Oracle Closes Acquisition of Portal Software

Oracle Corporation has completed its acquisition of Portal Software, Inc. and is moving ahead quickly with the integration of the two companies.

Portal Software offers the only billing and revenue management solution with a modern, object-oriented architecture built on Oracle that can bill and manage all communications services including wireline, wireless, broadband, cable, voice over IP, IPTV, music and video. As communications, publishing, media and entertainment services converge, Oracle can support companies with a proven offering for billing, customer interaction and management of digital services and content. The merger enables the delivery of the first end-to-end packaged enterprise software suite for the communications and media industry.

Savitski Wins Minnesota Piano-e-Competition

Edisher Savitski, a 29-year-old from the Republic of Georgia who resides in South Bend, Indiana, was named first prize winner of the third Minnesota International Piano-e-Competition in Minneapolis. Savitski has earned his master’s degree and artist diploma from Indiana University. Next year, Savitski will be pursuing his doctoral degree at Michigan State University, where he received the single fellowship for music students.

At invitation-only screened auditions held in Shanghai, China; Paris, France; Los Angeles, California and New York City, 60 young pianists — chosen from a pool of over 130 applicants from around the world — entered their digitally videotaped and recorded MIDI performances on Yamaha Disklavier concert pianos, in the initial rounds of the competition.

Audition recitals and final round performances are available for the general public to download as MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) files onto their own computers, or on their own Disklavier pianos, from the Piano-e-Competition home page. To learn more, visit www.piano-e-competition.com. For a multimedia presentation on the competition and how it works, visit http://www.piano-e-competition.com/ecompetition/howitworks.asp.

Global Alliance for ICT Launched

In a ceremony in Kuala Lumpur, the UN deputy secretary-general and Malaysia’s prime minister launched the Global Alliance for Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and Development.

“The alliance provides the platform and network of international experiences in which partnerships can be based,” commented UN Deputy Secretary-General Mark Malloch Brown. Pointing out that technology never developed in a vacuum, he said it should be part of a strategy involving people and institutions, and should be accompanied by investment, human capital, infrastructure and national plans.

“Smart public policies” harnessing the power of public-private partnerships should give incentives to the private sector, Malloch Brown stated, adding that “technology is not just a privilege for the rich, but a tool for the poor” which should be applied to work toward the internationally agreed development goals.

“We are all gathered here for a common cause,” said Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, “motivated by a vision of a truly united global community brought together through the power of ICT. A vision where every nation, every society and every individual is a participant in development that is people-centered, people-oriented and people-driven.” At the same time, he cautioned that “there are still too many nations too poor to take advantage of these new tools of development and extricate themselves from their present lack of progress into better circumstances for their people.”

The alliance recognized ICT as a vital tool for development, Badawi said, “and with the lead given by the United Nations to this alliance we hope to be able to see more widespread applications of ICT where poorer nations will benefit through greater access to technology and to knowledge.”

Dr. Craig Barrett, board chairman of Intel Corporation and the alliance’s first chairman, said four conditions are needed to accelerate the opportunity for nations and their citizens, namely access and ownership, content, connectivity and skills. Barrett remarked that he was honored to shoulder the role of chairman of the alliance because, “This initiative lays the blueprint of what it takes for society to reach new heights.”

When asked why he was chosen for this role, Barrett replied, “Intel is seen as an impartial driver of technology and sees IT development as integral to the growth of an economy. We believe that by focusing on affordability, connectivity and education, the Global Alliance for ICT and Development can create a platform to work with IT players, the government and ecosystem to mobilize resources and help countries achieve their development goals.”

Barrett advised that the Global Alliance for ICT and Development can make a tangible difference to communities at large, “By educating teachers, facilitating affordable hardware, enhancing connectivity and working with government and industry players to drive local entrepreneurship.”

Kim Hak-Su, executive secretary of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), said ICT had brought “tremendous benefits” to the peoples of many countries of the region. Outsourcing and the establishment of high-tech research and development facilities were benefiting India, China, the Philippines, Vietnam and other countries, also spawning new industries such as microelectronics and textiles. The challenge was now to reduce the “very wide digital divide in Asia and the Pacific” through the “speedy and thorough implementation” of the decisions countries had adopted at the World Summit on the Information Society.

The alliance will seek to stimulate dialogue on formulating policies and exchanging experiences on ICT for development. It will operate as a decentralized network, complementing the work of existing networks and institutions.