Better Living Through Technology

There is an unmistakable trend in America toward increased outsourcing as a way of staying economically competitive. There is also no doubt that security of sensitive customer data is a growing concern. Professional providers of security solutions to protect against unauthorized access are becoming increasingly available. Results of a survey taken at this year’s Outsourcing World Summit confirmed organization’s area of highest vulnerability is from the inside among their own employees, contractors, and outsourcing partners. Their data security strategies need to take this into account.

Another growing trend, especially among the health care industry, is for patient data to be digitized. The fast developing technology of digital imaging of various types is creating a new area of telemedicine which enables the remote delivery of patient care using integrated health information systems and telecommunications technologies. Special software enables standard computer and medical hardware to facilitate remote examination, diagnosis, and treatment of patients through real-time integration of voice, video, medical devices and patient data.

Access to panels of telepathologists who diagnose cases over secure Internet linkages is available at miniclinics. Miniclinics are springing up across the country, providing same day diagnostic services. These miniclinics use telemedicine and telehealth technologies to provide patients immediate access to off-site panels of doctors. For example, at one miniclinic in Arizona, women get the results of their breast care diagnostic services the same day, rather than waiting a week or more.

Another of our featured articles in this Spring issue of TMIS eNewsletter tells of some amazing advances in mobile gaming technology with human machine interface controls. I’m not sure if it is art imitating life or vice versa, but the U.S. Army is now adapting the technology to deliver a net-centric, interactive, shared 3-D battle space to multiple echelons. The system allows the commander to use a pointing device and optional keyboard to interact with the terrain, units, routes, and sensor overlays to perform command and control actions such as route assignment and definition, unit and route visualization, and terrain analysis.

Broadband over Power Line (BPL) technology continues to catch on in at least 25 countries, and is predicted to become the next widely accepted communications technology in the U.S. BPL technology uses the existing electrical infrastructure to create a high-speed, broadband communication network which can be used for data, voice, and video applications and has been successfully deployed in homes, apartments, office towers, schools, hotels, hospitals, museums, and government buildings.

I am grateful to be in a collaborative business with many talented and skilled professionals. Additional feedback and recommendations for our products and services at TM Information Services are always welcome.

- Mary M. McLaughlin

From the Front Page of TMIS News
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Concern Over Data Security on the Rise in Outsourcing Industry
Santa Clara, California

The International Association of Outsourcing Professionals (IAOP), the global, standard-setting organization and advocate for the outsourcing profession, joined with a leading provider of security solutions for protecting sensitive information from unauthorized access in conducting a survey of attendees at Feb 20th’s Outsourcing World Summit in Orlando, Florida. The results pointed to increasing concerns over data security while outsourcing. The industry's elite, including the global membership of the IAOP gathered to share knowledge, conduct professional learning activities, and strengthen relationships. The conference was standing room only and its attendance shattered previous Outsourcing World Summit records, reflecting the current surge of outsourcing activities in today’s marketplace. Attendance was a veritable who’s who of today’s outsourcing players, with representatives from the following companies exhibiting in attendance: Johnson & Johnson, Bell Canada, Sara Lee, Microsoft, Proctor & Gamble, Accenture, HP, Wipro, Janus Associates, Booz Allen Hamilton, Pitney Bowes, Boeing, and more.

Vormetric is a current IAOP Corporate Member and chairs the IAOP’s new Data Security Chapter. As part of the Data Security Chapter activities at the summit, Vormetric surveyed over 100 attendees and exhibitors, including service providers and outsourcing customers. According to the survey, more than 90% of the respondents stated that data security breaches that occurred while outsourcing would be “catastrophic” to their business. In addition, when it came to compliance, there was confusion on who is responsible for data security -- the service provider or the customer. Fifty percent said both service providers and customers are responsible, while 30% believe the customer is responsible, and 20% believe service providers are responsible. The survey results are in line with recent survey data from analyst firm Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG) earlier in 2006 where they found that confidential data was the most vulnerable to insider attacks -- with the highest vulnerabilities attributed to employees, contractors and outsourcing partners.
Full Story

Web-Based Telepathology Application Uses Internet Microscopy to Improve Service to Patients and Doctors
Irvine, California

Trestle Holdings Inc., a supplier of digital imaging and telemedicine applications, announced that Kaiser Permanente's department of pathology in Colorado has implemented Trestle's internet-accessible slide-viewing solution, MedMicro, to enable its pathologists to share information and review each other's diagnoses from the network's three facilities, which are scattered across the state.

MedMicro converts patients' specimens in real time from their original glass-slide format into high-quality digital images, which can be viewed via the Internet from any standard PC. Users can also move the slides under the microscope, control lighting and use whiteboard-like techniques to collaborate with each other. "Our quality assurance system at Kaiser Permanente requires that a diagnosis of cancer be reviewed and signed off by two pathologists," explained Dr. Richard Spurlock, chief of pathology at Kaiser Permanente in Colorado. "Because our facilities are spread out and our ten pathologists are located in different parts of the state, we are looking at ways to more quickly and efficiently diagnose conditions, and to improve service to our doctors and patients."
Full Story

Workflow Software and Ultra-Rapid Whole Slide Imaging Integrated for Comprehensive Digital Pathology Solutions
Tucson, Arizona

DMetrix, Inc., the only provider of ultra-rapid array-microscope whole glass slide digital imaging systems, announced today that it has partnered with Apollo Telemedicine, Inc., the premier provider of open system, Digital Pathology Software Solutions, to incorporate DMetrix's DX-40 scanner into Apollo's comprehensive Enterprise Digital Pathology Solution suite. For the first time, pathologists will be able to implement an ultra-rapid whole slide imaging acquisition device as part of a comprehensive pathology imaging workflow that interfaces with the laboratory information system.
Full Story

CG2 to Develop Innovative Game-Style 2D/3D Command and Control Applications for Joint and Coalition Forces for Multiple Mobile and Embedded Platforms Using Human Machine Interface
Fort Lauderdale, Florida

CG2, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Quantum3D, Inc., announced at AUSA Winter Symposium the award of a Phase II contract from the U.S. Army CERDEC, Ft. Monmouth, NJ under the Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) program. They develop software and hardware components to support the insertion of high performance collaborative 2D/3D user interfaces with live video feeds into multi-echelon Command and Control (C2) applications. The graphical rendering engine used for the application is based on the Quantum3D cross-platform IData COTS Human Machine Interface (HMI) suite, including IData3D integrated realtime 3D scene manager, and IDataMP Digital Map components, running under OpenGL ES. Quantum3D embedded visual computers will be used to deploy these capabilities and demonstrate them in joint and coalition C2 exercises.

The goal of the research is to develop and commercialize user interface technology and APIs that leverages advances in mobile gaming to deliver a collaborative, interactive shared view of the net-centric battle space to the operational commander at multiple echelons, from the platoon and company level upward. CG2 will accomplish this using common HMIs running on deployable platforms ranging from lightweight handheld systems to portable, man-wearable visual computing platforms to desktop workstations. The intended user interface will include a number of innovative concepts such as user interaction in a shared 3D space, correlation between multiple views of data, and collaborative data sharing between asymmetric networked systems. Key technologies CG2 will apply include mobile 2D/3D graphics, cross-platform non-traditional user interfaces, lightweight rendering and game engines, emerging standards for cross-platform OpenGL ES based applications, data interfaces to common coalition C2 collaboration models, and systems expertise in portable 3D systems including COTS OpenGL ES ARM-based handheld systems and man-wearable systems such as the Quantum3D THERMITE Tactical Visual Computer.
Full Story

Broadband Over Power Line Provider Uses Existing Electrical Infrastructure to Create High-Speed Broadband Communication Network
Toronto, Ontario

Trimax Corporation and its wholly owned subsidiary, PLC Network Solutions Inc. (PLC), a leading provider of Broadband over Powerline (BPL) communication technologies, have signed a Letter of Intent with IP Applications Corp. of Vancouver, BC, Canada, an expert in the management and delivery of business processes and services over the Internet. IP Applications brings extensive BPL industry experience and will provide PLC with the operational support system (OSS), network management system (NMS) and Help Desk required to support customers and end users of PLC's robust BPL data, voice and video communications services."

PLC was faced with the complexity and expense of developing and managing its own OSS, NMS and Help Desk platforms. Being able to confidently outsource that element of the business frees up time and resources, lets us focus on strategic plans, and accelerates our time to market exponentially," said Derek Pepler, President of Trimax/PLC. "We selected IP Applications after a comprehensive evaluation. Their professionalism and attention to detail made our decision that much easier."

BPL technology uses the existing electrical infrastructure to create a high-speed, broadband communication network which can be used for data, voice, and video applications. The emerging BPL market has been estimated to reach up to $2.5B by 2010 according to some industry research groups. John Jacobson, President and CEO of IP Applications, said, "The BPL market is creating exciting new opportunities and we look forward to supporting PLC in the execution of large BPL deployments across Canada and the US, as well as helping lay the foundation for PLC's future IP voice and video application services."
Full Story

Telehealth and Telemedicine Bring Doctors' Services Into Miniclinics
Tucson, Arizona

Miniclinics, a relatively recent development in the healthcare industry, deliver efficient and convenient health services to patients. Typically, first generation miniclinics have been located at drug stores, megastores, and shopping malls. They are usually staffed by nurses and offer a limited menu of non-complex services.

UltraClinics, Inc., an Arizona-based healthcare service integrator, is developing and will market second generation miniclinics that will expand the concept of providing same day diagnostic services at convenient locations to healthcare services requiring a physician. Second generation miniclinics use telemedicine and telehealth technologies to provide patients with immediate access to off-site panels of doctors. Using teleradiology and telepathology, miniclinics with imaging equipment and on-site modular laboratories can provide patients with multiple professional services at a same day single clinic location. Initial second generation miniclinics will be located at surgicenters and imaging centers.
Full Story

Newly Launched Push Mail and Backup/Restore Applications Showcased at 3GSM World Congress
Barcelona, Spain

O3SIS Information Technology AG, a leading provider of personal mobile applications and Over-the-Air data synchronization technology to first tier mobile network operators, showcased its mobile applications will be showcased at 3GSM World Congress in Barcelona, Spain during February 13-16. "Our Unified Mobile Applications products enable global mobile network operators and service providers to offer Over-the-Air data synchronization and mobile access to personal information seamlessly, with a best-in-class user experience," said Dirk Dörre, CEO at O3SIS. "The choice for O3SIS by leading partners such as HP, LogicaCMG, and mFormation validates O3SIS technology and our ability to provide our partners with robust and industry-proven products that extend personal mobility and allow mobile network operators to develop trusted and binding relationships with their end customers."

Push Mail and Backup and Restore are key components of the O3SIS' Unified Mobile Applications (UMA) platform, which also offers Over-the-Air real-time data synchronization across multiple user devices such as handsets, the Web, and the desktop, as well as a full-featured suite of personal mobile applications. The UMA platform is based on the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) standards, eliminating the need for costly, proprietary hardware and client software. UMA enables mobile network operators to roll-out multiple value-added services from a single high performance platform, significantly reducing total cost of ownership and time to market.
Full Story

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Announcing our new partnership in affiliation with WebAssist. WebAssist makes the Web work with market-leading extensions (software add-ons) for the Adobe (formerly Macromedia) platform in eCommerce and productivity. Through custom integration services, WebAssist empowers businesses to extend their product's reach into the world-wide developer market.

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