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Have you heard of TIM? The Trustworthy Internet Movement is a new initiative launched a few weeks ago at the 2012 RSA Security Conference. The goal of TIM is to bring together experts, industry stakeholders, and others in an effort to build a safer and more secure Internet.

TIM was founded by Philippe Courtot, chairman and CEO of Qualys. But, TIM is a non-profit organization that is entirely independent of Qualys.

TIM seeks to pool resources and find collaborative solutions for a more secure Internet.I spoke with Courtot a few days before the official unveiling of TIM at RSA. He described to me how TIM was borne over time from countless conversations hed had with other security professionals. Courtot believes that there are fundamental issues with Internet security that can not be resolved by any single tool, or even any single company.

Courtot is dedicated to ensuring the reliability, privacy, and security of the Internet, and he feels that the best way to meet that goal is to create an environment where security experts, cloud providers, and other Internet stakeholders can cooperate to find innovative solutions to defend against the rising tide of threats on the Internet. Courtot believes strongly enough in this initiative that he pledged $500,000 of his own money to get the project off the ground.

There is definitely something to be said for this approach. In the wake of the attacks against Google and others in China, various affected parties worked together collaboratively with Internet security providers and law enforcement agencies. The key lesson from that effort was that sharing information cooperatively lets all involved see the bigger picture and helps to identify issues and develop resolutions faster.

Various companies and security experts are already hard at work on different solutions to address problems with privacy, reliability, and security on the Internet, and many of those solutions will succeed on some level. But, rather than developing competing or conflicting approaches to the same problem, TIM might be able to harness those efforts to develop innovative solutions that are greater than the sum of the individual parts.

Obviously, the companies or individuals involved in a collaborative effort like TIM all have a vested interest in their own success and profit. But, the Internet is essential to business, news, entertainment, and mainstream culture in general, and there is something to be said for working together for the greater good.

If youre interested in learning more about TIM, or youd like to join the cause and contribute your skills and resources, visit the site.

You can follow Tony on his Facebook page, his Google+ profile, or contact him by email at tony_bradley@pcworld.com. He also tweets as @TheTonyBradley.

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Searching for a More Secure Internet

TAMLYN STEWART

Tucked away in Ferrymead in what was the Les Mills building is a clever Christchurch software company, creating the systems the rest of us rely on to do our jobs every day.

The company, which has 16 staff members but would like a couple more develops Filemaker databases and software systems, websites and apps.

Digital Fusion virtually measures the inside leg of a business and creates software to fit. It is fully integrated software, which means the systems work with software the company is already using for its accounting system or email.

If, for example, someone emails a business to order products, the software will pick that up and automatically put it into the workflow system, which then helps the business manage and track that order all the way through to production, delivery and payment.

Operations manager Julie McLeod said fully integrated software meant more productivity and efficiency for the customer. Each business uses different software for different things, so Digital Fusion's developers have to customise software.

It is time-consuming to produce, but there is strong demand for it.

"The reason people come to us for custom software is because they want their software to mirror the way they want to do business. It helps them to operate in a different way to their competitors," McLeod said.

Owner Craig Saunders founded the company in 1996 and says most of the company's clients are New Zealand-based, but this year it will target sales in Australia.

"We really want to hit the Australian market hard, because there is a good opportunity there for growth. Because our time is more valuable over there ... we make better money," Saunders said.

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Digital Fusion matches software to task

by John Quirk

The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company is supporting National Ferry Fortnight, which launches this weekend.

The fourth annual celebration of all things ferry-related around the British Isles receives widespread coverage and in addition to ensuring the media have all the relevant information about the Islands ferry links, the Steam Packet Company is marking the occasion by promoting its Children Go Free offer.

Organised by the Passenger Shipping Association via its Discover Ferries website, National Ferry Fortnight will run from March 17th to March 31st.

Steam Packet Company Chief Executive Mark Woodward said: National Ferry Fortnight is a high-profile event, attracting features within the likes of The Times and Mail on Sunday. It is supported by all ferry line members of the PSA and was created to increase awareness, amongst both consumers and the media, of the extensive ferry network which services the British Isles.

During 2011, ferries transported 35 million people, 8 million cars and 140,000 coaches to and from mainland Europe and within the British Isles.

There has been continuous investment in recent years by ferry operators to provide modern fleets, reinforcing the pivotal role that ferries play in the transport infrastructure, Mr Woodward said. Were proud to be part of that network and were delighted to be able to play our part in promoting ferry travel over the next couple of weeks.

The Children Go Free summer special offers a midweek (Tuesday to Thursday) fare from 119 each way for a car plus two people, with up to three children travelling for free.

For full details, visit http://www.steam-packet.com, call in at the Ferry Travel Shop in the Sea Terminal, Douglas or call the Reservations Team on 661661.

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Excerpt from:
National Ferry Fortnight Gets Underway

by Charlotte Easton

Continued Support For Wish Upon A Dream And Remember Me

Moore Stephens Isle of Man, leading providers of multi-sector accountancy, consultancy and wealth management services is pleased to continue its sponsorship of Wish Upon a Dream and extend to sponsoring a new charity, Remember Me. Moore Stephens Isle of Man is the charitys auditor and has assisted in setting up social media channels alongside ongoing fundraising and support. At the annual Wish Upon A Dream Fundraiser Ball, the firm also announced its sponsorship of a suite of stationery for the charity.

Wish Upon a Dream is truly doing very special work for some very special young people, said Clive Dixon, senior partner for Moore Stephens Isle of Man, They bring hope and light to young lives darkened by severe illness. We feel honoured to be able to help.

Wish Upon A Dream is an Isle of Man registered charity. Its goal is to grant wishes for sick and terminally ill children living on the Island. Ranging from providing extra care facilities at home to meeting Mickey Mouse, the charity is always working towards granting a childs wish. As the charity is completely independent, no one connected to the charity receives a salary or expenses and all time and expertise is given absolutely free of charge.

Sometimes its a race against time; sadly, there may be occasions when time is against us in making a dream wish come true, so it really is very important that funds are always available, said Lesley Turnbull, founder of Wish Upon A Dream, We must be ready to help and corporate support is vital for that; needless to say we welcome the continued support and encouragement of Moore Stephens. Pledging their assistance for the next three years helps us raise funds for both charities; as without fundraising we cant grant wishes.

To find out more about Wish Upon A Dream please visit http://www.wishuponadream.co.uk, email wishuponadream@manx.net or follow the firm on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/WUAD.

To find out more about Moore Stephens Isle of Man please visit http://www.msiom.im or follow the firm on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/MSIOM, Facebook http://goo.gl/g50zd and LinkedIn http://goo.gl/lhsrl.

Moore Stephens Isle of Man also supports a number of other Island charities and offers a broad range of services including personal wealth management and financial planning, fiduciary services, trust and company administration, yachting and aviation services, insurance brokerage/luxury asset insurance, corporate pensions and personal retirement solutions, investigations and forensic, audit and assurance, accounting, corporate recovery, taxation advice and consulting and HR services, all under one roof.

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Moore Stephens Isle of Man Helps Make Dreams Come True

GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands, March 16 (Reuters) - The Ritz-Carlton luxury resort and high-end residential developments in the Cayman Islands were placed into receivership this week because of an outstanding $250 million loan.

RC Cayman Holdings LLC, which is registered in Delaware, appointed KPMG (Cayman) as the receiver of the group of four companies, which had developed and owned the five-star hotel and residential developments, effectively wresting control from its chairman and chief executive, Michael Ryan.

The 365-room oceanfront Ritz-Carlton opened on Grand Cayman Island in 2005 and was the first and only five-star hotel in the British Caribbean territory.

In the last several months, Ryan had been trying to renegotiate $7.5 million in deferred import duties owed to the Cayman government as part of its discussions with its primary lender, RC Cayman Holdings, according to correspondence with the Financial Secretary released under a Freedom of Information request.

Ryan blamed the global economic downturn and escalating construction costs in the Cayman Islands as the driving factors for his inability to meet his obligations.

"We are now operating in an extremely difficult economic environment," Ryan said in a January letter.

The receivership appointment followed a civil suit filed by RC Cayman Holdings in the Grand Court last month seeking an injunction against Ryan's executive team.

KPMG joint receiver Keith Blake said the receivership was a "private contractual matter" independent of the courts but would not elaborate.

While Ryan's companies own the 144-acre property, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co. manages the resort operations and would not be affected by the receivership, according to a KPMG statement.

In the last year, Ryan has laid off a significant number of staff as cash flow continues to stall his new Dragon Bay property, an upscale residential development on Grand Cayman targeting millionaires.

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Cayman Islands Ritz-Carlton placed in receivership