Latin America's Business Information Leader
"The new BNamericas.com is already available for you, Get to know it here"
http://www.bnamericas.com/
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Today's News Headlines
* Neosecure joins with experts to offer solution for OECD membership - Chile
* BAS expects to expand revenues by 20% this year - Argentina
* Ilegra expects to grow 55% with a focus on exports - Brazil
* HDI looks for 150% surge in sales this year - Brazil
* Roundup: Cybersul, Sabre, innovation financing, Logica - Regional
* IT spending in Latin America to expand 7.7% this year - Regional
* Bell Microproducts' Latin America revenues up 19% year-on-year in Q4 - Regional
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
* Neosecure joins with experts to offer solution for OECD membership - Chile
Chilean IT security solutions provider Neosecure has joined with consultancy MPScompliance and law firm Cariola Diez Perez-Cotapos to provide firms a crime prevention model in response to Chile's having signed on as the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development's (OECD) 31st member, according to a release from the former.
One of the main goals behind the OECD is to level the playing field internationally for companies by working to eliminate bribery, MPScompliance partner Clara Szczaranski told reporters during a press conference. As such, corporations take on legal responsibilities for that which happens within their companies; before, these responsibilities were delegated to physical persons such as those performing the illegal actions, or the responsibility fell on legal representatives, she noted.
The three parties involved will bring their expertise - Neosecure in information security technology, MPScompliance in crime prevention, and the law firm's corporate law experience - in providing a preventative system helping companies to avoid the legal risk of taking part in crimes.
The service will focus on three areas: corporate governance and objectives, legal risk considering context and ability for action, and a technological platform for fluid and efficient management systems.
The service needs to be tailored to each company, depending on its needs and current situation, Szczaranski said. "You can't go to the doctor and know how much he's going to charge before he knows what [type of problem] you have. If the company already has good corporate governance and a good tech platform in place, it [implementation of the new service] could just be a small adjustment."
Chile will formally become an OECD member once congress ratifies an accession agreement signed on Monday (Jan 11) in Santiago by OECD secretary general Angel Gurría and Chilean finance minister Andrés Velasco.
By Christian Molinari
Business News Americas
* BAS expects to expand revenues by 20% this year - Argentina
Argentine software company Buenos Aires Software (BAS) expects its revenues to grow approximately 20% this year compared to 2009, company commercial director Daniel Gulias told BNamericas, without providing hard figures.
In 2009, the company's revenues were flat compared to the previous year, due to the crisis, the executive said.
The company has two main units. The first focuses on ERP solutions for the corporate segment and the other focuses on an accounting and staff management solution called Easy Soft. "The enterprise segment accounts for 70% of our revenues while the Easy Soft line represents the remaining 30%," Gulias said.
Founded in 1979, BAS now has a regional client base of nearly 5,000 companies. Gulias said the enterprise unit currently has approximately 550 clients, a 10% increase from end-2008.
Some of the company's clients include Nestlé, Sancor, United Airlines, TAM Linhas Aereas and Endemol.
Buenos Aires Software also sells its solutions to the Paraguayan and Uruguayan markets. However, software exports currently account for 3% of the company's revenues, he added.
The company also plans to expand its operation to Peru this year through a local partner, Gulias said.
By Juan Pedro Tomás
Business News Americas
* Ilegra expects to grow 55% with a focus on exports - Brazil
Brazilian IT services provider Ilegra expects to expand its business by 55% this year compared to 2009, local IT news site Baguete reported company commercial director Roger Muller as saying, without reporting hard figures.
In 2009, revenues also grew 55% compared to the previous year.
The company's business this year will be boosted by exports, which currently account for approximately 22% of Ilegra revenues.
The company's unit in São Paulo, opened a year ago, accounted for 10% of the company's overall revenues in 2009. The São Paulo unit currently has 12 active clients, according to the report.
"Apart from reinforcing our efforts in foreign markets, we will also work on the SAP line," Muller was reported as saying.
Ilegra expects exports in 2010 to account for approximately 30% of total revenues, Muller told BNamericas, adding that exports currently go to the US only, but that the company could also start exporting to Argentina this year.
The company ended last year with 62 active clients and expects its client base to reach 100 clients by year-end, the executive said. Operations in São Paulo are expected to account for over 20% of Ilegra's revenues this year, he added.
The company has its main office in Porto Alegre, in Rio Grande do Sul state.
By Juan Pedro Tomás
Business News Americas
* HDI looks for 150% surge in sales this year - Brazil
Brazilian corporate software testing company HDI expects its business to expand 150% this year, local IT news site Baguete quoted company president Marco Bassi as saying without reporting hard figures.
In 2009, the company grew 40% compared to the previous year, according to the report.
The company ended 2009 with approximately 20 active clients and is looking to grow the client base more than 100% this year, Bassi told BNamericas.
HDI also expects to boost revenues from its office in Chile, which was opened last year, and to focus on its Spanish office during the second half of this year. Furthermore, "our partner in Portugal has an aggressive plan to expand the client base," Bassi was reported as saying.
The company's exports this year will account for approximately 17% of total sales, down compared to 25% in 2009. The executive said that during 2010, HDI expects revenues from the domestic operation to grow considerably. "Exports will grow this year but will contribute less to overall revenues," he added.
The company also has presence in Mexico, Peru, Venezuela and Colombia through partners.
Some of the company's customers include Itaú, Smart.NET and Mapfre.
Headquartered in São Paulo, HDI currently has 80 employees.
By Juan Pedro Tomás
Business News Americas
* Roundup: Cybersul, Sabre, innovation financing, Logica - Regional
Brazilian IT firm Cybersul saw its revenues grow over 30% in 2009 compared to the previous year, mainly boosted by ERP solutions, digital campaigns and website development, local press reported.
Headquartered in Porto Alegre, in Rio Grande do Sul state, Cybersul has 40 employees and customers in over 50 cities across the country
Among the company's clients are Automatech, Rede Âncora, Lamiecco and Unitika do Brasil.
***
Chilean airline LAN signed an agreement with US distribution and IT solutions provider for the travel industry Sabre for the provision of IT solutions, local press reported.
Sabre will provide LAN with SabreSonic customer sales and service (CSS) and Sabre AirCentre enterprise operations solutions.
LAN also signed an agreement for the distribution of content with Sabre Travel Network. The value of the deal was not disclosed.
***
The government of Argentina plans to offer up to 21.6mn pesos (US$5.7mn) in financing for innovative production projects, local IT news site Canal Ar reported.
The funds will be channeled via the country's science and technology ministry.
Projects can be presented until March 15.
The financing is for up to 70% of the total cost of the project, according to the report.
***
British IT services firm Logica has hired two new directors for the company's operation in South America, the company said in a statement.
The recently appointed executives are Paulo Simon and Eduardo Pereira. The former will act in the company's system integration and consulting area, while the latter will be the controller of operations, resourcing, procurement and real estate.
Headquarterd in the UK, Logica provides consulting, system integration, outsourcing and disaster recovery services among others.
The company has an office in Brazil, from where it manages its operation in South America.
By Business News Americas staff reporters
* IT spending in Latin America to expand 7.7% this year - Regional
Tech spending in Latin America is expected to expand 7.7% this year compared to 2009, US research firm Forrester Research said in a statement, without providing hard figures.
Meanwhile, global IT spending, which dropped 8.9% in 2009, is expected to rise 8.1% in 2010 to more than US$1.6tn, according to the consultancy firm.
"The technology downturn of 2008 and 2009 is unofficially over," Forrester VP and principal analyst Andrew Bartels said. "All the pieces are in place for a 2010 tech spending rebound. In the US, the tech recovery will be much stronger than the overall economic recovery, with technology spending growing at more than twice the rate of GDP this year."
According to the consultancy, hardware and software sales will lead the growth globally. Measured in US dollars, global purchases of computer equipment will be up 8.2%, communications equipment sales will rise by 7.6%, software spending will grow by 9.7%, purchases of IT consulting and systems integration services will expand by 6.8% while IT outsourcing services will be 7.1% higher this year compared to 2009.
By Business News Americas staff reporters
* Bell Microproducts' Latin America revenues up 19% year-on-year in Q4 - Regional
US IT products wholesaler Bell Microproducts' (Nasdaq: BELM) sales in Latin America grew 19% year-on-year in the fourth quarter of 2009, the company said in its preliminary earnings release.
Sales in the region also expanded 6% in Q4 compared to the previous quarter.
Globally, the company expects revenues for the quarter to reach approximately US$830mn-840mn, a sequential and year-over-year increase of approximately 8-10%, the company said.
"We have seen improvements in business in all geographies and most product categories. The product categories of storage components, storage systems and computer systems have been strong contributors to our growth," company CEO Don Bell said. "We're optimistic that the improvement in demand in the last half of 2009 is an indicator of improved market conditions as we go forward in 2010."
Bell Microproducts is a value-added distributor of a wide range of technology products, solutions and services, including storage systems, servers, software, computer components and peripherals, as well as maintenance and professional services.
By Business News Americas staff reporters
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In-deph interview
* The year of Linux
Carlos Muñoz
General manager
Linux Latin America
Regional
http://www.bnamericas.com/interviews/technology/Carlos_Munoz_,Linux_Latin_America,/169679356
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Main companies covered in today's news
* Toshiba Corporation
http://www.bnamericas.com/company-profile/en/Toshiba_Corporation-Toshiba/169679356
* Hewlett-Packard Company
http://www.bnamericas.com/company-profile/en/Hewlett-Packard_Company-HP/169679356
* Corporación Nacional del Cobre de Chile
http://www.bnamericas.com/company-profile/en/Corporacion_Nacional_del_Cobre_de_Chile-Codelco/169679356
* Companhia Energética de Minas Gerais S.A.
http://www.bnamericas.com/company-profile/en/Companhia_Energetica_de_Minas_Gerais_S,A,-Cemig/169679356
* Banco del Estado de Chile
http://www.bnamericas.com/company-profile/en/Banco_del_Estado_de_Chile-BancoEstado/169679356
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Our Products
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Click Here to subscribe Now!
http://www.bnamericas.com/web_subscribe_now.jsp?idioma=I&login=atlantm1210@ukr.net&idForm=95
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Share the news, give your friends and colleagues a two weeks free trial
http://www.bnamericas.com/share_the_news.jsp?idioma=I&Act=
Business News Americas Ltda.
Latin America's Business Information Leader
eMail: info@BNamericas.com
© 1996-2010 All Rights Reserved.