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http://www.salesforce.com/company/news-press/press-releases/2011/12/111215.jsp

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The Wall Street Journal 12.13.11, By Don Clark// A new generation of companies is learning to manage a new generation of workers, and many time-tested techniques are not a good fit. Rypple, a Toronto startup, is tackling the problem with the aid of customers like Spotify.

The London-based online music company could have just adopted Rypple’s existing Web services, which help coach employees and give them real-time feedback about their performance. Instead, Spotify asked Rypple to incorporate a more formalized management methodology called OKR, for Objectives and Key Results, which is often attributed to Intel and has been used by companies such as Google.

“It turned out they thought it was a great idea,” says Johan Persson, Spotify’s organizational manager. “Now they like it so much, they want to release it as a product.”

It’s not a first for Rypple. The startup also developed an addition to its service called Loops with help from Facebook, another major customer.

In another era, companies might have sought to keep such modifications to themselves, on the theory they could gain an edge over competitors. But many young companies have developed a philosophy that sharing some kinds of innovations brings broader benefits.

“People’s view of competition is changing,” says Daniel Debow, Rypple’s co-CEO. “Yes, some things should remain proprietary. But there’s a lot to share with each other.”

Facebook, for example, opted to publicly post specifications about its data centers, Debow notes. It’s a bit like the philosophy behind open-source software; though contributors to such programs may be giving away some of their labor, they stand to benefit as many more companies suggest improvements.

A Facebook or Spotify that suggested improvements to Rypple, for example, may subsequently benefit as others suggest new features for the service. After Rypple started working with Spotify, “we went to ten or 15 other companies to learn how to make it better, and that made it better for Spotify itself,” Debow says.

The service that was developed, called Social Goals 2.0, is being announced for use by other customers on Tuesday.

Rypple, founded in 2008, has raised $13 million from venture capitalists and angel investors that include Peter Thiel, the co-founder of PayPal, and Maynard Webb, the former chief operating officer of eBay and current chairman of LiveOps. Companies or individual departments may start with a free version of the service or can graduate to more full-featured offerings that cost $5 to $9 per user per month.

Debow and co-CEO David Stein were previously co-founders of Workbrain, an enterprise software company sold in 2007 to Infor Global Solutions for $227 million.

“We realized that the world of work was changing and the way people were being managed was fifty years old,” Debow says. “The world of software was becoming social and mobile and going to the cloud, and you had a whole new generation of people who had grown up using these tools.”

A defining trait of this new generation, Debow says, is that the tradition of employees receiving performance evaluations once a year is no longer appropriate. They want regular feedback on how they are doing, and more chances to learn and improve their skills, he says.

Rypple, among other things, allows people at companies to thank and praise other employees by posting colorful badges that are akin to those won by scouts. Managers can ask workers in a group to anonymously provide observations about how an employee is doing, and peers can also seek anomyous feedback about their own performance.

“For many people, this is the start of their careers,” says Persson, who works in the Stockholm offices of Spotify. “They want to learn as much as possible and share ideas…I have to meet that demand.”

Original article can be found here.

Come join me this week at the AlwaysOn- Venture Summit in Half Moon Bay. Lots of exciting presenters.  Listen to my panel where will discuss  the outlook for Venture Capital industry.

Come join me at the AlwaysOn- Venture Summit in Half Moon Bay this week. Lots of exciting presenters.  Listen to my panel where will discuss  the outlook for Venture Capital industry.

Sunnyvale, Calif – Nov 10, 2011- SC Magazine has named IronKey as a Finalist in two categories for the security industry’s most prestigious awards – the 2012 Reader’s Trust Awards. IronKey’s Trusted Access is a Finalist in the Best Fraud Prevention category, and IronKey’s cloud-based management service, IronKey Enterprise Management Service, is a Finalist in the Best Mobile/Portable Device Security category. IronKey has twice won first place awards, and this marks the fifth consecutive year IronKey has been honored as a Finalist by SC Magazine readers.

IronKey’s Trusted Access enables banks to provide their customers with a secure browsing solution for online banking and e-commerce that keeps them safe on their own PCs, even if the PC is infected with the latest zero-day attack that would go undetected by anti-virus and other software. According to research firm Gartner, Inc., crimeware designed to take over online banking accounts and steal money is now the most significant threat concerning U.S. banks. In August, the Financial Services Information Sharing and Analysis Center (FS-ISAC) reported online banking account takeovers grew over 150 percent in 2010.

Finalists for the Reader’s Trust Awards are judged by a panel of leading security officers from large, medium, and small enterprises from all major vertical markets, representing the broad readership of SC Magazine.

As the industry’s preeminent awards program, the annual SC Awards honor the professionals, companies and products that help fend off the myriad of security threats in today’s corporate world, and the emerging threat landscape of tomorrow.

With Trusted Access banks deliver clients a customized, secure Web browser protected in a fully virtualized read-only environment, and tailored to work exclusively with IronKey’s Trusted Network and the bank’s systems to protect online banking sessions from known and unknown crimeware. It also offers customers Trusted Bookmarks, a safe way to access popular websites, including shopping and social media sites, using a “white list” managed by the bank. When shopping online the service assures customers that they are accessing an authentic site and that payments are not being monitored or tampered with.

IronKey’s cloud-based management service, IronKey Enterprise Management Service, allows administrators to easily manage thousands of portable devices and enforce device-specific policies, including password strength, password retry limits and onboard portable applications. The IronKey Enterprise Management Service is currently used by over 3,000 enterprises with over one million devices.

The 2012 SC Awards U.S. Winners will be announced at the SC Magazine annual Reader Trust ceremony at RSA 2012 on February 28th in San Francisco. The event is a night filled with excitement, along with an opportunity to network with the top corporate IT professionals in attendance. To attend the Awards, please register here.

November 4, 2011- In the US, online metrics company BuzzLogic has changed its name to Twelvefold Media, to reflect a ‘substantial increase’ in its size and range of activities since launch.

The San Francisco-based firm uses a proprietary content index and analytics capability to determine which consumer conversations are most critical to advertisers, then uses this data to produce and place customized media plans across the web. The re-brand follows the recent launch of Spectrum, a platform targeting ads based on the enthusiasm consumers show for online content.

CEO Dave Hills explains the thinking behind the change: ‘BuzzLogic was a name that reflected more of who we were years ago, which created misunderstanding in the marketplace. With the launch of Spectrum, we felt it was time for a fresh start, and began looking for a name that best exemplifies what we are today.’

As part of the re-brand, the firm has also re-named its suite of products:

• Twelvefold Touch (formerly BuzzRoll) – which delivers relevant ads to consumers, matching creative to the emotional connection they make with content;
• Twelvefold Studies (formerly BuzzStudies) – which measures the impact of media within specific content, relating it to individual brand objectives; and
• Twelvefold Insights (formerly BuzzInsights) – which provides research and content target building aligned to brand objectives.

The company’s new URL is www.twelvefold.com .

Integrated Solution for Payroll, HR, Self-Service, Benefits and Workforce Management

MINNEAPOLIS & TORONTO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Ceridian and Dayforce today announced a major expansion of the InView solution that will bring payroll, HR, self-service, benefits and workforce management onto a single platform, backed by Dayforce’s award-winning technology.

Overwhelmingly Successful Track Record
The integrated InView solution will build upon the overwhelming success of the workforce management solution that the companies brought to market this year. That product was roundly applauded by analysts and clients alike.

“InView Workforce Management has been a tremendous success by any measure,” said Stuart C. Harvey Jr., Ceridian CEO and president. “We set a target of 300 accounts for the first year, and we exceeded that target in the first six months and over 75 of these accounts are now live. We will now take this momentum into the broader human capital management marketplace to achieve even greater growth and success.”

Industry experts agree. According to Nucleus Research, the InView solution “is winning deals by offering a wide range of workforce management capabilities at a better value than its rivals and providing capabilities that other vendors don’t have.”

Clients have been equally enthusiastic. Pat Frees, Plant Human Resources Manager, Hoffmaster Group, Inc., described the benefits of InView by saying “it’s like comparing the Jetsons to the Flintstones.” Dave Vierthaler, Vice President, Human Resources, Hoffmaster Group, Inc., added that InView was “not only easy to install and use, but also provided us with the ability to better manage our workforce and gave us significant ROI.”

Expanding on a Winning Approach
“We spoke to our customers,” said David Ossip, CEO of Dayforce, “and they told us that they loved the new InView approach. They wanted to see the same user experience, speed and return on investment across all of their human capital management needs. So we listened.”

InView HR and Self-Service will begin to be released in the fourth quarter of 2011, with the new InView Payroll functionality to follow in the first quarter of 2012.

Strong, Seamless Partnership
Ceridian and Dayforce have been strong, natural partners from the outset.

The expanded InView solution will be supported by a unified team combining the strengths of both companies. David Ossip will lead a new organization, which will be responsible for development, implementation, support and hosting. “David and the Dayforce team have continued to exceed expectations,” said Stuart C. Harvey Jr., Ceridian CEO and president. “Based on the success of our partnership and the complementary strengths of our organizations, an expanded partnership and increased investment was a natural next step.”

“Ceridian has been a perfect partner from the outset,” said David Ossip. “We are thrilled to begin this new phase of our extraordinarily successful alliance.”

Recognition Affirms Carrier IQ’s Mobile Intelligence Software as Critical Platform for Mobile Operators and Device Manufacturers

Mountain View, CA, October 27, 2011 – Carrier IQ has been selected as an Innovative Business Analytics Company to Watch Under $100M by leading IT market research and advisory firm IDC.

In its report, “Innovative Business Analytics Companies Under $100M to Watch, 2011” (Doc #230923, October, 2011), the firm cited three key drivers making an impact in the Business Analytics marketplace, including mobile analytics, cloud-based analytics and collaborative decision management. The Innovative Business Analytics Companies to Watch Under $100M list included companies that are successfully meeting the needs of customers in each prediction category. Carrier IQ was recognized in the Mobile Analytics category.

“New technologies are eliminating boundaries between content and data to enable pervasive access to all relevant information. Contributing to this innovation is a group of small companies with the vision and technology to have an impact on the marketplace,” said Henry Morris, Senior Vice President, Worldwide Software and Services Research at IDC.

Carrier IQ’s Mobile Intelligence platform is currently deployed with more than 150 million devices worldwide. It enables mobile service providers and device manufacturers to solve business and technology issues throughout the development and deployment lifecycles of networks and devices by delivering mission-critical intelligence on how services perform and how devices actually work in the hands of end users.

“Carrier IQ’s Mobile Intelligence platform puts the customer at the center of decision-making by providing a detailed understanding of the customer’s experience,” said Larry Lenhart, CEO, Carrier IQ. “Recognition by objective third parties like IDC provides additional confirmation of the value of our analytics capabilities in delivering tangible results for the most critical business objectives in the mobile industry.”

IMVU Attributes 1158% Revenue Growth to Strong Demand for Virtual Goods

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA — October 20, 2011 — IMVU, an online social game where members use 3D avatars to meet new people, chat, create and play games with their friends, today announced that it ranked 87th on Deloitte’s 2011 Technology Fast 500™ ranking of 500 fastest growing technology, media, telecommunications, life sciences and clean technology companies in North America. IMVU grew revenue 1158% during the 2006 to 2010 period.

“IMVU helps its members to meet new people around the world and to have fun in a virtual environment,” said Cary Rosenzweig, CEO of IMVU. “Although IMVU is free to play, some members choose to enhance their experience by purchasing virtual goods, and this is what drives our revenue. Our revenue growth is a reflection of delivering a great consumer experience.”

About Deloitte’s 2011 Technology Fast 500TM

Technology Fast 500, which was conducted by Deloitte & Touche LLP, a subsidiary of Deloitte LLP, provides a ranking of the fastest growing technology, media, telecommunications, life sciences and clean technology companies – both public and private – in North America. Technology Fast 500 award winners are selected based on percentage fiscal year revenue growth from 2006 to 2010.

In order to be eligible for Technology Fast 500 recognition, companies must own proprietary intellectual property or technology that is sold to customers in products that contribute to a majority of the company’s operating revenues. Companies must have base-year operating revenues of at least $50,000 USD or CD, and current-year operating revenues of at least $5 million USD or CD. Additionally, companies must be in business for a minimum of five years, and be headquartered within North America.