10 Worst Celebrity Business Ventures of All Time

Guest Post from BusinessCreditCards.com

A celebrity’s stamp of approval can do wonders for a business. But when a celebrity decides to take a business into their own hands, there’s no guarantee it will succeed. Even with the biggest names and the highest hopes, celebrity businesses have proven to be just as much of a crapshoot as the next. Here are the 10 worst celebrity business ventures of all time:

1. Kim Basinger’s tourist attraction

   Actress Kim Basinger made a bad business move when she decided to purchase the town of Braselton, Ga., to make it a tourist attraction with movie studios and a film festival. Needless to say, the idea never caught on and Basinger’s $20 million purchase went to waste. She sold Braselton for $1 million and went back to what she does best — acting.

2. Supermodels’ Fashion Café

   In 1995, supermodels Claudia Schiffer, Christy Turlington, Elle MacPherson, Naomi Campbell, and others opened Fashion Café at New York’s Rockefeller Plaza. The restaurant’s fashion-centered theme included display cases of outfits worn by the models and fashion show footage on the TVs, but the oddest part of all was the all-American menu filled with burgers, chicken wings, and pizza. Believe it or not, eating junk food while surrounded by images of skinny models didn’t thrill customers, and the restaurant closed its doors in 1998.

3. Lenny Dykstra’s Player’s Club magazine

   Former New York Mets player Lenny Dykstra may have won on the ball field, but he struck out one too many times with his personal businesses. Dykstra dabbled in several different businesses and managed to drive all of them into bankruptcy. One of his biggest business failures was the financial magazinePlayer’s Club. The magazine was geared toward professional athletes looking for financial advice. Ironically, Dykstra was having his own financial crisis. He was accused of credit card fraud, as well as failing to pay printing costs and rent on the magazine’s Manhattan offices. Dykstra eventually filed for bankruptcy and lost all of his businesses.

4. Hulk Hogan’s Pastamania

   Wrestling superstar Hulk Hogan stepped into the ring of restaurant ownership when he opened up Pastamania, a fast-food restaurant in Minnesota’s Mall of America. Hogan fans could feast on different pasta dishes named after the wrestler, such as "Hulk-a-Roos" and "Hulk-U’s." Although Pastamania was promoted by the World Championship Wrestling, the restaurant didn’t take off as expected and it went under less than a year after opening.

5. Britney Spears’ Nyla Restaurant

   Britney Spears thought it would be a good idea to merge her two favorite places, New York and Louisiana, by opening up a restaurant called Nyla in Manhattan’s Dylan Hotel. The Cajun-infused restaurant opened in 2002, serving Southern favorites like fried chicken and fried okra. Despite its star-studded support, Nyla got bad reviews and violated several health codes. Spears severed her relationship with the restaurant after a short six months.

6. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s promotion of Planet Hollywood

   The ’90s dream team of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, and Sylvester Stallone teamed up to promote the Planet Hollywood restaurant chain. Unlike Hard Rock Café, Planet Hollywood didn’t meet the mark. Despite the celebrity backing, the restaurant did not turn a profit. The company was forced to file for bankruptcy two times and Schwarzenegger eventually cut ties.

7. Heidi Montag’s Heidiwood

   The Hills starlet Heidi Montag has made some regrettable decisions throughout her career, but one of her biggest offenses was launching her own clothing line, called Heidiwood. The fashion line featured poorly-made and barely-there pieces that didn’t quite resonate with shoppers. The clothing retailer, Anchor Blue, pulled the plug on Heidiwood less than a year after its creation.

8. Steven Spielberg’s Dive! Restaurant

   Steven Spielberg has directed some of the most successful movies in history, but directing a restaurant business was a whole other story. Spielberg and Dreamworks CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg launched Dive!, a submarine-shaped restaurant that took customers on a simulated dive and served submarine themed dishes. Despite the clever concept, Dive! sunk in sales and never really developed a loyal fan base. Dive! hit rock bottom in 1999.

9. The Kardashian’s credit card

   Almost everything the Kardashians touch turns to gold, but that definitely wasn’t the case with the Kardashian Kard. The sisters truly maxed out with their glitzy prepaid debit card that was aimed at teenagers and young adults. The problem was that the Kardashian Kard came with ridiculously high fees and a controversial marketing scheme. After selling a pathetic total of 250 cards, the Kardashians pulled the plug on their card and spurred a $75 million breach-of-contract lawsuit.

10. Suzanne Somers’ meal prep business

    Suzanne Somer’s Kitchen, a self-serve meal prep company, really missed the mark with customers. The queen of the Thighmaster teamed up with Kentucky Governor John Y. Brown Jr. to launch the DIY family-dinner business that allowed customers to pick their ingredients and prepare meals at the store to take home. Somers and Brown butted heads on the original concept of the business. She insisted on using organic-only food, but Brown disagreed. Suzanne’s Kitchen went up in flames after less than three months.

10 Reasons People are Unhappy with Their Mobile Phone

Guest Post from PhoneTVInternet.com

Mobile phone technology has made great advances over the last 35 years, so much, in fact, that you’d think we would all be simply delighted with our cell phones. That is not, however, the case. Here are 10 reasons that people are often less than pleased with their mobile phone service.

1. Service Contracts. Have you ever actually read a service contract from a cell phone provider? Worse, have you ever tried to change or get out of one without having to sign for another two years or pay a massive penalty? One might think that these companies pay more for lawyers than they do for satellite or tower service time.
2. Unwanted Features. On another side of the service contract issue, have you ever tried to obtain only those features and services that you’ll actually use, without having to pay for stuff you neither need nor want? A virtual impossibility.
3. Wrong Number Charges. It’s bad enough to have to pay for call time when you make a mistake and enter the wrong number, but having to pay for someone else’s mistake when you’re called unintentionally is adding insult to injury.
4. Text Message Charges. Trying to decide how many text messages to pay for on your basic plan is a bit like gambling on the weather. Paying for more than you need is annoying, not paying for enough and receiving a few too many texts from your friend with unlimited service can be a real blow to your bank account.
5. Hacker Potential. With the stories that have recently been in the news about people being able to hack into mobile phone accounts to hear and see messages, there is even more reason to be dissatisfied with mobile phone service.
6. Dropped Calls and Other Service Interruptions. Have you ever been on an important call while mobile, and lost it when you moved out of the reach of the closest cell tower? Of course you have. In fact, you can be in your own home, and walk too far to the left, or tilt your head the wrong way, and the call is lost. Grr.
7. Weather Issues. Regardless of how reliable the technology may be, nature always finds a way to play a trump card. It may be an electrical storm, heck, it may be sunspots, but even in places where the technology normally works well there can be interruptions in service from natural causes.
8. Random Glitches. Sometimes, it seems as if your cell phone has a malevolent sense of humor. Just when you get to the one bit of important information on a call, there is a technological burp, and you miss what you wanted to hear. Or, what you are trying to tell the person at the other end gets wiped out in a random digital hiccup and does it several times in a row. Throwing the phone doesn’t help, other than to allow you a moment of satisfaction.
9. Technology Advances. Just when you’ve finally become familiar with all the cool stuff that you can do with your mobile communication device, and learned how to make it work for you, some company puts out a new device that does even more! Don’t you sometimes wish that you could stop having to buy new devices and settle into using all the features of the one you already have?
10. Inescapability. You just can’t get away from the darn thing, can you? Go somewhere without it and you experience repeated panic attacks, wondering what important calls you might be missing. Leave it behind on purpose, and it stays there in the back of your mind, haunting you like a garage door you’re not sure that you closed as you drove away.

There are other reasons to be unhappy with your mobile phone, but these are the ones most often mentioned in the 27 minutes of internet research that it took to write this article. Think about it a while and you’ll certainly come up with your own. Share them with someone else, though, we’re too annoyed by these to want to spend any more time on the issue.

Digital River Appoints Tim Pawlenty to Board of Directors

MINNEAPOLIS, MN- Digital River, Inc. (NASDAQ: DRIV), a leading provider of global e-commerce solutions, announces the appointment of former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty to its board of directors. Mr. Pawlenty served as Governor of the State of Minnesota for two terms from 2003-2011. As Minnesota’s Chief Executive Officer, he represented the interests of 5.2 million citizens and was responsible for a $50 billion biennial budget, 30,000 employees and over 20 agencies and departments.

“We are pleased to welcome Tim to Digital River’s board,” said Joel Ronning, Digital River’s CEO. “To our team, Tim brings a wealth of diverse business development and finance experience along with a strong international perspective. His vision and work developing and leading innovative initiatives will be an invaluable asset to our company. We look forward to his participation as we accelerate our development efforts in the digital marketplace and our growth across the software, consumer electronics, payments, entertainment and online service markets.”

“With more than 15 years of experience managing global online businesses for some of the Internet’s most notable brands, Digital River has earned a reputation as a thought leader in the industry,” said Mr. Pawlenty. “I am looking forward to being part of a company that is working on the front lines of a rapidly evolving marketplace marked by exciting opportunities.”

Mr. Pawlenty currently serves as a member of the board of directors of three companies: Miromatrix Medical, Ionix Medical and Red Prairie. He also serves as a senior advisor to Vector Capital.

During his career in public office, Mr. Pawlenty received Presidential appointments to serve on the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation and the National Infrastructure Advisory Committee. He served as chair of the National Governor’s Association, Education Commission of the States and Midwest Governor’s Association. Mr. Pawlenty also served in the Minnesota House of Representatives where he was elected Majority Leader.

In addition, Mr. Pawlenty has practiced law in the areas of criminal prosecution, civil litigation and appeals. He also served as Vice President of Corporate Development for Wizmo, an early stage technology services company, and was a member of the Board of Directors of NewTel Europe, LLC and Stratika.

Hackers to Expand Cybercrime Activity on Social Networks, Mobile Devices and Enterprises in 2012

Leading Security Company Offers Predictions for Cybersecurity Threats in 2012

CAMPBELL, CA--(Marketwire - Dec 5, 2011) - The New Year will bring new opportunities for most consumers and businesses. Unfortunately, those new opportunities are often accompanied by new threats posed by cybercriminals bent on exploiting cybersecurity in new ways.

Hackers have made significant gains in 2011, both in the number and quantity of data breaches they have caused. Businesses large and small -- even those with extensive security safeguards -- have been successfully infiltrated by cybercriminals. As these security-minded companies work to plug existing website holes, they must be mindful of potential future risks as well.

At the end of every year Cenzic likes to predict a list of security issues that will haunt businesses and consumers. Here is the Top 5 Predictions for 2012.

Top Cybersecurity Issues and Themes for 2012

1. Social Networking Threats
Social networking security threats will continue to persist, but login information won't be the target for hackers. Instead, hackers will use social networks like Facebook to mine the data of company employees. Using this information, cybercriminals will devise more sophisticated phishing attacks in order to infiltrate corporate environments to steal private data.

2. Mobile Threats
Digital wallets will gain greater acceptance in 2012, making them a bigger target for hackers. Most mobile phones have built-in safeguards against data theft, but improvement is needed in the way mobile-payment information is transmitted from mobile phones to the Web. The expansion of mobile apps with potential security flaws will also lead to increased risk.

3. Cloud Threats
Cloud technology has transformed from a buzzword into reality. As the growth rate continues in 2012, hackers will focus on companies storing data in the cloud. Organizations that hand off customer data to cloud providers will find themselves most at risk.

4. Cybercrime Policy For Victims
Companies will face additional scrutiny from legislature designed to make disclosures around cybercrime a priority. New laws will be made to give businesses strict guidelines for disclosing when they have been hacked, the type of data stolen, and what their customers need to do to protect themselves.

5. Hacktivists Mature More hacker groups like Anonymous will begin to ally themselves to political causes. As protesters march for and against causes in the real world, hackers will form "digital marches" that cause chaos for their opposing parties.

About CenzicCenzic, a trusted provider of software and SaaS security products, helps organizations secure their websites against hacker attacks. Cenzic focuses on Web Application Security, automating the process of identifying security defects at the Web application level where more than 75 percent of hacker attacks occur. Our dynamic, black box Web application testing is built on a non-signature-based technology that finds more "real" vulnerabilities as well as provides vulnerability management, risk management, and compliance for regulations and industry standards such as PCI. Cenzic solutions help secure the websites of numerous Fortune 1000 companies, all major security companies, leading government agencies and universities, and hundreds of SMB companies -- overall helping to secure trillions of dollars of e-commerce transactions. The Cenzic solution suite fits the needs of companies across all industries, from a cloud solution (Cenzic ClickToSecure Cloud™), to testing remotely via our managed service (Cenzic ClickToSecure® Managed), to a full enterprise software product (Cenzic Hailstorm® Enterprise ARC™) for managing security risks across the entire company.

mFoundry Secures $18 Million in Growth Capital From Mobile and Payments Industry Leaders

Funding led by MasterCard Incorporated with investments from Intel Capital, FIS, and Motorola Mobility

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 5, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- mFoundry, the fastest-growing provider of mobile banking and payments services, today announced a new infusion of $18 Million in growth capital led by MasterCard Incorporated. Also participating in the round were industry leaders Intel Capital, FIS, and Motorola Mobility.  MasterCard Incorporated and Intel Capital are new investors in mFoundry.

The capital will be used to fund the development of new payments-related mobile products and services targeted at financial institutions and mobile network operators. mFoundry will also use the proceeds to support the expansion of their existing and profitable mobile banking business.

With nearly 600 mobile banking and payments customers, mFoundry is benefiting from the fast-paced growth surrounding mobile financial services. A recent analysis from the Federal Reserve showed how long it has taken for various channels to hit 50% customer penetration. While ATM's took over 15 years and online banking over 20 years, current forecasts are showing mobile banking hitting 50% adoption in a little over 6 years, making it the fastest growing banking channel ever.

"The opportunity in mobile financial services is enormous," noted mFoundry CEO and Co-Founder, Drew Sievers. "While our existing mobile banking business is scaling rapidly, there are many other related opportunities that we believe can add significant incremental value to our company. I'm grateful to have such a deep and supportive group of strategic investors behind us."

mFoundry will continue to work closely on mobile banking opportunities with key strategic partner FIS, but will also expand the company's focus to include additional payments opportunities with MasterCard, Motorola Mobility, FIS, and Intel.

"mFoundry's pace of growth and strong industry position put the company in an ideal spot to expand their product offering," said mFoundry independent board member Kelly Rodriques. "The continued support of partners like FIS and Motorola Mobility plus the addition of powerful new strategic investors like MasterCard and Intel Capital reinforces the work the company is doing. We are thrilled to work together to make mFoundry even more successful."

About mFoundry

mFoundry is the most popular mobile banking vendor in the U.S., currently the choice of nearly 600 banks and credit unions nationwide. mFoundry's mBanking product is the leading software-as-a-service (SaaS) based mobile financial services platform in the market today.

mFoundry is the only mobile banking vendor with proven market expertise in mobile payments, having developed and managed Starbucks Card Mobile, the first and most successful mobile payments program in the country. The company also recently announced a global strategic partnership with MasterCard to deliver NFC-enabled mobile payments solutions to its customers.

MasterCard adds to mFoundry's unmatched network of financial services technology companies that includes FIS, First Data, NCR, PayPal, Open Solutions, The CO-OP, PSCU Financial Services and COCC. mFoundry also has strategic alliances with mobile leaders Intel Capital and Motorola Mobility.

mFoundry was founded in 2004 by Drew Sievers and Rodney Aiglstorfer. The company is headquartered in Larkspur, California, and also has offices in downtown San Francisco. For more information on mFoundry, please visithttp://www.mfoundry.com.

Starbucks Mobile Transactions Exceed 26 Million Within First Year

Image via Wikipedia

December 06, 2011 06:01 AM Eastern Time 

Building Momentum for Starbucks First Mobile Holiday

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nearly a year ago, Starbucks Coffee Company (NASDAQ: SBUX) rolled out the nation's largest mobile payment program with the goal of offering a truly innovative mobile experience for customers worldwide. U.S. customers were introduced to a smartphone application with a Starbucks Card stored within the app, providing the most convenient and fastest way to pay for Starbucks purchases. That momentum has continued as the company heads into its first mobile holiday season.

“2011 was a year of great mobile exploration and expansion for Starbucks and an opportunity to give our customers a new way to connect with Starbucks through a variety of mobile experiences”

During 2011, Starbucks expanded its mobile payment program to give customers access to the fastest way to pay at more than 9,000 U.S. locations, introduced the Starbucks for Android™ app, rolled out the Starbucks Card eGift feature, started international expansion and developed the Starbucks Cup Magic app to share augmented reality experiences in its stores and beyond.

“2011 was a year of great mobile exploration and expansion for Starbucks and an opportunity to give our customers a new way to connect with Starbucks through a variety of mobile experiences,” said Adam Brotman, svp and gm Starbucks Digital Ventures. “The customer response to our mobile apps has been phenomenal. Not only are they using their phone as a wallet, but as a connection point to Starbucks as they manage their Starbucks Card accounts, send eGifts and get into the holiday spirit with the Starbucks Cup Magic app.”

Mobile Pay

Since the launch of mobile payment in January, there have been 26 million mobile transactions to date. In the first 9 weeks of the program, there were 3 million transactions and in comparison for the 9 week period starting in October, there were 6 million transactions, demonstrating a significant jump in customer adoption and use.

Globally, the Starbucks Card program had $2.4 billion loaded onto cards during FY11, and Starbucks Cards are currently used for 1 in 4 transactions in the U.S. Since the card launched just over 10 years ago, more than $10 billion has been loaded on Starbucks Cards. On the mobile front, since Jan. 2011, there has been $110.5 million reloaded onto Starbucks Cards directly through the mobile app.

Starbucks took its mobile payment program beyond its nearly 7,000 U.S. company-operated stores and more than 1,000 Target stores to include nearly 1,000 Safeway stores in June, giving customers more opportunities to experience mobile payment. Currently the top five US cities for Starbucks mobile app adoption are New York, Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago and San Jose.

Within the mobile apps, customers have access to a host of features that allow them to manage their Starbucks Card account: reload their Starbucks Card balance directly from a smartphone device, find nearby Starbucks stores with the store locator feature, check their Starbucks Card balance and My Starbucks Rewards™ status. There are currently 2 million Gold-level My Starbucks Rewards™ members in the U.S. and 3.6 million My Starbucks Rewards™ members overall – with 2 million My Starbucks Rewards™ members added in FY11 alone. Other features available in the Starbucks® app line-up include a drinker builder, Starbucks® food and beverage information and Starbucks coffee information. Starbucks Card mobile payment is the most popular app feature overall.

eGifting & Starbucks Card

In addition, Starbucks Card eGift was added as a feature in June and since October, sales have doubled to account for 10 percent of Starbucks Card eGift sales. The eGift experience gives Starbucks a platform to offer customers completely customizable cards with themes and occasions that may not be featured on Starbucks Cards in stores such as Humor, Work-place specific, Seasonal (Halloween), Kwanza, Latino and Hanukkah. As the digital extension of the Starbucks Card, it is part of the world’s most popular gift card program. Starbucks Cards are currently available in 20 countries.

Mobile Internationally

Internationally, mobile is on the move as Starbucks introduced Starbucks Canada app on Nov. 8 to offer mobile payment in 1,000 stores in Canada. Additionally, Starbucks will be first on the high street to offer UK customers the option to pay with select smartphone devices at more than 700 Starbucks stores. It will debut in the UK on Jan. 5.

Mobile Magic

Building on Starbucks mobile app portfolio is the Starbucks Cup Magic app for customers in the U.S. and Canada which incorporates the latest in augmented reality technology to offer an animated visual experience. Customers can download and use the app to discover Starbucks holiday characters as they leap to life in merry holiday scenes by scanning Starbucks® iconic red cups, holiday coffee bags and store signage. The app has proved popular with an engagement rate of 91 percent and more than 450,000 visits to the AR experience. The Starbucks Cup Magic app is equipped with an eGift feature, allowing users to send Starbucks Card eGifts to friends and loved ones from their smartphone device in the U.S. and it’s perfect for last minute holiday gifts.

How to Get Starbucks Apps

More information about Starbucks official applications is available at www.starbucks.com/coffeehouse/mobile-apps.

Starbucks Cup Magic app

Starbucks Cup Magic app is available for download on select mobile devices in the U.S. and Canada starting Nov. 15. Customers can learn more and download the app at www.Starbucks.com/cupmagic.

Western Union® Small Business Payments Targeting Small to Medium Sized Businesses

Image via Wikipedia

December 06, 2011 08:00 AM Eastern Time 

Western Union Expands Payment Suite

Online Payment Acceptance and Accounts Receivable Service Now Available

ENGLEWOOD, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU), a leader in global payments, today announced the launch of Western Union^® Small Business Payments, an online payment acceptance and accounts receivable service designed specifically for small-to-midsized businesses. The new Western Union payments solution, available nationwide in the United States, delivers payment processing, automated invoicing, recurring billing, customer management and reporting, in one integrated payment suite for small-to-medium business owners.

“With Western Union, small-to-medium sized businesses, which continue to play a vital role in the U.S. economy, can manage their businesses more efficiently.”

The Small Business Payments service is the latest offering in the full spectrum of Western Union^®billing and payment solutions, including walk-in, online, sms text and mobile channels.

“Western Union understands the need for business owners to invoice and accept payments in a timely, efficient manner to optimize their cash flow and keep their businesses healthy,” said Victoria Lopez-Negrete, senior vice president and general manager, North America, Western Union. “With Western Union, small-to-medium sized businesses, which continue to play a vital role in the U.S. economy, can manage their businesses more efficiently.”

As an integrated payments solution, Small Business Payments will allow business owners to enroll for the service online quickly and effortlessly. Small business customers will benefit from the ease and convenience of online or phone payments from their checking account or credit card. More than 27 million small businesses exist in the U.S. marketplace, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce Census Bureau. The service is designed to meet the unique needs of this business segment, with features customized to deliver high value in performance, reliability, and ease of use.

Western Union: Committed to Small Businesses

The enhanced Western Union payment suite is a valuable addition to the company’s services for small business owners and entrepreneurs. Western Union has long supported small businesses through its core products and services. In addition, the Western Union Foundation has provided millions of dollars to support and fund programs that equip small business owners with business training, funding and opportunities for enhanced visibility and business networking.

To view a demo of the new Western Union payments service and for more information visit, smallbusiness.westernunion.com/demo

INSIDE Secure Achieves Company-Wide ISO/IEC 27001 Certification

December 06, 2011 08:00 AM Eastern Time 

Additional Site Approved for Common Criteria Certified Product Development

AIX EN PROVENCE, France--(BUSINESS WIRE)--INSIDE Secure, a leader in semiconductor solutions for secure transactions, today announced it has earned another prestigious ISO certification, this time attaining ISO/IEC 27001:2005 certifications for the company's development centers in Aix en Provence, Singapore and Warsaw. Additionally, INSIDE announced that its facility in Aix en Provence has been evaluated and approved by auditors for the development of Common Criteria certified products, significantly enhancing the resources available to the company for the creation of new secure microcontrollers and other security products.

“We are also very pleased by the Common Criteria site approval for our center in Aix and the flexibility this gives us to take advantage of the considerable engineering talent and other resources at that facility in expanding our development of secure microcontrollers and other Common Criteria certified products.”

“With these ISO 27001 certifications for our remaining development centers, INSIDE has now achieved its goal for company-wide IT security, and has demonstrated to our customers worldwide that the security of their information is paramount and that INSIDE will protect it in accordance with the strict guidelines and principles set out by ISO for effective information security management systems,” said Charles Walton, chief operating officer at INSIDE Secure. “We are also very pleased by the Common Criteria site approval for our center in Aix and the flexibility this gives us to take advantage of the considerable engineering talent and other resources at that facility in expanding our development of secure microcontrollers and other Common Criteria certified products.”

ISO/IEC 27001 is the only auditable international standard that defines the requirements for an information security management system (ISMS). It helps companies protect their information assets and provide confidence to their customers and other interested parties.

The INSIDE facilities were audited and recommended for ISO/IEC 27001:2005 certification by the British Standards Institution (BIS), the National Standards Body of the UK, with a globally recognized reputation for independence, integrity and innovation in the production of standards that promote best practice. The certification is valid for three years, and requires reassessment audits to be performed annually.

In 2008 INSIDE was granted ISO 9001:2000 certification for quality management, validating the efficiency of the company’s dedicated and systematic quality program and making INSIDE one of an elite group of companies that have demonstrated continuous improvement of the quality policies specified by ISO 9001:2000 standards.

About INSIDE Secure

INSIDE Secure is a leading designer, developer and supplier of semiconductors, embedded software and platforms for secure transactions and digital security. INSIDE mobile NFC, secure payment and digital security products provide security for a wide range of information processing, storage and transmission applications. The company’s customers are found in a wide range of markets including mobile payment, identification documents, access control, transit, electronic device manufacturing, pay television and mobile service operators. For more information, visit www.insidesecure.com.

Xactly Launches New iPad Application for Xactly Express

December 06, 2011 09:00 AM Eastern Time 

Gives Sales Reps the Freedom to Track Performance, Quota and Sales Compensation Attainment Anytime, Anywhere

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Xactly Corporation, the leader in on-demand incentive compensation and sales performance management, today extended the power of Xactly Express to Apple’s iPad. With the new mobile application, sales reps can easily view their quota attainment and sales commission payments from their iPad, giving them access to performance-altering data, regardless of their location. Free to current Xactly Express users, the new application is available for download at the Apple App Store or on salesforce.com’s AppExchange Mobile.

“Gartner Says Apple Will Have a Free Run in Tablet Market Holiday Season as Competitors Continue to Lag”

According to Gartner Inc., tablet PC sales will surpass 63 million units sold in 2011, a 261 percent increase over 2010 sales. The analyst firm adds that the iPad accounts for more than 73 percent of the market.¹ As sales reps and managers spend the bulk of their time on the road in meetings with customers and prospects, tablet PCs, like the iPad, are quickly gaining popularity as their productivity platform of choice.

With Xactly Express for iPad, sales reps can easily track quota progress and payments anytime, anywhere. The application provides sales reps the ability to swipe between monthly, quarterly or yearly quota views, follow quarterly or annual pay-outs, and track company sales to new customers. Reps can also track each additional deal payment, while sales managers can use their iPad to share key dashboards with employees.

“As a fast growing business, it is critical that my sales team has access to all the information they require to do their jobs smarter and more efficiently,” said Tyler Smith, CEO, SkySlope. “Xactly Express provides them with the real-time visibility they need to track their sales progress and potential, and by extending the power of Express to the iPad, it ensures they will have that critical data wherever the sale may take them.” Xactly Express customer, SkySlope, is a real estate transaction management company that offers brokers, agents and homebuyers a collaborative, cloud-based environment to store and e-sign real estate-related documents.

“Xactly continues to deliver new innovations in automated sales compensation, helping our customers use compensation and incentives to drive improved, more predictable sales results. For sales reps and managers, that means providing access to key information, regardless of where they are or what devices they are using,” said Christopher Cabrera, president and CEO, Xactly Corporation. “With this application, we are making it even easier for sales reps and managers to access the data they need to consistently reach and exceed their quotas and deliver better sales performance – quarter after quarter and year after year.”

Xactly Express is the industry’s first self-service sales compensation management software designed specifically for SMBs. With a guided, intuitive workflow, Xactly Express enables users with little to no compensation administration experience to rapidly create sales commission plans, calculate commissions and export payments to payroll, all from a single, easy-to-use solution. Delivered in the Cloud, Xactly Express can be up and running in a matter of hours, with no additional hardware or professional services investments. Today, more than 130 SMBs are leveraging Xactly Express to drive better sales and operational efficiencies.