut of forging relationships with value-added resellers and embedded software providers. Wherever your company plays in the your targeted, technology market—MediaFirst can extend your company’s reach through alliance partners.

Market Sizings

Technology market sizing—and the best niche—can be a tough, and seemingly impossible, task. It requires breaking numbers down into specific enabling technology and process buckets. MediaFirst is a pro at using complex algorithms and formulas that identify the current and predicted size of the different components of technology markets.

Market & Product Research

Combined with company vision, feedback from partners, potential end-users and existing customers is crucial to develop and bring to market a product that truly meets the market demand. MediaFirst can help you by designing and customizing market research reports and programs that provide actionable intelligence so your organization can implement the needs of evolving tech marketplaces.

Competitive Analysis

Stay ahead of your competition and arm your sales people with the messaging needed for fierce combat in the sales cycle. MediaFirst delivers detailed competitive analysis that enables your company to gain insight into your competition’s strengths and weaknesses so you can approach the sales process and product development cycle with invaluable knowledge.

PUBLIC RELATIONS: Consistent Process Creates Great Results

jimcaruso — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 06:00:00 +0000

PUBLIC RELATIONS: Consistent Process Creates Great Results

A business’ perceived value is increased by the third party endorsement of key business and technology media outlets (Print, TV, Radio, or Web-based). When a client is quoted in national and trade media, they become the expert. We treat the media as a customer, creating stories that meet the editorial needs of both the media and our client. By creating the right story idea at the right time with the right target, you get great press.

Our clients are newsmakers in The Wall Street Journal, Investor’s Business Daily, Business Week, Forbes, Fortune, The Economist, CFO, InformationWeek, eWeek, ComputerWorld, The Red Herring, Wired, CIO, CNN, CNBC, and countless trade and business media outlets (radio, television, print, and web-based).

We work together for your success, meeting your goals of:

Targeting and reaching the audiences that purchase your hardware, software, or services
Generating awareness and interest in your venture, through PR to these target audiences
Crafting the value proposition of your offerings and firm
Writing Press Releases and other materials, that are compelling and in the language of your audience
Blending these efforts with your overall corporate strategy
Attaining your goals to create new customers, grow revenues, and raise valuation

For best results, PR requires sustained effort and periodic contact. We document your messages and positioning. You determine your spokespersons. A Press Kit is prepared that explains why your spokespersons and firm are well qualified to comment to the press. Together, we select media outlets (magazines, radio shows, TV, and web news sites) with a readership (listener/viewer base) that reach your target audience. We write press releases on the subjects of your deals, new product or service offerings, hirings, and office locations. In addition, our unique tactic of writing issue-based press releases positions you as an expert -- sighting your vision of industry changes or reactions to breaking news. These issue-based press releases propose story ideas for reporters/editors or provide them with useful commentary on today’s issue.

Teeing You Up For Press Interview Opportunities

We call reporters, send e-mails, transmit faxes, and when the cost is warranted - use news wires. Our mutual objective is to get you in the story. Sometimes you are quoted straight from the press release. More often, your press release gets your foot in the door, but the reporter wants an interview. At this point, you are responsible to be interesting enough to be quoted. One job is to serve as point of contact for interview scheduling between your spokespersons & reporters. We will coach you on what the reporter wants and give you ideas, but you must execute.

Process Guarantees Delivery Of Results

The best measure of press is seeing your firm’s name in print. Therefore, we concentrate on creating results, not reports. Measuring PR placements (hits) with a clipping service is best – these cover your targeted media outlets and search for the name of your firm and spokespersons. Clipping services start at about $300 per month and are the only real way to get an accurate measure. Web-based search tools (e.g. Dow Jones Interactive) can provide some measures of press coverage in larger publications, but are not effective in measuring trade press.

Forecasting Provides Confidence Of Success

We forecast your PR results by maintaining a list of reporters that expressed interest and the projected future date that your name will show up in print. The forecast looks six months ahead, because of the long editorial lead times of monthly print publications. If you understand the PR process and maintain realistic expectations, you will be very satisfied and well rewarded with great press coverage.

Gideon Technologies’ SecureFusion Named PCI Compliance Hot Product by EverythingChannel & ChannelWeb

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 06:00:00 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Continuous Monitoring of IT Assets & Risk-Based Prioritization Produces Accurate, Repeatable Risk Assessment Process

Atlanta, GA — November 30, 2009 — Gideon Technologies, the leading provider of information security solutions that help automate, prioritize, and measure IT risk against policy and compliance objectives, announces being named a Top 20 Hot Compliance Product by EverythingChannel and ChannelWeb. Gideon was selected because customers can quickly and easily validate security and compliance with Graham Leach Bliley (GLB), Federal Reserve, Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX), and Payment Card Industry (PCI) regulations, and other standards required for banks and financial service providers.

According to ChannelWeb, “As if they needed more stress, organizations of all sizes are facing regularly evolving and increasingly stringent compliance regulations from the Payment Card Industry, as well as Sarbanes-Oxley, HIPAA and others. These security compliance products are on the ‘Hot List’ because they can make the audit process a little less excruciating.”

“We are pleased to be named a ‘Hot PCI Compliance Product’ by EverythingChannel and ChannelWeb,” said Ken Halley, CEO and co-founder, Gideon Technologies. “SecureFusion simplifies and integrates network discovery, baseline configuration management, vulnerability management, and enables continuous monitoring and reporting for enterprise risks and regulatory PCI compliance. Multiple financial institutions use SecureFusion to validate compliance, gain efficiency, and manage risk.”

SecureFusion collects independent measurements of all network nodes - workstations, servers and network devices - assets for a comparison against IT policy. Both vulnerability and configuration management processes are built on a foundation of accurate network discovery and IT visibility. SecureFusion discovery capabilities provide continuous monitoring of the entire enterprise IT footprint to ensure that all IT assets -- including rogue networks and hosts -- are incorporated into the process.

“Many of our banking and finance customers were using multiple solutions and platforms for IT security before implementing our solution, which made enterprise-wide reporting extremely difficult,” add Halley. “The lack of an easy-to-use, comprehensive solution for asset discovery, vulnerability management, and configuration management proved a considerable drain on IT resources. SecureFusion gives them the ability to continuously visualize all IT assets, prioritize risk accordingly, and measure remediation efforts for a complete, accurate, and repeatable risk assessment process.”

About Gideon Technologies

Gideon Technologies develops network security and compliance solutions that give a clear view into IT assets and risk.

SecureFusion™ provides real-time visualization of every network-attached asset along with risk profile, enabling metrics and prioritization for remediation or mitigation. The solution provides private and public sector organizations with actionable data to compare against corporate and government standards or guidelines. SecureFusion has been validated by leading standards bodies, such as NIST, the National Institute of Standards & Technology, which establishes guidelines and checklists for the security configuration of operating systems and applications, such as the Federal Desktop Core Configuration (FDCC). SecureFusion has been validated for FDCC scanning and additional Secure Content Automation Protocol (SCAP) capabilities, establishing SecureFusion™ as the leading standards-based platform for supporting enterprise IT Governance Risk and Compliance (GRC) initiatives.

The SecureFusion suite is comprised of integrated modules for Asset Discovery, Configuration Management, Policy Management, and Vulnerability Management that feed data into the SecureFusion Portal, a service-oriented architecture (SOA) interface to identify, manage, and measure information security (infosec) risks. Gideon Technologies also offers External Perimeter Monitoring Service for continuous security monitoring of an organization's Internet points-of-presence and Internet-accessible systems.

For more information, please find us on the Web at http://www.GideonTechnologies.com, by telephone at (678) 317-4300, or via email: sales@gideontechnologies.com.

“Know your assets. Know your risk.”

###

Tags:

Press Release

GID

Atlanta, GA — November 30, 2009 —

Award

Becky Boyd

Social Media Links

jimcaruso — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 19:25:02 +0000

A few good Websites:

TED "Ideas worth spreading"

Grow Mindshare & Valuation

jimcaruso — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 13:24:04 +0000

MediaFirst is a high-tech, public relations and marketing services firm with unique abilities that best publicize and promote the business of your technology. MediaFirst draws on a depth of technology business experience that other PR and marketing firms just do not have. This powers great strategy, positioning, marketing, publicity, writing, and guidance. We get you more press coverage by better serving the media, reporters and editors, and your firm, customers, and partners.

We exceed expectations for media coverage through better service to the media, you, and your audience. The valuation of your business increases as we expand targeted audiences of prospects, customers, analysts, employees, alliance partners, investors, and the media. Steady increases in awareness generate sales leads, investor interest, and competitive advantage.

Clients enjoy combining PR with services that win speaking opportunities, gain industry analyst praise, draw consistently better media coverage, and garner significant industry awards.

Hot tech ventures, such as Aether, Bradley Ward, Canvas Systems, Extreme Logic, Frontline Selling, Gideon Technologies, Industrial Computer Corp., Insight, LeanLogistics, Optiant, Optimus, and many others select Media First PR - Atlanta on their way to success, funding, IPO, acquisition, and exit.

To accomplish your goals, we craft programs that:

Create Awareness In Your Targeted Audience
Build Mind Share
Impart Knowledge of Your Value Proposition
Establish Customer Loyalty
Synchronize The Marketing Attack
Secure Executive Thought-leadership
Engage Media & Analysts
Outmaneuver & Outshine Your Competition

LinkedIn + Facebook + Twitter Lead The Social Media Charge For Today's Business (& Business Professional)

jimcaruso — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 05:00:00 +0000

Businesses and individuals increasingly see the value in online social media for industry connections or introductions and clearly for employment opportunities. Beyond these are company branding, business reputation management, and professional business networking. It is true that online networking can degenerate into the kind of networking event where you show up and everyone else is there to sell you what they have. But most online social networking can be contained to the important kind, not just a virtual room of vulturous vendors. "Old Style" professional connections are not dead, they've just met up with the latest technology tools.

Connect To Audiences Via Social Networks

These tools, such as LinkedIn (very B2B), Facebook (evolving to more B2B from a college-oriented service at it's start), and MySpace (very B2C and younger) let your firm have an online page or presence with it's own fans. These connections are individuals connecting to the business. Some list current and former employees. They are increasingly tied to other feeds, maybe your great press coverage. In any case, a forum where your firm and customer experiences are discussed. Beginning to see the value in monitoring and participating? The better known online social media services enable personal or professional, 1-to-1 connections. These services provide access and information on you and your firm.

Begin Here With This Social Media Starting Point

Here is a minimal plan for a social media presence for you and the company:

Customer-facing employees should be on LinkedIn and Facebook, and participate
The company should have it's own page on LinkedIn and Facebook
Employees should have a photograph on their LinkedIn page - 1/3 do not
Press releases and news should be aggregated on the company Website and probably via online services, such as del.icio.us (also now at Delicious.com), Digg.com, Reddit.com, or StumbleUpon.com
News and events can be posted on Twitter. Direct messages or replies on Twitter should be monitored, so you may respond - engaging with the audience for your firm.

There it is, a straightforward way to implement social media at your company. Remember that these tools represent are an innovation - just like any new tool that you might adopt for the business - so think of Social Media tools as part of the company's continual improvement program. (I'm a fan of W. Edwards Deming, a famous proponent of quality and continual improvement).

Get Started, Use Social Media For Your Business

Call Jim at 770/642-2080, x218 to talk more about social media for business.

Awareness Is The First Step In The Process Of Customer Creation (Sales)

jimcaruso — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 12:54:35 +0000

"Customer Creation" is the lifeblood and purpose of any business, according to management guru, Peter Drucker. One view of the sales cycle is that Awareness is the first step in the multi-step process of Awareness ~> Knowledge ~> Selling ~> Closing.

Guide Sales Prospects Through The Sales Cycle

This process of creating customers requires identifying prospects and guiding prospects through a well-conceived sales cycle. The process of engaging prospects should lead prospects to awareness of your brand and towards knowledge of your offerings and value proposition. Awareness is that first step in customer creation.

PR Is Selling The Client's Story To The Media

Our process of getting targeted industry press for clients is analogous to a sales process, in that we sell reporters and editors on using your organization's spokesperson, clients, partners, or technology providers to complete a story. In our efforts, we seek to understand the needs of reporters and editors and meet those needs. Reporter's needs vary from breaking news, to background on industry trends, to industry expert views on the changing shape of competition. We provide the service of helping the media do it's job—by delivering spokespersons and interviews that make good stories.

Identify Your Audiences to Focus Resources

Sales efforts begin by identifying the audiences you wish to reach. In PR, the right media and publicity tools are conduits to your target audiences of investors, financial analysts, industry analysts, and prospective or current employees, business partners, prospects, or customers. PR is a direct complement to sales because it leads prospects through these first two steps of Awareness and Knowldge.

Effective Programs Communicate Features, Advantages, & Benefits

Clients see our public relations and marketing efforts clearly complementing their efforts to sell products and services. By understanding the relationship that you have with customers, we frame your value proposition in the very words of your prospects. Your offerings are framed in the authentic context of customer needs.

PR Wins Third-Party Endorsement of the Media

Public relations enhances awareness by endowing your firm with the third-party endorsement of the media. Your venture's spokespersons reveal or address industry issues and trends—their quote makes them the expert. Our business experience covers business and technology, which allows us to better help the media by supplying newsworthy comment or story ideas that focus on you, your partners, and customers.

Speaking Opportunities Reach Target Audiences Effectively

Speaking opportunities leverage the valuable time of your most articulate spokespersons across large, targeted audiences. We manage opportunities by identifying desirable opportunities and securing your slot.

Marketing Programs & Materials Educate Prospects

Marketing programs, such as trade shows, conferences, direct mail, lead generation, Web sites, collaterals, and others, reach out to capture the interest of your target audiences — imparting knowledge about your firm's offerings and value proposition.

Profile of Jim Caruso

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 14:54:56 +0000

Guy from Earth. Global technology evangelist. Bleeding-edge, early adopter. Writer, publicist, marketer, deal-maker, engineer, manager, executive, and speaker. Enabler of multi-cultural, multi-national teams. Interested in the confluence of publicity and social media, blogging, CMS/blog engines, and everything tech. Enjoy speedy, WC3-complaint Web sites. Advocate for quality, process and metrics. Track and use semantic Web and social media. Proponent of transparency, liberty, Net Neutrality, and the Open Web.

Hybrid Approach to PR – Social Media vs. The Wall Street Journal

Becky Boyd — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 16:38:45 +0000

In the age of Twitter, does a mention in The Wall Street Journal, or a similarly respected business publication, carry the same weight anymore?

Perhaps.

Everyone wants to be able to say, "We got in to the Journal."

For many, this holds more of an allure than, "We're up to 253 followers on Twitter!"

Can your public relations efforts really be effective in a 140-character context?

Yes they can!

But traditional media mentions can be just as effective provided you maximize their effectiveness by:

1. Posting the article to your website. Post an abstract, with a link to the article, or obtain permission to post the article in its entirely on your public website.

2. Circulating the clip internally. As with the posting of the article to your external website, your internal audience is still important for brand awareness.

3. Tweeting about the article on Twitter, providing a link. Write something that draws attention to the article and then add the shortened URL. For maximum promotion, ask colleagues, coworkers, vendors and others you work with to re-tweet your posting.

4. Joining LinkedIN Groups and Sending News. LinkedIN has thousands of groups made up of your target audience. Join these groups and then you can add a link to the press mention within the Group News section. Monitor your posting for feedback and comments.

4. Asking the sales team to forward to clients and prospects. Having a mention in a top-level business or trade publication helps communicate your company's value proposition to your prospects and clients. Forwarding a media clip via email is a great way of sending a heads up, a way to check in, and also a way to tacitly inform their audience that, "Hey, we know what we're doing—we even speak to reporters at The Wall Street Journal."

Gideon Technologies’ SecureFusion Selected for Government-Wide Acquisition of IT Security Solutions via GSA SmartBUY Program Award

Becky Boyd — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 20:22:44 +0000

SecureFusion, NIST SCAP Validated, Chosen for Situational Awareness and Incident Response Contract Award

Atlanta, GA — June 15, 2009 — Gideon Technologies, the leading provider of information security solutions that help prioritize and measure IT risk against policy and compliance objectives, announces that its flagship product, SecureFusion™, has been selected as one of the preferred information security solutions for the General Services Administration (GSA) SmartBUY initiative in partnership with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). DHS managed the Information Systems Security (ISS) LOB (Line of Business) Interagency Working Group, which developed the underlying requirements for the security tools/products for Situational Awareness and Incident Response (SAIR). Gideon Technologies’ SecureFusion has been selected for all three available functional categories under SAIR, namely Baseline Configuration Management, Network Mapping/Discovery, and Vulnerability Scanning and Assessment.

“SecureFusion cost effectively and efficiently helps government agencies automate and meet cyber-security and IT compliance mandates that protect the government’s information against an ever-increasing amount of security breaches and threats,” said Ken Halley, CEO of Gideon Technologies. “Our proven track record of providing vulnerability assessments, security policy management, and configuration management has been demonstrated by our ongoing work with numerous government agencies, including recent deployments at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), U.S. Department of Treasury, and other public sector enterprises. SecureFusion offers unparalleled discovery, continuous monitoring, assessment of all IT assets for ensuring compliance, improving situational awareness, and demonstrating best security practices.”

“Security professionals in the federal and public sector markets must have a holistic view of their IT assets and understand the importance of each IT resource, and its security posture in real time so they can fully assess the threats they face and the impact a security event would have,” said Kevin Lancaster, Managing Partner, The Winvale Group. “SecureFusion exceeds at these requirements, plus it has been validated through NIST’s VNVLAP Validation program as Secure Content Automation Protocol (SCAP) Validated for numerous capabilities, which is a major benefit for helping government entities automate and achieve compliance with the Federal Desktop Core Configuration (FDCC) OMB mandate.”

SecureFusion provides a platform for network & host discovery, host and network configuration auditing and continuous monitoring, as well as vulnerability scanning. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) SCAP validated, SecureFusion discovers every asset connected to the network, scans systems for compliance with baseline configuration standards and vulnerabilities, and provides a centralized portal for continuous measurement and reporting.

SecureFusion will be made available to all U.S. Executive Agencies, including the Department of Defense (DoD), authorized state and local government entities, and authorized contractors under a 5-year SmartBUY Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) made with The Winvale Group. The Winvale Group, a leading government consultancy based in Washington, DC, will expedite the purchase, acquisition, and implementation of SecureFusion throughout government entities utilizing the SmartBUY agreement.

SecureFusion performs configuration checks on the system required to implement the Federal Desktop Core Configuration (FDCC) and/or NIST SP 800-53 standards for the desktop, servers, and other network components as mandated by the Office of Management and Budgets (OMB). SecureFusion uses the Secure Content Automation Protocol (SCAP) to enable automated network/asset discovery and inventory, configuration management, vulnerability management, and policy compliance evaluation in accordance with these standards, streamlining security operations and protecting investments.

This SmartBUY award for SCAP-validated tools supports OMB’s policy memoranda M-07-18 Ensuring New Acquisitions Include Common Security Configurations, M-08-05 Implementation of Trusted Internet Connections (TIC), and M-08-22 Guidance on FDCC.

About Gideon Technologies
Gideon Technologies develops network security and compliance solutions that give a clear view into IT assets and risk.

For more information, please find us on the Web at http://www.GideonTechnologies.com, by telephone at (678) 317-4300, or via email: fedsales@gideontechnologies.com.

“Know your assets. Know your risk.”

About The Winvale Group
The Winvale Group partners with technology manufacturers in effort to bring its public sector clients best-in-class technology solutions.

Located on Pennsylvania Avenue in the heart of Washington DC, The Winvale Group is one of the nation’s fastest growing information technology solution providers in the United States. Supporting this assertion is Winvale’s recent recognition as one of the “Top 100 Companies in Washington DC” by Inc. Magazine and its selection as one of the “Five on Fire” by SmartCEO Magazine for both 2008 and 2009.

The Winvale Group's value-added reseller services are designed to help you reach government customers quickly by allowing you to place your products and services on our existing procurement vehicles. In most cases we can have you up and running on our procurement vehicles in a matter of weeks. Winvale currently holds the following GSA Schedule Contracts: Schedule 70- Information Technology, Schedule 84- Total Solutions for Law Enforcement, Schedule 58I- Professional Audio & Visual.

For more information, please visit us on the web at http://www.winvale.com, by telephone at (202) 296-5505, or via email: sales@winvale.com

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GM Bankruptcy Shines Spotlight on Corporations' Need for Strategic & Robust Supply Chain Plans

Becky Boyd — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 20:10:27 +0000

Actions Required Now to Avoid Rushed Decisions & Costly Errors

Manassas, VA – July 10, 2009 – INSIGHT, Inc., a top international provider of supply chain planning solutions for the world's foremost companies, suggests that every firm should be using strategic supply chain planning tools on an ongoing basis, whether in times of economic turbulence or prosperity. Many industries today, from auto to chemical, struggle with their supply chains: excess inventories, collapsing demand, struggling or bankrupt suppliers, fluctuating fuel prices, environmental mandates, and so on. Many are saddled with supply chain strategies that were ill conceived from the outset but whose shortcomings became apparent only when stressed.

“Apart from the obvious issues associated with capital and liquidity, General Motors is facing a classic supply chain strategy/redesign problem,” comments Jeff Karrenbauer, president of INSIGHT. “Over the next few months they must decide which suppliers to cut loose and which to retain, which worldwide manufacturing facilities to close and how best to utilize the survivors, how they will continue to distribute product (railheads, distribution centers, ports and so on), which brands, models and dealers to retain and which to close, how much inventory to slash. This process once again emphasizes the need for companies to have in place rigorous, ongoing programs for corporate strategic planning that deal with issues of expansion, contraction, contingency planning, risk, and so on, preferably under a comprehensive corporate profit maximization umbrella that includes all of operations as well as marketing.”

Without a strategic plan, companies are forced to rush to judgment without adequate preparation and run a significant risk of making costly errors. The case of General Motors is especially troubling as they speed to make decisions with respect to international outsourcing, dealer closures and according to new GM Chairman Edward Whitacre, Jr., “a shuttering of plants.” Adds Karrenbauer, “There is no question but that GM must slim down its entire supply chain, from suppliers to dealers. The issue is how they go about it. For example, the outsourcing decisions are especially vulnerable to the classic myopia of focusing on comparative labor costs. A proper analysis would look at all relevant factors, including procurement, manufacturing, transportation, warehousing, various types of inventory, duties, taxes, port handling charges, flexibility, responsiveness, risk, worldwide markets, profitability of brands, markets and channels and so on, essentially simultaneously. Challenging, yes, but it’s the right way to do it and with the amount of money and jobs at stake, nothing less should be acceptable.”

According to Steve Banker of ARC in a recent Logistics Viewpoints article, “Firms with a robust strategic planning process are better equipped to deal with large, unexpected events, like the current global recession.” In another discussion on preparing supply chains for the upturn, he adds, “As this reset evolves, supply chain planning tools will be important in assessing best manufacturing, warehousing (finished goods staging), transportation routes, etc.”

The article continues, “Every firm should be running supply chain planning tools right now, to reestablish a new baseline for itself, given the harsh economic times. In addition, firms should have tools that enable re-optimizing the supply chain with the hoped-for, continuing improvement in the economic climate. Continuing improvement in the economy mandates a Deming-like ‘continual improvement’ in the quality of supply chain decisions, including frequent re-optimization with market changes.”

According to a recent article in the Associated Press pertaining to GM emerging from bankruptcy, “Turning a profit will not be easy. GM has piled up losses and survives only because it expects to receive $50 billion in U.S. government loans. Without the loans, its executives have said the company would have been sold off in pieces.” The bottom line, according to Karrenbauer, is that “GM and other corporations must generate and continuously re-evaluate robust supply chain strategies if they want to survive.”

ABOUT INSIGHT, INC.

INSIGHT provides optimization-based supply chain design software and consulting services developed specifically to meet the dynamic business challenges of globalization, disruptions, and mergers/acquisitions prevalent in today’s business environment. Founded by supply chain and logistics experts in 1978 with the goal of using world-class technology to add intelligence to decision making, INSIGHT solves the supply chain management issues of the world's foremost companies, including Abbott Laboratories, BASF, Clorox, ExxonMobil, Goodyear, GE, Kellogg, Nestle, PepsiCo, Pfizer, Procter & Gamble, Toyota, and Unilever.

SAILS, INSIGHT's award-winning flagship product, can accurately represent a company's current business practices, from raw materials sourcing to capacity planning through delivery to the end customer. The X-System®, a proprietary optimization engine, powers a family of planning and scheduling solutions, from the design of a global supply chains to crew scheduling, troop deployments, and transportation procurement. In addition, INSIGHT provides optimization components, partnering with third party software providers to deliver best-of-breed solutions. Our software and services help design optimal supply chain networks that minimize costs and free up capital, streamline operations, maximize profits, and increase customer service levels. For more information, please visit us on the Web at http://www.insight-mss.com.

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The Transformation of the American Automobile Industry

Jeff Karrenbauer — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 15:31:11 +0000

A Perspective from a Supply Chain Professional

Over the past six months or so we have witnessed a series of truly remarkable events in the American auto industry. After much consternation, evaluation and debate the Administration and Congress have decided that we the people will, indeed, sell Chrysler and rescue General Motors. Fair enough. However, as a supply chain professional for nearly 40 years, I have serious reservations about how this is unfolding. Apart from the obvious issues associated with capital and liquidity, General Motors is facing a classic supply chain strategy problem. Over the next few months they must decide which suppliers to cut loose and which to retain, which worldwide manufacturing facilities to close and how best to utilize the survivors, how they will continue to distribute product (railheads, distribution centers, ports and so on), which brands, models and dealers to retain and which to close, how much inventory to slash. Not the stuff of spreadsheets to be sure, although they will probably try.

Frankly, I am personally and professionally offended at what I have been reading about the likely go-forward strategy of GM. In particular, I was appalled when I saw decisions already taken to relocate much of the manufacturing to offshore locations, ostensibly because of labor costs. This fundamental management error has all-to-often been encouraged by analysts on “The Street” whose experience with operations is too often limited to ratios derived from financial statements. It is only now being rectified at many companies, years after they disastrously followed the outsourcing lemmings over the cliff. This is most assuredly not a “made and buy in America” polemic; artificial protectionism went out with the great depression, mass merchandisers stomped on its grave and worldwide enterprises require worldwide solutions. Rather, it is a plea that the analysis be conducted in a thoroughgoing manner that is consistent with the true bottom line, not one component of it. Simply put, there is significantly more to worldwide supply chain/operations strategy than manufacturing labor costs. Procurement, manufacturing, transportation, warehousing, various types of inventory, duties, taxes, port handling charges, flexibility, responsiveness, risk…all of that and more must be considered, more or less simultaneously. Regardless of the merits, it is impossible for anyone to reach any conclusions in such a short period of time, given that they conduct the analysis properly. I have no use for analysis paralysis. However, I passionately believe that we owe the country, its taxpayers, and the various stakeholders of General Motors no less than the best possible effort accomplished as expeditiously as possible, not some sophomoric rush to judgment that we will come to regret.

Along the same lines, I am equally appalled at the speed with which the dealer closure decisions have been made. Once again, there are proven, rigorous, objective techniques for addressing such matters but it is a virtual certainty that they have not been employed in the spectacle that we have witnessed thus far.

Late news flash: we are now being treated to the specter of various members of Congress strong-arming management regarding various facility closure actions (as in blocking them). Somehow I cannot bring myself to believe that their reasoning is consistent with that offered above. This might be entertaining were it not so destructive. Memo to the members: this is not the Department of Defense. First you excoriate the industry for inefficiency and then you compound the problem. The very worst thing you can do is meddle with a corporation that you wish to see return to profitability. You can’t have it both ways. Please do the country and the company a favor and back off.

With respect to the bailout itself there are seemingly irreconcilable perspectives. On the one hand, there is surely the temptation to let capitalism work its supposed rational course: the trio of inferior products, woeful management and myopic unions should be punished in the marketplace via bankruptcy and probable liquidation and the underlying resources redeployed to better effect elsewhere. On the other hand, the genesis of the current economic crisis is clearly not with this industry and there are a huge number of largely innocent victims, including suppliers and dealers, whose communities will be severely impacted. Nevertheless, should the government pick winners and losers, even for something we used to call a prime example of a “basic industry?”

Nothing is ever as simple as we might idyllically and naively wish. It is that rational, unfettered capitalism which has presented us with the detritus of markets run amok: the savings and loan crisis followed by successive tech, internet, and financial market meltdowns, none of which should have happened, all of which occurred in the space of about two decades and wrought serious economic damage. Where were the promised built-in self-correcting market mechanisms? Sorry George Will, Adam Smith is a hopelessly overmatched opponent for good old-fashioned greed.

There is an important national security issue in play as well. Suppose, just suppose, that Pakistan melts down and/or North Korea follows bellicose with equally irrational action and/or the Middle East really lights off or…the list is sobering. What if we truly had to mobilize and one of our most fundamental weapons…our industrial might…had essentially vaporized, piece by piece, as it now seems to be doing? As a veteran and a father of two children in the military, I have more than an academic interest in such questions.

I am the President of a software and consulting firm, as well as an adjunct professor at two universities. I teach both clients and MBA students the value of comprehensive supply chain analysis and how it relates to overall corporate strategy. The practicing supply chain professionals have understood the underlying principles for a long time. We should demand no less of our new auto industry caretakers.

Jeffrey J. Karrenbauer, PhD
President
Insight, Inc.
www.insightoutsmart.com

Embed Key Words in News Releases to Raise SEO

Becky Boyd — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 13:32:38 +0000

News releases are not just for the press. They are tools used to communicate important developments in your company to your target audience. They generate tremendous traffic to your Web site.

While it’s important to develop news releases with a strong news-writing style that meets standards of reporters, editors and analysts and clearly demonstrates strong news value, it’s equally important to craft the announcement with the critical key words needed to boost search engine optimization.

We can show you how to do it.

Market Smarter - But Keep On Marketing!

Becky Boyd — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 13:51:23 +0000

Per a recent survey from Alterian titled, "Marketing: The Year Ahead," marketers, in 2009, will focus on delivering programs that save their organizations money, while attracting new and repeat business using focused engagement strategies.

One key point of the survey is that in previous downturns, the firms that learned to market smarter have fared better than those that decreased their marketing budgets.

The following top 10 predictions fall under a broad theme of focusing more on existing customers, being more innovative with marketing, and using technology to make marketing more effective and accountable.

Marketing: the Year Ahead-10 Predictions for 2009

1) Smart organizations will continue to market throughout the downturn.
2) Marketing activities will be increasingly under the microscope and marketers will now be held accountable for the success or failure of those activities.
3) Marketers will turn to their website as the single most important and flexible lead generation and customer engagement channel.
4) Marketing programs that do not show a return quickly are not going to make it.
5) Mobile marketing has had a tough 2008, so 2009 will be a make-or-break year.
6) Marketers will act on a need to get more value from their existing CRM systems.
7) Marketing will not be about just creating content for the people; it will be about getting content to the people, meaning multichannel, social networks, and consistent marketing.
8) Companies will shift focus toward increasing revenue from current customers.
9) Digital media and social networks will continue to provide cost-effective delivery channels for customer messaging, but will be most effective when integrated with other marketing channels.
10) With consistently tighter budgets, it will increasingly fall to marketers rather than IT staff to drive marketing technology. This will change the buying process for such systems and will favor suppliers that have marketer-friendly software with a quick implementation time.

So, how can marketers make their budgets work harder?
- PR is one of the most cost effective marketing activities you can do to generate leads and build your brand
- Expand PR beyond the traditional newsroom to social media outlets

Which business networking Website is most valuable?

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 16:45:14 +0000

8 Ways To Use PR to Reach Your Target Audience

Becky Boyd — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 21:40:15 +0000

Excellent PR is more cost effective than other marketing activities. Keep these tips in mind to help weather the downturn when each minute and nickel count. PR can be key to increasing your mindshare - until good economic times return.

1. Align PR tactics with business strategies - Understand your organization’s strategic business objectives. Focus on those PR initiatives that will directly support the business and marketing strategies your company has adopted.

2. Focus on revenue-building opportunities - Develop lead-generating PR tactics and campaigns that directly support the sales team and help them keep existing customers happy, identify and qualify prospects, and close new sales.

3. Know what story you plan to tell - Think like an editor and make sure the story you are telling is as good as or better than the ones they are already working on.
Keep pitches simple - A good headline and sound bite will either get a positive response or not – without wasting your time or the editor’s.

3. Look for high-percentage opportunities - Pick your shots carefully. Some stories are easier to tell than others. Go for the ones you are most confident will deliver near-term results.

5. Recruit, train and promote PR evangelists from within - Every organization has a tremendous pool of intellectual capital. Cultivate PR evangelists who know that a little media exposure can go a long way toward their own job security during an economic downturn.

6. Cut expensive events and promotions. Costly and time-consuming PR events are great “want-to-have” but not “must-have” investments in a recession. Personal contact with your target editors can result in almost as much exposure as a far more expensive press conference or press tour. Also, it is increasingly possible to create much more cost-effective, virtual events utilizing webinars, podcasts and video.

7. Confront the bad news head on - An immediate response to bad news is a lot less time-consuming than days spent dodging or deflecting questions. Be open about the market and economic challenges. The media will cut you a lot of slack in a downturn, especially if you are forthright about the problems you face and forthcoming about the solutions you have planned.

8. Be ruthless about your PR priorities - Before undertaking any task, carefully consider whether it is essential to your success or whether it may prove to be a diversion. Time wasted is money lost, which is a quick road to disaster in a downturn, whereas time well spent may be the key to an early recovery.

Social Media Merging Online Reputation, Personal & Business

jimcaruso — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 22:09:23 +0000

The online craze that is social media or social networking is creating a greater overlap between an individual's personal and business reputations.

For most of us, this phenomenon is most evident from Facebook. Facebook is now the largest of the social media networks, closely followed by MySpace. MySpace, however, is a younger demographic or heavily entertainment (notably music) oriented. LinkedIn is what many of us believe is the professional's online social network of choice. Yet, my rough guess says this is only true if you were born after about 1976, or so. If you were born earlier than 1976, odds are that the vast majority of your online connections are on Facebook.

The effect is that Facebook is only going to get bigger, having already secured the mindshare of the professionals and managers of the future. ...and, although the LinkedIn crowd are not Luddites - in fact they are online in high percentages - this group can't grow at the rate of professionals on Facebook.

This matters because the social connections and activities we do, while younger, are becoming documented on communities, such as Facebook.

As one looks at the entirety of social media offerings - and see the interconnections made by the OpenSocial standards - one can see how photographs, vacations planned, sports, and many personal events are documented and commented upon within Facebook or posted across all of your social networks via interlocking feeds.

For business professionals this requires two actions: the first is to embrace, not fear social media; and the second is two actively participate.

As a dear friend once said, "a friend is someone who knows you and likes you anyway." What this really means is that people respond to authenticity - to the real you. Fearing social media deprives you of the opportunity and pleasure of knowing and working with people who appreciate you. This works for your employer, too. Customers seek the same authenticity in dealing with suppliers (vendors). Companies, like yours are comprised of real people - so be real.

Active participation is a key because you can't be authentic, if invisible. You can't get your secretary (personal assistant), mom, or child to be the authentic you online. Moreover, as social media adoption continues to take off, you as a professional, manager, or executive fall further behind in "getting it." You don't need to compete for the most connections, but you should seek out your real life friends and connect with them online.

In another blog post, I'll cover what I believe constitutes a minimal professional (and business) presence for today's social media.