UPDATED 13:45 EDT / JANUARY 24 2013

ServicesAngle News Briefs for January 24, 2013

Spanish Energy Company Chooses HP to Enhance Customer Service

Madrileña Red de Gas, one of Spain’s largest energy companies, has signed a four-year agreement with HP to manage its SAP environment, allowing it to improve customer service while enhancing efficiency. Madrileña Red de Gas maintains more than 830,000 supply points that distributes gas to 41 municipalities and five districts of Madrid, and its SAP solutions environment is integral to its business. Under the agreement, HP will help it align its SAP environment more closely with business objectives, enabling it to support priorities, customer service improvement goals and growth, while reducing complexity and costs. More

 

IBM to Apply Big Data to Water Cost Index Analysis for Waterfund LLC

Scientists from IBM Research will apply Big Data expertise, acting as a calculation agent, to analyze large and diverse unstructured data sets, to support Waterfund LLC in developing and maintaining a Water Cost Index. This will analyze large and diverse unstructured data sets to develop a WCI framework that would estimate the cost of water in different regions worldwide. Waterfund will structure and commercialize the WCI. More

 

IBM, Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology Develop Antimicrobial Hydrogel

IBM and the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology have announced an antimicrobial hydrogel that can break through diseased biofilms and completely eradicate drug-resistant bacteria on contact. The synthetic hydrogel, which forms spontaneously when heated to body temperature,is the first to be biodegradable, biocompatible, and non-toxic, making it a practical new tool to combat serious health hazards facing hospital workers, visitors, and patients. More

 

Online Fashion Retailer Gets Help Boosting Flash Sales from IBM Smarter Commerce

Privalia, the online leader in fashion “flash sales” with operations in Spain, Germany, Italy, Brazil, and Mexico, is working with IBM to boost its online sales business through mobile and social channels. With an 11-milion digital consumer base, Privalia organizes online flash sales that offer personalized, limited-time offers to consumers at attractive prices. It uses software from IBM’s Smarter Commerce initiative to connect with the growing population of digital consumers who prefer to buy across online, mobile, and social channels. More

 

Microsoft Announces Enhanced Cloud Management

Microsoft Corp. has announced enhanced systems for enterprises to manage hybrid cloud services and connected devices with greater agility and cost-efficiency. System Center 2012 SP 1, the enhanced Windows Intune, and Windows Azure services for Windows Server deliver against the Microsoft Cloud OS vision to provide customers and partners with a platform to address their cloud challenges. More

 

Microsoft Gives BMW Broad Access to exFAT

Microsoft Corp. has signed a patent licensing agreement with BMW that gives the car company broad access to the latest Extended File Allocation Table (exFAT). BMW will use exFAT technology to enhance the digital entertainment offerings in its line of automobiles. The technology facilitates handling large files for audiovisual media and enables seamless data portability and an easy interchange between desktop PCs and other electronic devices. More

 

Bing Increases Facebook Content in Search Results by 5X

Part of the philosophy behind the design of Bing is that for every search someone is out there who can help the searchers make a decision. This is the idea behind the social sidebar in Bing searches. Microsoft has announced that the latest update of Bing will increase the number of Facebook connections in the social sidebar by an average of 5x. More

 

Ernst & Young tops Kennedy’s Largest Global Insurance Consulting Providers

Kennedy Consulting Research & Advisory’s Consulting to the Insurance Sector 2012 report lists Ernst & Young as a leading provider of insurance consulting services globally. The report says Ernst & Young has the highest growth rate of the 20 largest insurance sector consulting service providers and a 7% market share based on calendar year 2011. more

 

PwC Announces New Tax Partner in Seattle

Veteran tax professional Tina Skidmore has joined PwC US as a tax partner, based in Seattle. Skidmore will lead PwC’s Pacific Northwest State and Local Tax practice, advising companies on tax planning, income tax compliance, and state tax issues. She has more than 20 years of experience advising large corporations on tax issues. More

 

PwC Makes Fortune’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” List for Ninth Consecutive Year

PwC ranks 81st overall in this year’s Fortune magazine “100 Best Companies to Work For”, the ninth consecutive year it has been on the list. “We’re committed to supporting a culture where people are engaged and excited about the opportunities around them….” says PwC U.S. Chairman and Senior Partner Bob Moritz. More


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