MaSSSoftech

NASHVILLE, Tenn.--(Business Wire)--
Informatics Corporation of America (ICA; www.icainformatics.com), offering an
advanced single technology solution that allows clinicians at hospital systems
and Health Information Exchanges (HIEs) across the country to readily access,
evaluate, and act upon patient information across disparate systems, announces
the addition of three regional sales directors. Ed Pfeiffer (Bethlehem, PA), Bob
Gartland (Denver, NC), and Robert Nyman (Seattle, WA), bring in-depth sales
experience and healthcare knowledge to meet market demand for the ICA CareAlign
technology solution.

"These accomplished professionals are stellar examples of sales leadership, and
enable ICA to grow its regional market presence," says John Tempesco, ICA`s vice
president of client services and marketing. "Their creative approaches to sales
and customer service will positively impact our business, influencing strategy
and building relationships that further strengthen our corporate position."

ICA`s CareAlign technology exemplifies speed of implementation in under six
months, optimal flexibility for data storage, best-in-class patient matching,
comprehensive auditing functionality, and multiple features for ease-of-use and
customization. Compatible with Microsoft`s Internet Explorer Version 7 and
Mozilla Firefox, CareAlign can be accessed from desktop computers and mobile
devices - at anytime and from anywhere.

"With the expansion of our sales force, ICA can serve an even greater number of
hospital systems, bringing the benefits of a flexible, scalable solution to
health care enterprises nationwide," adds Tempesco. "With the current political
environment focused on meaningful use, the ICA solution positions entities to
share healthcare data in a secure and intuitive portal enabling physicians to
make informed decisions at the point of care and coordinate complex care across
treatment settings. This technology is well-received in both rural and urban
settings since it adapts to the environment and allows organizations to quickly
and easily join other organizations in health care information sharing."

An expanded, regional sales force allows ICA to widen its reach and help HIEs
and integrated healthcare delivery networks to achieve quality improvements.

Gary Zegiestowsky, CEO of ICA, concludes, "We are witnessing an era of real
change in our health care system with the adoption of electronic medical records
and other forms of health information technology. ICA`s technology is poised to
leverage this trend, making it possible for multiple institutions to utilize
their legacy systems and accelerate the formation of HIE initiatives. Our
corporate identity is rising as we make it easier for clinicians to access and
act on a patient`s longitudinal record wherever and whenever it is needed."

About Informatics Corporation of America (ICA)

Informatics Corporation of America (ICA) was established to take innovative
technology developed by practicing physicians and informatics professionals at
Vanderbilt Medical Center to the broader healthcare market. Its flexible
architecture integrates legacy systems to provide a comprehensive clinical view
of patient records within Integrated Delivery Systems and Health Information
Exchanges/Regional Health Information Organizations. Today, ICA is unmatched in
its ability to deliver a cost-effective, proven solution that not only leverages
complete data across clinical settings to aid decision-making and improve
patient outcomes, but also utilizes real-time clinical information when and
where it is needed. Visit www.icainformatics.com.

Mayor Jerry Sanders is splitting up the San Diego Processing Corp.'s duties and allowing outside companies to bid on them, reported the Union-Tribune. The city-owned agency and its 250 employees have handled the city's communications and technology services since 1979. Sanders said he wants to make sure the city is getting the best service for the lowest price. This is the first phase in a three-year plan to make sure the nonprofit's work is competitively priced.

A new economic-financial database will be created by the Ministry of Administration and Interior (MAI) to improve local administrations’ responsibility in Romania, reads a release of the abovesaid institution.

The Romanian Minister of Administration and Interior Dan Nica approved the financing from structural funds of the project titled ‘Building of the Information Technology System Architecture and Economic-Financial Database Structure in the Local Public Administration – BDAPL.’

The information technology system and the database will represent new instruments at the disposal of the MAI, of the other Ministries and of the Government too, to help them make more adequate decisions related to the future activity of the local public administrations, by providing them with more helpful information.

According to the MAI, the general objective of the project was the modernization of the Romanian society, by increasing the responsibility on the level of the local public administration, purpose to be reached based on a solid database of quantifiable indexes – to also help the analysis of the efficiency of the UATs – and also the closer observation of the impact of public policies and of the measures taken for the respective institutions.

By implementing this project, the MAI aimed at creating an information technology system and a database to collect, report, analyze and publish the financial, non-financial and statistical data relevant for the capacity of the local public administrations, with the central institutions to be thus helped to make more correct and efficient decisions related to the future activity of the local public administrations.

Moreover, the database will allow, by means of a transparent consulting process, the NGOs and the local public administrations to search through the common data of analysis and to make thus better decisions, based on certitudes and after analyzing the impacts on the local public administrations.

And Hires Search Firm to Fill President/COO and CIO Positions
BATON ROUGE, La.--(Business Wire)--
Amedisys, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMED)(or the "Company"), one of America's leading home
health and hospice nursing companies, today announced the appointment of Dr.
Michael O. Fleming as the Chief Medical Officer. He is past President of the
American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) and the Louisiana Academy of Family
Physicians, and is founding Chairman of the Louisiana Health Care Quality Forum,
a partnership with the State of Louisiana aiming to provide high-quality health
care to the state. Dr. Fleming has served as Speaker of the Congress of
Delegates of the AAFP and as Board Chair of the AAFP Board of Directors. As an
active member of the medical quality field, he serves on various boards and
panels to the health information technology industry. In this role as Chief
Medical Officer, Dr. Fleming will lead all of our clinical quality initiatives
and take an active role in shaping our future strategies.

The Company is pleased to announce that Tasha Mears, Senior Vice President of
Clinical Operations has been appointed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid
Services (CMS) as a member of the Technical Expert Panel Project: Care
Transition Measure Development. This prestigious panel has been formed to
develop measures used to deliver quality care to Medicare beneficiaries. Ms.
Mears is one of a select clinical few nationwide who were chosen to this panel.
She is a Registered Nurse, and has served at Amedisys in a number of field
positions including Clinical Director, Regional Administrator, Regional Director
of Business Development and Director of Episode Management. She also served as
Director of Quality and Clinical Technology and as Vice President of Quality
Management and Analytics prior to her current role. Ms. Mears has also
contributed to several studies related to Medicare spending and hospitalization
and has participated on numerous industry related quality improvement projects
and panels. She will report directly to Dr. Fleming.

The Company also announced that it has engaged Russell Reynolds Associates to
conduct searches to fill the positions of President/Chief Operating Officer and
that of Chief Information Officer. The searches will be national in scope and
will include both internal and external candidates.

Amedisys, Inc. is headquartered in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Its common stock
trades on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol "AMED".

This press release includes statements that may constitute "forward-looking"
statements, usually containing the words "believe", "estimate", "project",
"expect", "anticipate" or similar expressions.Forward-looking statements
inherently involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to
differ materially from the forward-looking statements.Many of the factors that
could cause or contribute to such differences are described in the Company`s
periodic reports and registrations statements filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission, and include, but are not limited to the following: general
economic and business conditions, changes in or failure to comply with existing
regulations or the inability to comply with new government regulations on a
timely basis, changes in Medicare and other medical reimbursement levels,
ability to complete acquisitions announced from time to time, and any financing
related thereto, the ability to meet debt service requirements and to comply
with covenants in debt agreements, adverse changes in federal and state laws
relating to the health care industry, demographic changes, availability and
terms of capital, ability to attract and retain qualified personnel, ongoing
development and success of new start-ups, ability to successfully integrate
newly acquired agencies, changes in estimates and judgments associated with
critical accounting policies, business disruption due to natural disasters or
acts of terrorism, and various other matters, many of which are beyond
management`s control. By making these forward-looking statements, the Company
undertakes no obligation to update these statements for revisions or changes
after the date of this release.

Our company website address is www.amedisys.com. We use our website as a channel
of distribution for important company information. Important information,
including press releases, analyst presentations and financial information
regarding the Company is routinely posted on and accessible on the "Investor
Relations" subpage of our website, which is accessible by clicking on the tab
labeled "Investors" on our website home page.We will also use our website to
expedite public access to time-critical information regarding the Company in
advance of or in lieu of distributing a press release or a filing with the
Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") disclosing the same information.In
addition, we make available on the Investor Relations subpage of our website
(under the link "SEC filings") free of charge our annual reports on Form 10-K,
quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, ownership reports
on Forms 3, 4 and 5 and any amendments to those reports as soon as practicable
after we electronically file such reports with the SEC. Further, copies of our
Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws, our Code of Ethical Business Conduct
and the charters for the Audit, Compensation and Nominating and Governance
Committees of our Board are also available on the Investor Relations subpage of
our website (under the link "Corporate Governance").

Additional information on the Company can be found at:

www.amedisys.com

Cyber Security Exercises Provide Preparedness in Addressing Information
Security Threats


WAYNE, Pa., Sept. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Cyber security attacks against public and
private information technology and networks are escalating in occurrence and
complexity. Nameless, faceless cyber terrorists can strike from anywhere in
the world without warning. Those intent on causing harm never cease in
developing new ways to attack information systems, driving a constant need to
improve skills, policies and tools dedicated to cyber security.

A cyber security exercise is a hands-on training event to test how an
organization detects and responds to information security threats in real
time. These threats include unauthorized disclosure, transfer and accidental
or intentional modification or destruction of information, including security
breaches, stolen information and inability to provide Internet services during
an extended systems outage.

"Organizations need to continually prepare for the worst, and to do that they
should test the validity of their plan," said Jim Grogan, vice president,
consulting product marketing at SunGard Availability Services. "Cyber
security incident management exercises are validation initiatives to determine
cyber attack training effectiveness and identify any gaps in your cyber
security program."

In conducting cyber security exercises, organizations should focus on
achieving five important objectives:

1. Test Cyber Security Policy Adherence. Thorough and regular testing of cyber
security plans is essential to verify your plan's clarity, practicality and
ability to achieve desired results. While organizations need firewalls,
anti-virus software and other technical tools, having security policies that
monitor and report on intrusions and other suspicious activities is equally
important. And it is critical to develop and maintain a well-trained response
team that can use the tools, and help ensure full employee training and
understanding of the policies.

2. Establish Working Relationships. A crisis should not be the first time that
the people involved in incident response work together. Cyber security
exercises need to bring together people from business and IT operations to
generate an understanding of roles and responsibilities - covering each
individual's role and also building knowledge of co-workers' roles so everyone
can function as a team.

3. Elevate Awareness of Forensics. A typical user response to a problem at a
desktop computer is to "reboot" the computer. During a cyber attack, this
seemingly harmless action may overwrite valuable forensic evidence that is
crucial to identify and prosecute the source of the attack. Exercises should
include education sessions on how law enforcement organizations and other
forensic investigation firms conduct computer forensic investigations and a
walk-through on steps all participants should take to minimize incidents of
data loss.

4. Improve Senior Executive Understanding of Complexities of Cyber Security
Threats. A cyber security attack can be a brand risk - and that demands the
attention of senior management. Communication is one of the most common
reasons organizations fail to respond effectively to an incident. The
exercise should test the chain of communications for how internal and external
crisis communications messages are developed and articulated. It also
provides the opportunity to validate and adjust information security programs
that are part of corporate and government regulatory compliance initiatives.

5. Gain Greater Organizational Credibility. Cyber attacks have the potential
to be disruptive beyond internal operations. Organizations regularly
conducting cyber security exercises increase their standing with other
companies and customers by demonstrating a commitment to being a reliable
business partner and vendor. External parties should be included in the
exercise as appropriate.

"A cyber security simulation is the closest thing to an actual incident - from
the unexpected twists and turns in the event to the unanticipated action of a
colleague. It is a great way to determine how prepared or unprepared your
organization is to respond to a cyber threat," said Chris Burgher, associate
principal, information security practice at SunGard Availability Services.

The SunGard Incident Management Exercise service helps organizations test
whether management and other personnel are aware, ready and equipped to
perform the actions necessary to prevent or respond to a disruption to normal
business operations. This service helps organizations validate readiness to
manage incident response using existing plans and provides customers with
insights after the exercise on how to improve preparedness.

About SunGard Availability Services
SunGard Availability Services provides disaster recovery services, managed IT
services, information availability consulting services and business continuity
management software to more than 10,000 customers in North America and Europe.
With five million square feet of datacenter and operations space, SunGard
assists IT organizations across virtually all industry and government sectors
to prepare for and recover from emergencies by helping them minimize their
computer downtime and optimize their uptime. Through direct sales and channel
partners, we help organizations ensure their people and customers have
uninterrupted access to the information systems they need in order to do
business. To learn more, visit www.availability.sungard.com or call
1-800-468-7483.

About SunGard
SunGard is one of the world's leading software and IT services companies.
SunGard serves more than 25,000 customers in more than 70 countries.

SunGard provides software and processing solutions for financial services,
higher education and the public sector. SunGard also provides disaster
recovery services, managed IT services, information availability consulting
services and business continuity management software.

With annual revenue exceeding $5 billion, SunGard is ranked 472 on the Fortune
500 and is the largest privately held business software and services company
on the Forbes list of private businesses. Based on information compiled by
Datamonitor*, SunGard is the third largest provider of business applications
software after Oracle and SAP. Continuity, Insurance & Risk has recognized
SunGard as service provider of the year an unprecedented five times. For more
information, please visit SunGard at www.sungard.com.

*January 2009 Technology Vendors Financial Database Tracker
http://www.datamonitor.com

Trademark Information: SunGard and SunGard logo are trademarks or registered
trademarks of SunGard Data Systems Inc. or its subsidiaries in the U.S. and
other countries. All other trade names are trademarks or registered trademarks
of their respective holders.

As customer, bank to stay on forefront with new software and support services
CEDAR PARK, Texas--(Business Wire)--
Integrated Bank Technology (IBT), a company that specializes in providing core
processing and imaging software applications for in-house and ASP environments
for financial institutions and provides 24/7 support services, announced that
Colorado-based Park State Bank has become a customer and the bank will use IBT`s
flagship product, Integrated Bank Environment (IBE), and its ancillary
solutions. Park State decided to partner with the company after IBT acquired the
business units of the bank`s former vendor.

"I have an information technology background and we did evaluate other
technology vendors, but ultimately we chose IBT because their technology will be
in the forefront of the industry," Tony Perry, president of Park State Bank,
explained. "They`re in front of everyone now and we believe that we can leverage
IBT`s technology to do our core business."

IBE is a repository for not only a financial institution`s core system, but also
all of the ancillary systems enabling everything to be tracked and managed from
a single system. Park State Bank employees will no longer log on to different
systems multiple times to manage customer relationships, documents and check
images. Everything will be located in one place.

"The contact manager that is built in to IBE is critical to where we`re going,"
Perry added. "We`re a bank based on relationships, so having a system that lets
us track our communication and ensure that we`re providing customer service at a
consistently high level is key."

"Banks invest in technology to improve the customer experience and offer an
easier and more convenient banking environment," Mike Golebiowski, president of
IBT, said. "We continue to focus our products to deliver superior service to the
bank customer at a lower cost through innovation and we look forward to helping
Park State Bank position itself for success during this current economic
downturn and after the recovery."

About Integrated Bank Technology

Cedar Park, Texas-based Integrated Bank Technology (IBT) specializes in
providing core processing and imaging and Check 21 software applications under a
single data base for in-house and ASP environments for financial institutions
across the country and provides 24/7 support services. The company focuses on
innovation, showcased in Integrated Bank Environment (IBE), its flagship
product. IBE is a robust software application with a single database that is
designed to enhance a financial institution`s overall customer experience while
making the cost of ownership affordable.

For more information, visit www.iBankTech.net.

BILLLERICA, Mass.--(Business Wire)--
PlumChoice today announced the completion of a new $14.7 million round of
funding for its market-leading remote technical support services business, which
provides 24x7 online repair and assistance for digital devices ranging from
computers to smartphones. Funding sources included follow-on investments from
Edison Venture Fund and other prior investors, plus a substantial first-time
investment from an Edison Limited Partner drawn to PlumChoice`s business model
and rapid growth. Proceeds will be used to grow the company`s markets, expand
sales, and support marketing, business operations and product development.

PlumChoice packages its subscription-based and single-use remote tech services
for distribution through corporate partners using each partner`s brand. Channel
partners include leading telco/cable/ISPs, retailer/etailers and OEMs who trust
PlumChoice to provide premium services to their customers. PlumChoice`s skilled
U.S.-based technicians provide online support for all technology - including
PCs, Macs, smartphone devices, netbooks, MP3 players, network devices, printers
and digital cameras - and the associated integration challenges faced by end
users.

"The size of this latest funding round is a direct result of our business growth
and success working through large brand-name partners, as well as the exploding
demand for 24x7 technical support in today`s increasingly complex digital
world," said PlumChoice CEO Ted Werth, a pioneer in remote technology services
for more than a decade. "Remote tech services are the most effective way to
address the growing needs of the market, offering higher quality, enhanced
security, lower cost and even a green solution."

"PlumChoice`s domain expertise, strong channel partnerships and exceptional
customer satisfaction ratings have established the company as the market leader
in remote tech support," said Michael Balmuth, a General Partner at Edison
Venture Fund. "We are making our third investment in the company because of
their continuing progress in growing the business, building their partner
strategy, and driving new client acquisition."

The new funding round was completed in August.

About PlumChoice

Since 2000, PlumChoice has become the nationwide leader in providing trusted
remote technical services for the home, home office and small business through
business partners. PlumChoice leads the industry in technical innovation and
integrated services, giving customers affordable solutions to their technology
problems anytime, anywhere. PlumChoice offers comprehensive, flexible service
options (one-time, per-minute and subscription plans) on personal computers &
laptops, networking, software applications, printers, peripherals, MP3 players,
digital cameras, smartphones and other mobile devices, and more. PlumChoice is
trusted by more Fortune 500 companies than any other provider. Its team of
U.S.-based, 100% industry-certified agents is available 24/7/365. PlumChoice`s
partner go-to-market programs help business partners come to market rapidly and
grow revenue quickly. The company offers specific integrated programs for
telcos, ISPs, manufacturers, retailers and e-tailers. PlumChoice services are
also available online and in-store through many telecommunications service
providers, retailers and manufacturers, as well as many other partners. For more
information, visit www.plumchoice.com/partner, call 1-888-PLUM-HELP
(1-888-758-6435) or send email to sales@plumchoice.com.

About Edison Venture Fund

Established in 1986, Edison partners with entrepreneurs, service providers and
other financing sources to build successful companies. Edison provides expansion
capital and value-added services to information technology businesses with $5-20
million revenue. Initial investments range from $5-10 million. Edison typically
serves as sole or lead investor. In addition to providing growth equity, Edison
funds management buyouts, recapitalizations, spinouts and secondary stock
purchases.

Edison`s investment professionals are based in Lawrenceville, NJ, Needham, MA,
New York, NY, West Chester, PA, and McLean, VA. Industry specialties include
application software, communications, financial technology, interactive
marketing, healthcare & pharmaceutical IT. Edison`s successes include Best
Software, Dendrite, Gain Capital, MathSoft, Princeton Financial, VirtualEdge,
Visual Networks, Vocus and many other information technology leaders, which have
a combined market value exceeding $5 billion. Edison currently has $550 million
under management and is actively making new investments. www.edisonventure.com

LAS VEGAS, Sept. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- With mixed stock performances for major
gaming suppliers during the month of August, the AGEM Index increased 5.0
percent over the previous month, posting a value of 111.56, or an increase of
5.27 points. On a year-over-year basis, the AGEM Index is up 4.1 percent,
recording its second consecutive monthly increase, the first time since March
2008. The gains and losses during August are primarily attributable to second
quarter earnings reports. With nine of the seventeen companies lifting upward
during the month, eight others lost ground in terms stock valuation. The top
five contributors to the index included: (1) International Game Technology
(IGT), leading the pack for the second month in a row, adding 1.88 points to
the index based on a 5.92-percent increase in its stock valuation; (2) WMS
Industries (WMS), posting 1.87 points to the index due to a significant
17.06-percent stock price increase; (3) Bally Technologies (BYI), contributing
1.32 points to the index driven by an 11.65-percent gain in its stock
performance; (4) Lottomatica (LTO), which was up 5.66 percent adding 1.29
points; and (5) Aristocrat Technologies (ALL) rounded out the top five with a
3.12-percent price increase, contributing 0.53 points to the overall index.

Selected suppliers reporting negative contributions to the index included: (1)
Global Cash Access (GCA), posting -0.52 points to the index based on a
19.44-percent decline in its stock valuation; (2) Astro Corp. (3064),
reporting a 20.03-percent decrease in its stock valuation contributing -0.12
points to the index; and (3) Multimedia Games (MGAM), posting -0.07 points to
the index due to a decrease of 10.68 percent in its stock valuation.

It is important to note that INTRALOT S.A. was added to the AGEM Index during
the month of August. INTRALOT is a leading supplier of integrated gaming and
transaction processing systems with a presence in 50 countries on five
continents. Headquartered in Athens, Greece, their stock is publicly traded
on the
Athens Stock Exchange.



Exchange: Stock Price Percent
Symbol at month end Change
AGEM (Currency) Aug- Jul- Aug- Prior Prior Index
09 09 08 Period Year Contribution
Ainsworth Game
Technology ASX: AGI (AU$) 0.06 0.08 0.12 (31.25) (52.17) (0.02)

Aristocrat
Technologies ASX: ALL (AU$) 4.62 4.48 5.90 3.12 (21.69) 0.53

Astro Corp. Taiwan:
3064 (NT$) 58.30 72.90 73.00 (20.03) (20.14) (0.12)

Bally NYSE: BYI
Technologies (US$) 40.43 36.21 34.23 11.65 18.11 1.32

Elixir Gaming
Technologies AMEX: EGT (US$) 0.22 0.17 0.42 27.06 (48.57) 0.03

GameTech Nasdaq: GMTC
International (US$) 1.92 1.98 3.89 (3.03) (50.64) (0.00)

Gaming
Partners Nasdaq: GPIC
International (US$) 6.00 7.07 5.29 (15.13) 13.42 (0.04)

Global Cash
Access NYSE: GCA (US$) 7.25 9.00 5.99 (19.44) 21.04 (0.52)

IGT NYSE: IGT
(US$) 20.92 19.75 21.43 5.92 (2.38) 1.88

INTRALOT S.A. ATHEX:
INLOT (euro) 4.40 4.37 8.62 0.69 (48.96) 0.13

Konami NYSE: KNM
(US$) 19.66 21.45 30.43 (8.34) (35.39) (1.12)

Lottomatica MILAN:
(GTECH) LTO.MI (euro) 15.69 14.85 21.06 5.66 (25.50) 1.29

Multimedia Nasdaq: MGAM
Games (US$) 5.02 5.62 5.06 (10.68) (0.79) (0.07)

Shuffle Master Nasdaq: SHFL
(US$) 7.58 7.20 5.02 5.28 51.00 0.11

Transact Nasdaq: TACT
Technologies (US$) 5.43 5.48 12.25 (0.91) (55.67) (0.00)

Wells-Gardner
Electronics AMEX: WGA (US$) 1.53 1.22 1.32 25.41 15.91 0.02

WMS Industries NYSE: WMS
(US$) 42.33 36.16 33.60 17.06 25.98 1.87

Change in
Index Value 5.27

AGEM: July 2009 106.29

AGEM: August 2009 111.56




ANALYSIS PROVIDED BY UNION GAMING GROUP
Gaming suppliers' momentum continues through August helped by improving
sentiment given relative stability on a macro basis. Improving dynamics in the
casino and supplier sub-sectors particularly underscored the relative
strength. We saw good news at the state level during August, improving
dynamics in Asia, sector earnings that demonstrated stability in gaming (MGM
MIRAGE, Boyd Gaming, Melco-Crown, WMS, Bally Technologies, Ameristar, and
Aristocrat), and capital markets activity such as capital raises and debt
amendments that resulted in balance sheet improvement (Las Vegas Sands,
Melco-Crown). Collectively the sector got healthier in August. Here is a
laundry list of activity that contributed: Ohio's Supreme Court validated the
casino initiative signatures while the measure gained some important local
support. Ohio's Lottery Commission also approved VLT rules. In Pennsylvania
the House Majority leader pegged table game expansion at 70% likelihood, while
Penn National's Charles Town Races pursues voter approval for tables. At the
end of August compact momentum between Seminoles and Florida gathered steam
also providing for prospective table expansion. Massachusetts announced
financial legislation which should lay the ground work for gaming expansion.
Amendment 50 seems to be working in Colorado, driving outsized gaming revenue
performance, while a battle to build and operate a racino at Aqueduct rages.
In Asia commission caps were approved in Macau and visa restrictions were
anticipated to lift in early September. These favorable structural changes
should accrue to casino operators in the region ultimately enabling healthier
capital expenditure dynamics. Taiwan set its first casino referendum for the
end of September as it looks to offer casino gaming. This momentum has
continued into early September and we are cautiously optimistic about the
fundamental improvement in 4Q09.

The AGEM Index
The Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers (AGEM) produces the monthly
AGEM Index that comprises 17 global gaming suppliers throughout the world. A
total of 12 suppliers are based in the United States and are listed on the
NYSE, Nasdaq, or AMEX, while two trade on the Australian exchange, one
supplier trades on the Athens exchange, one trades on the Milan exchange, and
another trades on the Taiwan OTC exchange. The index is computed based on the
month-end stock price (adjusted for dividends and splits) of each company and
weighted based on approximation of market capitalization. Market
capitalizations for manufacturers trading on foreign exchanges have been
converted to US dollar-equivalents as of month-end for comparability purposes.
The AGEM Index is based on a 100-point value as of January 2005.

About AGEM
AGEM is an international trade association representing manufacturers of
electronic gaming devices, systems, and components for the gaming industry.
The Association works to further the interests of gaming equipment
manufacturers throughout the world. Through political action, tradeshow
partnerships, information dissemination and good corporate citizenship, the
members of AGEM work together to create benefits for every company within the
organization. Together, AGEM and its member organizations have assisted
regulatory commissions and participated in the legislative process to solve
problems and create a positive business environment.

AGEM Membership Roster
The current AGEM membership roster, 81 strong, is a who's who of the supplier
segment of the global gaming industry: AGEM Gold Members: Aristocrat
Technologies, Aruze Gaming America, Austrian Gaming Industries, Bally
Technologies, GTECH/Atronic/Spielo, International Game Technology (IGT),
INTRALOT S.A., Konami Gaming and WMS Gaming. AGEM Silver Members: AC Coin &
Slot, Action Gaming, Casino Technology, Interblock USA, JCM Global, MEI,
Multimedia Games, Octavian International, Shuffle Master, Suzo-Happ Group,
TCSJohnHuxley and Wells-Gardner Electronics. AGEM Bronze Members: Ainsworth
Game Technology, Astro Corp., Cadillac Jack, Cammegh Limited, CashCode / Crane
Payment Solutions, Diamond Game, Digital Display Group, Euro Games Technology
(EGT), GameTech International, Gaming Support, Incredible Technologies, Jumbo
Technology, KGM Gaming, MCA Processing, Modern Gaming, Rocket Gaming Systems
and Summit Gaming. AGEM Associate Members: CMYK Creative, Cole Industries,
Cybertec Gaming Systems, DynaGraphic Printing, Elite Casino Products,
Esterline Advanced Input Systems, FutureLogic, Gaming Partners International,
Gary Platt Manufacturing, Global Cash Access, Global Gaming Group (G3), Grand
Products, Greenberg Traurig LLP, Howard & Howard, IdeaWork Studios, IDX,
Intel, IPS, James Industries, Kreller Group, KSK, Lewis & Roca, Masterpiece
Advertising, MC2, Mikohn Signs and Graphics, Money Controls, Nanoptix, Paokai
Electronic Enterprise Co., Proforma GPS, Regulatory Management Counselors,
Sanmina-SCI, Strategy9, Talent Associates, Tgraphics/Outpost Productions, The
Bright Group, 3M Touch Systems, Tournament One, TMX, Trade Show Fabrications,
TransAct Technologies, Veridocs, Wrex Products and Young Electric Sign Company
(YESCO).

AGEM Index and Overview
The AGEM index and overview is prepared by Applied Analysis (AA). AA is a
Nevada-based advisory services firm providing a wide range of consultation
services for public and private entities. The company utilizes extensive
experience in economics, information technology and finance to provide a wide
range of services, including urban economic consulting, financial advisory
services, market analysis, public policy analysis, hospitality industry and
gaming consulting, and information system and technology consulting.

Industry Analysis
Industry Analysis is prepared by Union Gaming Group (UGG). UGG is an
independent research firm, government and industry advisor, focusing on the
global gaming business. UGG provides research, access and advisory services
and offers varying levels of research products and services, which capitalize
on UGG's relationships with corporate managements, governments, and other
parties relevant to the global gaming business.

Data and information contained herein is provided for informational purposes
only, and is not intended for investment, company evaluation or other
decision-based purposes. This analysis is based on selected economic data from
a wide range of economic data and statistics and is not intended to be a
comprehensive overview of all economic factors. Neither Association of Gaming
Equipment Manufacturers, its members, partners, principals or employees, nor
any of its data or content providers shall be liable for any errors in the
content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. By reviewing this data,
a user agrees not to redistribute the information found therein. AGEM shall
not be liable for any actions taken in reliance thereon.

CONTACT: Paul Speirs, +1-702-413-4278, paulspeirs@cox.net, for Association of
Gaming Equipment Manufacturers (AGEM)

The U.S. government has now joined the OpenID effort.

Ten technology players said Wednesday that they will support President Obama’s initial pilot programs to make it easier to register and work with government Web sites. OpenID is an identity system for the Web that lets people use a single username and password to log in and authenticate themselves to OpenID-compliant Web sites.

The players—Yahoo, PayPal, Google, Equifax, AOL, VeriSign, Acxiom, Citi, Privo and Wave Systems—said they will act as digital identity providers using OpenID and Information Card technologies. In a nutshell, select government sites are now using OpenID.

Obama issued a memorandum to make it easier for citizens to work with government Web sites and pilots are being launched by the Center for Information Technology (CIT), National Institutes of Health (NIH) and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Based on a statement, you’ll be able to use your Yahoo, PayPal and Google IDs to sign into government sites. According to the government, the use of OpenID will allow individuals to be more interactive with sites without revealing personally identifiable information.

South Florida Technology Alliance and BioFlorida Joint-Event Draws Big Names
and Big Crowd




FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Sept. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- South Florida Technology
Alliance (SFTA), the leading IT business forum in the region, launched an
important joint event with the state's life sciences organization, BioFlorida.
An audience of more than 125 gathered in Fort Lauderdale on August 27, to
hear experts from Scripps Florida, University of Miami, Dyadic and
ConsultADoctor discuss the convergence of bio science and information
technology.

Presentations from Anthony Carvalloza, Director of IT Services for Scripps
Research Institute (www.scripps.edu), Mark Emalfarb, CEO of Dyadic
(www.dyadic.com), Dr. Robert Schwartz, Chairman of the Department of Family
Medicine and Community Health along with Dr. John Ryan, Research Director at
the University of Miami (www.med.miami.edu), and Wolf Shlagman, CEO of
ConsultADoctor (www.consultadr.com), showcased how technology has been used to
advance their respective areas of life sciences and the future opportunities
to continue collaboration.

Mel Rothberg, CEO of Advanced Processing & Imaging, Inc. (www.apimg.com) and
Co-Chair of the Southeast Chapter of BioFlorida, shared insight to the state
of the Biotech industry in South Florida. "The bioscience industry demands
the management of vast quantities of information. Digitizing this massive
amount of information enables life science professionals to store, analyze,
search, and share content more efficiently." He further noted that the
expanding South Florida bioscience industry currently employs 38,482 workers
in the tri-county area with a gross revenue of over $3.6 billion

Chip Casanave, CEO of Data Access Worldwide (www.dataaccess.com) and chairman
of the SFTA discussed the opportunities presented by the BioFlorida - South
Florida Technology Alliance partnership: "Technology provides the underlying
tools for life sciences research, development and commercialization. Building
awareness and alliances between these sectors helps both of them grow and
create future benefits for everyone."

BioFlorida and SFTA share a common goal of bringing together enterprise,
entrepreneurs, government, academia, and investors, to grow their respective
industries and attract new business to Florida.

"This event was met with such a positive response," said Chris Burgio,
president of SFTA. "The turn out was higher than expected and people were
buzzing about the event well after the presenters had cleared the stage. We
look forward to continuing our partnership with BioFlorida and bringing more
valuable events like this to our region."

Events are open to the public and information can be found on the SFTA
website, www.southfloridatech.org.



About the SFTA
South Florida Technology Alliance (SFTA) brings more than a decade of
leadership as the most effective technology organization in the region.
Committed to the growth, success and awareness of the vibrant South Florida
technology community, SFTA fosters an exciting network of companies, academia,
capital resources, and government for the immediate and future success of
technology-related interests in our region. (www.southfloridatech.org)

About BioFlorida
BioFlorida is Florida's statewide trade association for the bioscience
industry providing advocacy, business development and communications services
for more than 200 member companies. Our mission is to be the voice of the
bioscience industry and the advocate for our member organizations. Bringing
knowledge and resources to Florida's bioscience community, BioFlorida supports
the health, agricultural and energy sectors of biotechnology as well as the
pharmaceutical and medical technology fields. (www.bioflorida.com)

Market intelligence firm releases budget information for the U.S. Air Force,
including information technology spending
MCLEAN, Va.--(Business Wire)--
FedSources, a Washington Management Group company, today issued the latest
figures in its "Agency Drivers" series - a series of monthly releases that
provide high-level budget information as well as a list of the top-funded
information technology programs within individual government agencies.

U.S. Air Force

This month, FedSources is offering the following budget breakdown and spending
priorities for the U.S. Air Force.

In this Budget Request Highlights chart, FedSources provides a high-level view
of the Air Force budget, including the budget for overall information technology
spending:

Budget Request Highlights FY09 FY10 Percentage
($M) Estimated Requested Change
Total Obligation Authority $161,400 $160,500 -1%
Information Technology Spending $6,783 $6,951 2%


In this Top Programs chart, FedSources provides a list of the Air Force top five
Information Technology programs with the largest proposed budget for FY10:

Line of Business Top Programs FY08 FY09 FY10
($M) ($M) ($M)
Defense and National Security Combat Information Transport System $329 $317 $455
Supply Chain Management Expeditionary Combat Support System $166 $237 $350
Defense and National Security Long Haul Communications Payment to DISA - AFCA $309 $297 $343
Information and Technology Management Base Level Communications Infrastructure - ANG $293 $325 $333
Information and Technology Management Protect Information $133 $231 $279


Unlimited Access

FedSources provides a wealth of additional information to clients - information
that builds a broad perspective on which issues are driving individual
government agencies. FedSources clients have unlimited access to budget and
spending figures, analysis of each agency`s challenges and priorities, and a
regularly updated listing of agency opportunities and contact information.

To find out how to become a FedSources client, call 703-610-8700 or visit
www.fedsources.com and visit the "Free Trial Offer".

About FedSources

FedSources, a Washington Management Group company, provides information and
insight to industry and government decision makers via market intelligence
services, customized consulting and informational events. These programs,
underscored by a hands-on approach to client support, have been enabling
companies and government agencies to make better business decisions for over two
decades. FedSources is headquartered in McLean, VA. For more information visit:
www.fedsources.com.





ENC Marketing & Communications
Caryn Fox
703-288-1620 x-104
cfox@encmarketing.com

Internet Address: www.fedsources.com

The city began soliciting bids from private companies Tuesday to compete against Data Processing Corp. to perform San Diego’s information technology services.

The contract with DPC, a nonprofit quasi-city agency with its own board and employees, has managed San Diego’s information technology services for the past 30 years. The contract with DPC is worth about $45 million annually. DPC is charged with maintaining the city’s 9,200 desktop computers, 1,200 laptops and 10,000 telephones, providing technical support and operating San Diego’s Web site and database servers.

“To ensure that the city is receiving the best possible service at the absolute lowest cost to taxpayers, the city will release a request-for- proposals later today that will allow private-sector companies to compete against DPC for the right to provide those services,” Mayor Jerry Sanders said.

The city will seek bids for the work in phases, beginning with the help desk and desktop support. The city hopes to have a contract in place at the start of the next fiscal year, which begins on July 1. The second phase, which includes the city’s telephone service, is scheduled to start by next summer or fall. The final bid will be for the operation of the city’s data center and Web site hosting. Sanders hopes to put the final phase out to bid once the first two are under way by late next year.

Sanders said the cost savings from allowing private companies to bid on DPC’s work isn’t yet known.

“What we do know is this — regardless of who wins the right to provide these services, whether it is DPC or a private-sector company, taxpayers will win because competition guarantees we’ll get the most bang for our buck,” Sanders said.

Because DPC is separate from the city and its workers are not part of San Diego’s municipal labor unions, allowing private companies to compete for its services does not fall under the managed-competition program. Managed competition, which was approved by San Diego voters in 2006, but since largely stymied by the unions, allows private companies to compete for work now performed by city employees.

DPC drew the ire of the mayor’s office earlier this year for budgeting $600,000 in raises and bonuses for its employees as San Diego’s workers were being asked to take cuts. In 2004, the agency was criticized for lavish spending by some of its executives on dinners, drinks and other perks.

Sanders said the city is not concerned with the level of service it is now receiving from DPC, only that it likely could be done more cheaply.

Read more: http://www.sdnn.com/sandiego/2009-09-08/news/city-will-look-for-private-bids-to-compete-in-information-technology-services#ixzz0QcnIhIVV

Will Deliver Greater Security and Privacy to Healthcare Provider Customers who
Deploy Electronic Medical Records


ITASCA, Ill.--(Business Wire)--
Laurus Technologies, an IT consulting and professional services firm based in
Itasca, IL, announced today its participation in the FairWarning®Ready Solution
Partner Program, enabling Laurus to deploy, service and resell FairWarning®`s
industry-leading healthcare privacy monitoring solutions. Laurus will offer
greater security and privacy measures to hospitals and healthcare providers for
their electronic medical records, resulting in greater peace-of-mind for
patients that their medical records are kept private. Laurus is one of seven
nationwide solutions providers chosen to participate in FairWarning`s® program.

"Healthcare providers are under increasing pressure to safeguard patient data,"
said Dave Durbin, Partner, Business Development at Laurus Technologies. "They
must concern themselves with requirements imposed by HIPAA, the Health
Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act and
agencies like the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Health and Human Services
(HHS), and the Office of the Inspector General (OIG). These initiatives have
imposed an incredible amount of responsibility and accountability on providers
in environments that have hundreds of applications and thousands of users that
create, store and manipulate protected health information."

Laurus is substantially strengthening the ability of healthcare providers to
meet regulatory requirements, prevent inappropriate access to patient
information and automate compliance with privacy provisions. With FairWarning®
certification, Laurus Technologies can dramatically ease the effort required to
spot suspicious activity and report on unauthorized access to PHI while tracking
authorized access for accounting disclosure requirements.

"We share Laurus` goal of helping healthcare providers improve privacy
surveillance," said Shane Whitlatch, senior vice president of global alliances
at FairWarning®. "We are pleased that Laurus Technologies sees the value in our
solution for its healthcare customers."

The announcement marks the latest advancement in healthcare solutions from
Laurus Technologies. In addition to working with FairWarning®, Laurus recently
partnered with ThinIdentity Corporation to provide virtual desktop
infrastructure solutions that help improve caregiver workflow, reduce medical
errors and significantly improve workflow for doctors and nurses.

About Laurus Technologies, Inc. (www.laurustech.com)

Laurus Technologies is an IT consulting and systems integration firm that helps
its customers solve their most pressing business challenges. The company`s
strength is its combination of business knowledge, deep technical talent and
commitment to customer satisfaction. Laurus Technologies` people are experts in
managing today`s increasingly complex IT infrastructure and delivering
integration management solutions. Laurus` goal of a 100% referenceable customer
base has resulted in the company becoming one of the nation`s fastest growing
solution providers. Laurus serves the technology needs of its customers from
offices in Itasca, Chicago, Milwaukee, Minneapolis/St. Paul and Denver. For
further information, please visit our website at www.laurustech.com.

About FairWarning®, Inc. (www.fairwarningaudit.com)

FairWarning® offers out-of-the-box privacy surveillance solutions which include
support for every major healthcare application family. FairWarning®healthcare
privacy monitoring solutions operate in nearly 200 hospitals and over 600
clinics across North America. The company is located in St. Petersburg, FL. To
learn more, visit www.FairWarningAudit.com, call U.S. 727-576-6700 or email
info@FairWarningAudit.com.

Leading Networking Brand Now Incorporates Byte and Switch's Storage Content
Providing IT Decision Makers a Holistic, Real-World View of Technology's
Impact on the Network and Data Center



SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- TechWeb, the global leader in
technology media, today announced the launch of Network Computing
(www.networkcomputing.com), a significantly enhanced online destination for
network, data center and storage Information Technology (IT) decision-makers.
Recognizing the fusion of these critical enterprise technologies and the roles
of these three groups of decision makers, the new Network Computing
destination incorporates the content of Byte and Switch, the former TechWeb
site focused exclusively on storage.

Network Computing delivers in-depth information and real-world insight for
technology decision-makers through a unique "For IT, By IT" approach, relying
predominantly on current and former IT professionals. Fueling this trusted
"For IT, By IT" methodology, Network Computing has expanded to deliver timely
strategy and workshops, news, in-depth features, expert reviews, opinionated
blogs, newsletters and digital issues on an array of key enterprise
technologies, including: back-up and recovery, data center architecture and
virtualization, WAN acceleration, and unified communications. Through this
approach, a deep reader loyalty has extended over 20 years, but the need for
IT to turn to their peers at a trusted source is ever-present.

"With the worlds of data, networking and storage colliding, things IT decision
makers need to know are changing," stated Mike Fratto, Editor of Network
Computing. "IT executives can no longer take a silo view of IT operations and
must realize that networking groups, storage groups, server groups and
application groups can no longer be disconnected. The new Network Computing
takes a holistic view of technology's impact on the network."

Network Computing is at the forefront of the sweeping changes in how IT
delivers services and support to organizations, such as data center
consolidation driven by advances in servers, storage and networking
technologies; the rapid growth of virtualization; advances in automation and
control; the impending explosion in cloud computing; the focus on delivering
applications; and the rising importance of information security.

"As IT coalesces around the network and data center, this is the ideal time to
transform a powerful B2B brand like Network Computing," said Brandon Friesen,
Vice President, Group Publisher of the InformationWeek Business Technology
Network, which includes Network Computing. "This new site is a powerful
platform to serve both our audience and expanding number of technology
marketers trying to reach and engage network, data center and storage decision
makers."

Network Computing offers technology marketers fully integrated marketing
communications programs to engage and activate buyers of technology products,
and services. These performance marketing solutions scale from targeted lead
generation programs focused on specific technology topics, to broad-based
branding and awareness, such as site advertising. Network Computing also
features virtual events, digital issues, mobile distribution, and social media
for user interaction and engagement. For more information on sponsorship
opportunities, please contact Martha Schwartz, VP of Group Sales, TechWeb at
mschwartz@techweb.com.

About InformationWeek Business Technology Network
(http://www.informationweek.com/)
The InformationWeek Business Technology Network provides IT executives with
unique analysis and tools that parallel their work flow - from the defining
and framing of objectives through to the evaluation and recommendation of
solutions. Anchored by InformationWeek, the multimedia powerhouse that looks
across the enterprise, the network scales across the most critical technology
categories with online properties like DarkReading.com (security),
IntelligentEnterprise.com (application architecture), Network Computing
(networking and communications) and PlugintotheCloud.com (cloud computing).
The network also provides focused content for key IT targets such as CIOs,
developers and SMBs with InformationWeek Global CIO, Dr. Dobb's and
bMighty.com, as well as vital vertical industries with InformationWeek
Financial Services, Government and Healthcare. With content at the nucleus of
our information distribution strategy, IT professionals turn to our network of
expert voices, research and communities to stay informed, get advice, and
research technologies to make strategic business decisions.

About TechWeb (http://www.techweb.com/aboutus)
TechWeb, the global leader in business technology media, is an innovative
business focused on serving the needs of technology decision-makers and
marketers worldwide. TechWeb produces the most respected and consumed media
brands in the business technology market. Today, more than 13.3 million*
business technology professionals actively engage in our communities created
around our global face-to-face events Interop, Web 2.0, Black Hat and
VoiceCon; online resources such as InformationWeek.com, Light Reading,
Intelligent Enterprise, bMighty.com, and The Financial Technology Network; and
the market leading, award-winning InformationWeek, TechNet Magazine, MSDN
Magazine, and Wall Street & Technology magazines. TechWeb also provides
end-to-end services ranging from next-generation performance marketing,
integrated media, market research, and analyst services. TechWeb is a division
of United Business Media, a global provider of news distribution and
specialist information services with a market capitalization of more than $2.5
billion.

The state's new top state technology executive is wasting no time in making changes to the Virginia Information Technologies Agency.

Chief Information Officer George F. Coulter, hired last month, announced Tuesday that he is reorganizing VITA to focus on enhancing its services to state agencies. He also named a 14-member council to provide state agencies input into decision-making regarding information technology.

In a news release, Coulter said changes are expected in the Northrop Grumman Corp. partnership team to complement the new VITA organization.

Northrop Grumman's 10-year, $2.3 billion contract, inked in 2005, has come under intense scrutiny amid reports of cost overruns, delays and state employee dissatisfaction with technology services.

After Northrop Grumman failed to meet a June 30 deadline for finishing the work, state technology officials instructed the company to submit an updated plan.

The corrective plan indicates that most of the work is now expected to be completed by April.

-Government Embraces Innovative Technology to Support Citizen Participation-
WASHINGTON--(Business Wire)--
Ten industry leaders - Yahoo!, PayPal, Google, Equifax, AOL, VeriSign, Acxiom,
Citi, Privo and Wave Systems - announced today they will support the first pilot
programs designed for the American public to engage in open government -
government that is transparent, participatory, and collaborative. This open
identity initiative is a key step in President Obama's memorandum to make it
easy for individuals to register and participate in government websites -
without having to create new usernames and passwords. Additionally, members of
the public will be able to fully control how much or how little personal
information they share with the government at all times.

These companies will act as digital identity providers using OpenID and
Information Card technologies. The pilot programs are being conducted by the
Center for Information Technology (CIT), National Institutes of Health (NIH),
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and related agencies. The
participating companies are being certified under non-discriminatory open trust
frameworks developed under collaboration between the OpenID Foundation (OIDF)
and the Information Card Foundation (ICF) per the federal government Trust
Framework Provider Adoption Process.

"We are pleased with the caliber of organizations who have signed on to be
active participants in this initiative," said Judy Spencer, Co-Chair of the
Federal Identity, Credential, and Access Management Steering Committee (ICAM).
"They represent some of the best thinking and innovation in the private sector.
We also value the ongoing support and guidance of the OpenID Foundation and the
Information Card Foundation in facilitating digital identity for open
government."

Since President Obama's open government memorandum earlier this year, federal
agencies have been embracing Web 2.0 technologies to interact with members of
the public via means such as blogs, surveys, social networks, and video casts.
Today's announcement paves the way for individuals to use these new services and
customize their experience on government websites without needing to reveal any
personally identifiable information - including passwords. It also takes
advantage of best practices from the private sector for protecting privacy and
security, including making it easier for citizens to have pseudononymous
interactions with government sites when desired.

In essence, this initiative will help transform government websites from basic
"brochureware" into interactive resources, saving individuals time and
increasing their direct involvement in governmental decision making. OpenID and
Information Card technologies make such interactive access simple and safe. For
example, in the coming months the NIH intends to use OpenID and Information
Cards to support a number of services including customized library searches,
access to training resources, registration for conferences, and use of medical
research wikis, all with strong privacy protections.

Dr. Jack Jones, NIH CIO and Acting Director, CIT, notes, "As a world leader in
science and research, NIH is pleased to participate in this next step for
promoting collaboration among Assurance Level 1 applications. Initially, the NIH
Single Sign-on service will accept credentials as part of an "Open For Testing"
phase, with full production expected within the next several weeks. At that
time, OpenID credentials will join those currently in use from InCommon, the
higher education identity management federation, as external credentials trusted
by NIH."

In digital identity systems, certification programs that enable a site - such as
a government agency - to trust the identity, security, and privacy assurances
from an identity provider are called trust frameworks. The OIDF and ICF have
worked closely with the federal government to meet the security, privacy, and
reliability requirements set forth by the ICAM Trust Framework Adoption Process
(TFAP), published on the IDManagement.gov website. By adopting OpenID and
Information Card technologies, government agencies can cost effectively serve
their constituencies in a more personalized and user friendly way.

"It's good to see government taking a leadership role in moving identity
technology forward. It's also good to see government working with experts from
private sector and especially with the Information Card Foundation and the
OpenID Foundation because identity is not a technical phenomenon -- it`s a
social phenomenon. And technological support for identity requires the
participation of a broad community and of representatives of government who
define the legal framework within which identity will operate," said Bob
Blakley, Vice President and Research Director, Identity and Privacy Strategies,
Burton Group. "Today's announcement supplies the most important missing
ingredient of the open identity infrastructure, mainly the trust framework.
Without a trust framework it's impossible to know whether a received identity is
reliable."

Under the OIDF and ICF's open trust frameworks, any organization that meets the
technical and operational requirements of the framework will be able to apply
for certification as an identity provider (IdP). These IdPs can then supply
authentication credentials on behalf of their users. For some activities these
credentials will enable the user to be completely anonymous; for others they may
require personal information such as name, email address, age, gender, and so
on. (Note: The Office of Management and Budget memorandum M-04-04 offers
guidance on which authentication levels are appropriate for certain
applications.) Open trust frameworks enable citizens to choose the identity
technology, identity provider, and credential with which they are most
comfortable, while enabling government websites to accept and trust these
credentials. This approach leads to better innovation and lower costs for both
government and citizens.

"Open government cannot and will not compromise either security or privacy,"
said Drummond Reed, Executive Director of the Information Card Foundation. "By
working with private industry, the U.S. government is harnessing the innovation
and efficiencies of the open market and letting citizens choose their preferred
means of engaging with government agencies."

"This is a significant leap in participatory democracy," said Don Thibeau,
executive director of the OpenID Foundation. "Following President Obama's
directive, our government has worked with market leading companies to leverage
modern, open standards to engage with its citizens. When the government adopts
open identity standards and trust frameworks, the result is better service, more
transparency, and greater accountability."

Industry Leaders Weigh in on the Open Identity for Open Government Initiative

"The joint work between the US Government, OpenID Foundation, and Information
Card Foundation to enable the use of commercial identities on government web
sites is groundbreaking," said Kim Cameron, Microsoft's Chief Identity
Architect. "These pilot projects will provide invaluable insights about how
these systems are actually used in practice, enabling people to build upon this
seminal work both for government and private sector sites, further extending the
reach of interoperable Internet identity."

"Information Cards and OpenID technologies have the potential to improve
consumer experiences online tremendously," said Michael Barrett, Chief
Information Security Officer for PayPal. "As an identity provider, we believe
that this technology has enormous potential to improve the safety of Internet
commerce."

"The ability to enable individualized interaction through tools and technologies
that citizens use every day represents a tremendous opportunity for federal
agencies with citizen-facing missions," said Lloyd Howell, Sr. Vice President of
Booz Allen Hamilton. "Because this Trust Framework can be applied with a common
experience across all federal websites, every agency can take advantage of this
approach to improve operational effectiveness and reduce costs."

"Equifax brings unmatched expertise in identity management and verification to
the open trust framework initiative," said Ron Carpinella, vice president of
Identity Management, Equifax. "The opportunity to deliver our proven technology
and its privacy features to the government sector is truly exciting. This pilot
program is the catalyst that will enable better, more secure, and user-centric
capabilities in government and industry digital services."

"Open standards like OpenID create a better Internet for everyone. As the
largest single provider of OpenID accounts, Yahoo! is eager to pave the way for
further OpenID adoption. That is why Yahoo! has led the effort to make OpenID
easy to use and understand for consumers around the world. And by meeting the
government`s standards for security and reliability, we believe OpenID will
continue to be the most convenient and trustworthy open identity standard on the
Web." said Allen Tom, Membership Architect, Yahoo!.

"VeriSign is excited to be a part of the U.S. Government's initiative to further
President Obama's call for a more open and participatory government," said
Nicolas Popp, vice president of Innovation at VeriSign. "Based on our experience
with bringing trust to the Internet, we look forward to playing a role in the
development of an identity trust framework that will enable citizens to
communicate with the government openly with confidence."

"AOL has always focused on helping consumers get safe and easy access to the
content and services they want online. That's why we're proud to be part of the
government's pilot program to allow citizens to access government websites using
identities they already own. As an early supporter of OpenID, we recognize the
tremendous value this service can offer consumers and applaud the government for
its vision," says George Fletcher, Chief Architect for Identity Services at AOL.


"As a champion of consumer privacy and a long-time provider of identity
management, we at Acxiom are privileged to provide identity technologies to this
effort," said Tim Christin, senior vice president of Acxiom`s Identity Solutions
group. "U.S. citizens can now be assured an easier and safer Internet experience
with the government."

"It's exciting to see the United States government embracing innovative
web-based technologies to serve its citizens in a more convenient, secure, and
personalized way," said Brian Kissel, CEO of JanRain and Chairman of the OpenID
Foundation. "This further validates the broad range of applications and market
segments where OpenID is having a positive impact on users' web experiences."

"The open identity initiative illustrates how identity technologies have moved
beyond theory to solve real-world challenges and highlights the potential for
opportunities in the private, as well as the public sector," noted Jeff Carter,
CEO of Azigo. "Hosted Information Cards let web sites issue Information Cards
quickly and easily - a key step forward for the future of digital identities."

"Open Government represents a significant step forward in modernizing our
nation`s democratic system." said Patrick Harding, CTO of Ping Identity and ICF
board member. "We are thrilled to be involved in establishing the Internet
identity security and privacy standards necessary to ensuring the long term
success of using 2.0 innovations to improve governmental transparency and
encourage citizen involvement."

"Citi is a huge proponent of driving alignment within the public sector to
collaborate in the development of accepted standards that promote
interoperability for common processes." says Hilary L. Ward, Director, Identity
Business Manger, Citi. "We are excited to be a part of this initiative and being
able to bring our innovation and expertise to this program. This is a tremendous
first step in creating a broader identity and trust framework that can work
across applications, communities and borders to the benefit of citizens
everywhere."

"Privo is pleased to be an identity provider under the open trust frameworks to
support access by any citizen who desires to interact with participating
government sites, while still protecting their identity," said Denise Tayloe,
Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of Privo. "We see tremendous
parallels between the work we do with children and parents to verify and protect
their identities using our existing, and available, Identity Card technology and
the work the government is doing to interact with its citizens in a safe online
environment."

"Opening the U.S. government to direct citizen involvement using OpenID and
Information Card identities is a major step for the trust fabric of the
Internet", said Steven Sprague, President and CEO, Wave Systems Corp. "Wave is
innovating ways for both these technologies to take advantage of trusted
computing infrastructure so OpenID and Information Card users can enjoy
unparalleled access and interaction with government websites with maximum
security and privacy."

"Interoperable and trusted identities are foundations to building a smarter
planet that includes the systems that run, the way we live and work as a
society. In order to build such a smarter planet, it is important for
governments, communities and industries to work together in building a smarter
planet." said Nataraj Nagaratnam, IBM's Chief Identity Architect. "This
initiative around pilot projects that bring these three groups together is a
significant milestone in the journey of identity metasystem, and in the
evolution of open, interoperable identities"

"The US Government taking real steps to adopt open technologies has the
potential to enhance and simplify citizen engagement," said Chris Messina, an
advocate of open technologies and CEO of Citizen Agency, LLC. "This effort sets
in motion a shift in how individuals can interact with the public sector and
makes progress on the Obama administration's promise for a more open,
transparent, and participatory government."

"Information Card technology and OpenID specifications have co-evolved at the
Internet Identity Workshop since 2005. The launch of this open trust framework
is an exciting major development in the evolution of an open identity layer for
the Web," said Kaliya Hamlin of Identitywoman.net and co-producer and
facilitator of the Internet Identity Workshop.

"The synchronicity between the U.S. and Japanese government is quite
interesting," said Nat Sakimura, Senior Researcher at Nomura Research Institute,
Ltd. "The Japanese government is going forward with DigitalCivil Life Project
that also embraces open identity systems and trust frameworks. We believe they
are showing the changing tide towards more open and citizen centric government
throughout the world. Today's announcement by the U.S. government is an
important step towards it."

About the OpenID Foundation

The OpenID Foundation (OIDF) is an international non-profit, open source
community organization whose mission is to drive the broad adoption of OpenID
technology. The Foundation fosters and promotes the development and adoption of
OpenID as a framework for user-centric identity on the Internet. Corporate
supporters include AARP, BBC, Booz Allen Hamilton, Facebook, Google, IBM,
Microsoft, Nomura Research Institute, PayPal, VeriSign, Yahoo! and many others.
OpenID allows users to register and sign in to multiple websites using an
existing identity managed by a preferred identity provider significantly
increasing registration and login success rates. OIDF is headquartered in San
Ramon, CA. www.openid.net

About the Information Card Foundation

The Information Card Foundation is an international non-profit whose mission is
to advance simpler, more secure, and more portable digital identity on the
Internet. Information Card technology gives users greater control over personal
information while at the same time enabling more beneficial digital
relationships with businesses. Steering members of the foundation include Booz
Allen Hamilton, Deutsche Telecom, Equifax, Google, Intel, Microsoft, Novell,
Oracle, and PayPal. ICF is headquartered in Boston, MA. Visit the ICF website at
www.informationcard.net.