 |
The WAVE Report on Digital Media 3D --- Media Creation --- Shared Space ---Published by 4th Wave, Inc.--- Issue #0541------------------10/14/05 |
The WAVE Report is Searchable on
http://www.3dlinks.com
http://www.wave-report.com
--------------------------------------
0541.2 Display Statistics
0541.3 Growing Mobile Telephony
0541.4 Biometric Authentication
Hitachi to Expand Finger Vein Authentication System Business on a Global Basis
0541.5 Business Networking
Business Gateway Market Will Take Off in 2007 According to In-Stat
0541.6 Software Licensing
Second Annual Software Licensing Study Shows Compliance a Major Challenge for Enterprises
0541.7 Java Specifications
0541.8 Wireless Sensors
0541.9 Spam Tracking
Clearswift's Spam Index: Spammers Increase Sophistication to Evade Detection
0541.10 Consumer Credit
---------------------------------
0541.1 Story of the Issue
***Biometrics Consortium 2005
By John Latta
Arlington, VA
9/19 – 21/05
The Biometrics Consortium event is run by various departments in the U.S. Government. It is not often that there is a conference which spans academia, many branches of government and the commercial sector. Yet, the unusual nature of this event is a reflection of the scope of biometrics and the role that it plays in government and beyond. There are multiple tracks on applications, standards, research and technology. With each year the exhibit improves and this year a number of companies are from overseas.
Biometrics To Enter the Mass Market
In one of the most bullish reports on the applications of biometrics to commercial and consumer markets, AuthenTec’s President and CEO, Scott Moody, predicted that there would be 10 – 20m computers equipped with biometrics in a few years. In a novel twist he predicted that the fingerprint sensor would provide navigation on notebooks which has joystick-like operation and scroll wheel control.
Scott claims that 2006 will be the year that biometrics achieves critical mass in consumer and commercial markets.
For a technology to reach critical mass the following must fall into place:
Technology maturity
Low cost
Small Size
Demonstrated Compelling need
Value to the buyersAnd, time for the market to develop.
This latter factor is now happening. AuthenTec is seeing this in the sales of its sensors for fingerprint readers.
There are now over 25 notebooks with fingerprint sensors. Some companies will have them on every notebook in the line. Likewise there are over 75 PCs and peripherals with fingerprint sensors.
4m cell phones have been shipped with fingerprint sensors built in. The action in this sector is in Asia.
Initial PC applications for biometrics include:
Secure Pre-Booth Authentication
Password Replacement
File and folder Encryption
Scott expanded considerably the potential use of the biometric sensor
.
Independent fingers could be used to launch specific applications – Speed launch
Independent fingers could be used to go to specific web sites
Movement of a finger over the sensor emulates a mouse and scroll wheel. Scott went so far to claim that this control with the finger could replace other pointing devices on the notebook.
Initial mobile applications include:
Phone startup
Dial Lock and unlock
File protection
Hot keys
Speed dialIn Japan biometrics already plays an important role in m-payments. The NTT DoCoMo F900iC phone can be used in many places in Japan to make micro payments. This includes many soft drink vending machines in Japan. The cell phone is like a wallet.
The power of touch summarized his major points:
Biometrics improves security by protecting your devices and data
Biometrics allow for personalization – it is about you
Biometrics enables navigation – your finger becomes your mouse
Biometrics is about convenience – it makes your products easier to use.
Rather lofty goals and claims but plausible if biometrics, i.e. fingerprint sensors, become ubiquitous.
Consider this. What if fingerprint sensors were used for navigation? This would not only accomplish identification but the persistence of the finger on the sensor for navigation would assure presence and an unbroken use of the machine since log on.
Interesting.
NIST – Setting the Standard in Biometrics Technology and Application
The WAVE reported from last year’s Biometrics Consortium event, the FRGC (Face Recognition Grand Challenge), whose goal was to improve facial recognition performance by a factor of 10 – getting close to fingerprints. In an early report, Jonathon Phillips, NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology), reported on impressive improvements.
NIST has been at the forefront of being an independent test, evaluation and standards supporter of biometric technology. Much of this has been driven by the Patriot Act. Shashi Phoha, Director, Information Technology Laboratory, NIST put NIST’s role in context:
To make biometrics a mature technology.
We seldom hear someone advocate accelerating the rate at which a technology reaches maturity. But in the case of NIST and the application of biometrics, this is logical. That is, the technology is widely available, the prices have been driven to the lowest points and standards are mature. Thus, it is possible to deploy large scale systems which focus on use and not the technology.
Jonathon described a number of initiatives at NIST. The FRGC program has an objective and goal of:
Promote and advance face recognition and develop still and 3D algorithms to improve performance an order of magnitude over FRVT 2002.
The FRGC effort has many components:
Sensory accuracy;
Preprocessing/Reconstruction and Compression
Image Quality Measures
Algorithms
Metadata such as eye coordinates, pose and gender
The modes examined included:
Single still
Multiple stills
Outdoor/Indoor
Single 3D view
3D full face
The baseline performance in from FRVT, Face Recognition Vendor Tests, 2002, was a TAR of 80% with a FAR of .1%. Initial results from FRGC show:
Multi-Still – 99.99%
High Resolution Single Still – 99%
Three Dimensional – 97%
There will be a Face Recognition Advanced Study Workshop, November 11 – 14, 2005, at West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV. The objective is to identify the next steps in face recognition.
The other effort described is ICE – Iris Challenge Evaluation. Its gorals include the assessment of the technology and facility technology development. It will be modeled after FRGC and FRVT 2005. The end result is hoped to be improved recognition algorithms.
Christopher Miles, NIST, described a number of activities at NIST. These include:
NIST has posted public domain fingerprint image software whose performance exceeds many commercial algorithms.
NIST now has sample fingerprints (>95m) available for testing
NIST has developed new measures of fingerprint quality and made available algorithms to measure it.
Serious consideration is being given to another revision of the Fingerprint Interchange Standard which was last revised in 2004 – ANSI/NIST-ITL 1-2000.
Large Scale Biometric Systems
Joseph Atick, President and CEO, Identix gave a thoughtful and interesting presentation. Some of the key points included:
There is no such thing as a small biometric system. Once systems are launched they rapidly grow to become large. It is my view that biometric programs are more likely to fail due to lack of scalability and inefficiency than because of fundamental technology limitations.
One of the problems with today’s metrics is the focus on fixed values of TAR and FAR. Masked in this is the role of quality. For example, in finger print TAR performance this varies from 27.8% with the lowest quality, NIST scale of NFIQ, while the value rises to 99.4% at the highest quality. FAR is 1%.
What is important is to consider PmF – Probability mass Function. This is the distribution of quality of the fingerprints. With a sample of 500,000 fingers there are over 20% of the fingers and images of them which are considered poor quality.
A strategy to overcome some of these limitations it to use more than one finger when the quality of the first finger is low.
Identix suggest the five factors are responsible for facial quality (FCERT):
Faceness
Compression
Exposure
Resolution
Texture
DigitalDefense – Is this the first Ambient Biometrics product?
DigitalDefense was showing an impressive smart card which seemed to have it all. It is a non-contact smart card, with enrollment on card (EOC), template on card (TOC) and match on card (MOC) for $149. It was claimed that a “large” deal for mass market use will be announced in January.
The specifications are impressive.
Finger print reader on card
200MHz processor with 400MHz optional
8MB Flash with 16MB of RAM (Flash file to 1GB)
Size 85.6mm X 54mm X 4.5mm
Interoperable with HID 125KHz readers
Interoperable with MIFARE 13.56MHz readers
Proprietary wireless capable of 10m range
3DES encryption
Finger authentication in <1sec
No contacts on the card
Retail price $149.
It was stated that these cards are well suited for FIPS 201. One of the advantages of the card is that since it is completely held by the individual privacy is not an issue. The card can output, based on MOC, whatever is required by the application. This includes a PIN, Log on id and much more.
Pricing is quite sensitive to volume and DigitalDefense recognizes that mass markets must be a far lower prices.
Standards and Testing
The scope of biometrics standards is extensive. What was impressive is the progress in the last year. The government is driving the standards process to avoid vendor lock in and to have consistent repeatable performance. This is the same as that which enterprise users of biometrics will eventually demand.
Consistent with the NIST intent to drive biometrics to maturity, the standards process is making headway. One of the most interesting is the adoption of profiles, as part of the INCITS M1 standards process, similar to what was so effective in Bluetooth. Two interesting ones are for Point of Sale Biometric Identification and Commercial Biometric Access Control. With the progress being made in e-Authentication, we wonder if domain logon is on the horizon for this as a candidate profile.
There were many presentations on standards and testing. Key points will be highlighted.
In order to do accurate testing, NIST recommends that the sample size be 60,000 individuals for one-to-one biometric matching and 1,000,000 with one-to-many testing.
Tests have been run on fingerprint matching SDKs to evaluate performance. Five vendors have been tested with 11 SDKs. Equal error rates, FAR = FRR, of .001 are possible with single fingerprints. When 2 fingers are used, the FRR can be less than .01 with a FAR of .0001. With a FAR of .0001, the best single finger TAR was .9918 and this rose to .9987 when two fingers were used.
The standard interchange format for fingerprints is being reviewed by NIST and is expected to be updated by ANSI. This is also the defacto standard at ISO. It is also similar to the commercial M1 standard. One of the objectives of the review is to harmonize both M1 and ANSI/NIST versions. Areas of extension include the use of XML and 3D facial.
The Presidential directive that all employees and contractors of the federal government carry cards is known as HSPD 12. This is responsible for the PIV initiative (Personal Identity Verification). Compliance with the standard is to begin by October 27, 2006. This includes the issuance of cards that support both physical and logical access. It is a requirement that these be interoperable among all branches of the government. The card will also be required to access government computers. Each card will have two fingerprints. The use of this biometric has not been defined. The document which describes the role of biometrics is SP800-76 and it is in preparation now. One of the issues is that if fingerprint image data is stored, this would consume 40k on a 64k card.
e-Authentication remains an area of activity. This is in part driven by OMB M-04-04 Policy Guidance. The document SP800-63 provides the technical framework for remote authentication. OMB M-04-04 defines 4 levels of security. The exact role of biometrics remains to be determined. Some have discussed that this fits in level 3 and 4 as one factor in a multi-factor authentication. There has been formed an Ad Hoc group under INCITS M1 to resolve a number of issues to be addressed on e-authentication over open networks. However, persistence of the identity has not become a part of the e-Authentication deliberations.
The U.S. standards activity is being done under INCITS – M1. International standards are under ISC and IEC are part of SC37 group. The M1 standards have become comprehensive and include:
Interchange formats for individual biometrics
Conformance testing for the Interchange formations
Application profiles
Performance Testing and Reporting
Interface Standards – Including the BioAPI
Conformance Testing Methodology (for the BioAPI)New Projects under M1 include:
Changes to BioAPI to support biometric fusion
BioAPI “Lite”
Biometric Sample Quality
Face Template based on MPEG-7Version 2.0 of the BioAPI is expected to be approved in 4Q 2005 or 1Q 2006. This supports external biometrics so that multiple biometrics can be managed independently.
BioAPI “Lite” is to support reduced functionality and minimum overhead devices. This can include personal devices, remote controls and authentication tokens.
On the Exhibit Floor -
Sarnoff Makes Iris Real
Sarnoff showed the much anticipated Iris-at-a-distance technology. One just walks through a portal slightly larger than a standard airport magnetometer. Bingo. One is authenticated or rejected.
There have been rumors on the Iris portal and now it is real. It is called Iris on the Move (IOM). This will support up to 20 individuals a minute. One only has to open one’s eyes as they walk through – some will have to remove glasses. It will support gaze as much as 15 degrees off axis. Individual’s varying in height from 5’3” to 6’3” can be accommodated. Sarnoff is looking for a partner to commercialize the technology. As shown on the exhibit floor is looked commercial grade.
Fujitsu – Palm Vein Recognition Makes U.S. Landing
Fujitsu is using autofocus technology to image palm veins into is notebook domain log on sensor.
The IR sensor being advocated for use in notebooks is 1” X 1” by ¾” (deep). What is key is that there is autofocus built in which is claimed to negate the need for a hand placement jig. Thus, an individual only needs to move the hand up and down in proximity of the sensor and it will autofocus at right location to detect the full palm.
Verifi Touts Enterprise Support for Fingerprint Readers
Touting a driver embedded in Windows XP, Verifi was showing their USB fingerprint readers. This uses the AuthenTec sensor in a robust metal case. It is claimed that the sensor can be moved from system to system and perform identification as required. Further, there is also a waterproof case available. Price is $70 in 1,000 unit quantities.
Digent – Optical Fingerprint Reader on a Mouse
This Korean based company has the IZZIX VM 1000 optical mouse with an optical fingerprint sensor. It images to 500 dpi and creates a template of 480 bytes. An SDK is available for use on Windows and costs $2,000. The IZZIX Secure PC software package provides for:
Windows logon
Fingerprint document encryption
File encryption
This software comes with the mouse.
The sensor is on the side of the mouse and best suited for the right hand thumb.
All 22,000 Samsung employees are using this product.
Pricing is $60 for 10,000 units FOB Korea.
Nevenvision – Portable ID Device
Slightly larger than a PDA, the Mobile Identifier contains an impressive set of capabilities:
Face recognition
Fingerprint sensor
Skin Analysis
License plate recognition
Tattoo recognition
The unit is only 13.6 oz and has a battery life of 8 hours. Communications include: Bluetooth, USB and 802.11g.
WAVE Comments
There were significant promising results from the Biometric Consortium conference. In particular, standards are having the impact of lessening vendor lock-on and the drive for standards-based components and systems is even reaching the enterprise level. Governments and high volume users of biometrics are driving the role of standards. As NIST stated, we want biometrics to be a mature technology. This is counter to what many companies seek to achieve with proprietary solutions and technology. At the Biometrics Consortium conference the buyers are winning.
There are early indications that mass market use of biometrics could happen in 2006 just as there are indications that biometrics is achieving greater public acceptance. Biometrics for access, be it borders or physical buildings, is accepted. The implementation varies based on need and technology used. These are high volume applications where the use of standards-based components has increasingly become the norm. And, biometrics for logical access is starting to achieve acceptance. However, its role over Open Networks has yet to be established.
The WAVE has discussed the notion of ambient biometrics and we saw the first serious examples of this at the Biometrics Consortium in the form of a suggested Identity Phone and smart cards.
But, what is missing? There needs to be a clear solution to the eAuthentication problem, from levels 1 to 4 – be it with or without biometrics. Is there logical access with persistence? We were told that this is not yet on the radar of the standards process. And, what is especially missing is the integration of enterprise use in the standards and especially its own profile.
***DisplaySearch Updates TFT LCD Fab Activity, Supply and Demand, TFT LCD Equipment, and Capital Expenditures Forecasts
KYOTO, JAPAN
October 11, 2005
DisplaySearch reports in its Quarterly TFT LCD Supply/Demand and Capital Spending Report that component supply could not keep up with strong demand in Q3’05, extending a component-restricted shortage in large-area panels. In terms of unrestricted, raw array capacity, supply was sufficient in Q3’05, and by all DisplaySearch metrics, the surplus is expected to continue to widen in Q4’05 and into 2006.
Other highlights from the most recent report include:
-- The most recent report shows 58 individual AMLCD fab investments with install dates between Q2’05 to Q2’08. Of these, 42 are for new or existing a-Si TFT LCD fabs, primarily targeting large-area markets. Sixteen of these are investments in LTPS fabs, mainly for small/mobile TFT LCD or AMOLED applications. Compared to the last issue of the report, there was an overall continued upward revision, particularly in 2007.
-- Total AMLCD capacity is expected to rise at a compound annual growth rate of 39% from 4.5 million in 2000 to 81.5 million square meters in 2009. Over the same period, color filter capacity is growing 38% compounded annually, rising from 5.2 million to 93.5 million square meters. Color filter capacity ranges 3-8% higher than array capacity, suggesting tight supply if array capacity is highly utilized.
-- PDP capacity is also projected to grow at very high rates, rising from 1.5 million square meters in 2002 to 14.2 million square meters in 2009, a compound annual growth rate of 38%.
-- Despite smaller glass fabs converting to small/medium production, new large glass fabs will maintain total industry large-area allocation at 88% through Q2’08.
-- The increased capacity correlates directly to an increase in TFT LCD manufacturing equipment investment, where total cumulative spending from 2005-2008 is now expected to reach $31.4 billion.
-- After reaching an all-time high in 2004, equipment spending is somewhat less in 2005; even so, at $9.6 billion this is the second strongest year in LCD history. The equipment spending forecast for 2006 has been revised to be flat with 2005. 2007 – 2008 are expected to be lower, nearer to spending levels reached in 2003. There are both upside and downside risks to this forecast. Most of downside danger in the short run is related to delays and merger discussions in Taiwan, which puts at risk $777 million in 2006 equipment spending and another $289 million in 2007. On the flipside, if panel makers proceed with their most aggressive plans, 2006 spending potentially could exceed 2005; even so, many of these investments are low probability, and it is unlikely that all of them would progress in the assumed time frame.
-- In 2006, the current forecast indicates the top three TFT LCD spenders (equipment only) will be Samsung at $1.3 billion, AUO at $1.1 billion and CMO at $994 million, with respective shares of 17.9%, 14.8% and 13.3%.
-- Over the last few years, Taiwanese panel manufacturers have successfully raised capital through a variety of financial instruments; since 2003, the top five makers have raised over $18.5 billion. There was a $2.3 billion increase in Q3’05 alone.
0541.3 Growing Mobile Telephony
***Ericsson to Introduce GSM 450 to Its Product Portfolio
STOCKHOLM, Sweden
Oct. 11, 2005
Ericsson intends to expand its GSM portfolio into the 450 MHz frequency band, supplementing its radio access offering. GSM 450 enables cost-efficient GSM mobile coverage in markets that have not already been covered. The GSM 450 solution supports full global GSM roaming.
By expanding the portfolio with GSM 450, mobile access will be available for new markets and operators. Ericsson GSM 450 will particularly help to bring mobile services to remote areas previously considered not feasible to cover. Better coverage with lower operating costs is one result of the new technology. Supplementing fixed line networks is also an advantage in rural areas.
GSM 450 will support global roaming and have all the functionality and features that are offered in other frequency bands for GSM. GSM 450 offers advanced data solutions with EDGE and GPRS for high-bit-rate applications.
To enhance capacity and coverage potential in the future, 450 can be combined with current frequency bands, even in the same geographical area. This means that the operator can combine the coverage characteristics of 450 MHz with high-capacity solutions provided by the current frequencies. All generally supported features in GSM will also be supported in the GSM 450 band. Infrastructure can be shared between all supported GSM bands.
Ericsson, together with major handset vendors, is driving the 450 solutions to enable product launch during 2006, depending on market demand.
0541.4 Biometric Authentication
***Hitachi to Expand Finger Vein Authentication System Business on a Global Basis; Establishes Organizations to Promote Business in North America, Europe, China and Asia, Aspires for Sales of 100 billion Yen Over 3 Years
TOKYO
Oct. 11, 2005
Hitachi, Ltd. announced plans to further strengthen the security business, one of the targeted fields for the Hitachi Group. Hitachi has decided to launch a full-scale drive to globally expand its finger vein authentication system business, one of the central businesses of its security business.
As today's network-based society continues to develop, information is increasingly becoming a key part of our everyday lives, leading to even greater convenience. Furthermore, with the impending arrival of the ubiquitous information society, which is expected to further accelerate this tempo, system providers worldwide are pushing ahead with the development of new systems for technological advances. Conversely, in a society interconnected by global networks, damage due to crimes such as cyber terrorism and personal information leaks, as well as accidents, has precipitated a rapid increase in risk with a potentially global impact. The frequent occurrence of theft targeting luxury cars and other valuable property, break-ins and other crime in condominium complexes and other criminal acts is shaking the foundations of safe societies.
There is now an increasing need for more sophisticated security systems in light of these circumstances. In domains as diverse as financial transaction using ATMs, cash cards and credit cards, IDs using passports and drivers' licenses, access control for important facilities and condominiums, and PCs and other information equipment requiring security, demand is rising rapidly for personal identification. Biometric authentication systems have attracted attention as a means of satisfying this demand, and more and more of these systems are being installed.
Fingerprints and iris patterns have been used for biometric authentication. However, with fingerprint certification, there is a high probability that fingerprints can be duplicated, while iris-based authentication requires bulky equipment. In contrast, personal authentication using finger vein patterns can be built into more compact systems and achieve a high degree of certification precision. For these reasons, finger vein authentication is attracting worldwide interest as a highly secure, cutting-edge security system.
Hitachi's finger vein authentication technology employs a method whereby light is transmitted through the finger to enable high-contrast matching of vein patterns. This results in high-precision certification, evidenced by a Hitachi-proven false rejection rate of no more than 0.01% and a false acceptance rate of less than 0.00002%. Authentication systems for ATMs, in particular, afford a high level of security when used together with an IC card. Because users find these systems easier to use, banks and other financial institutions are adopting and introducing them with the aim of upgrading service for customers. Furthermore, Hitachi developed the world's smallest ultra-compact system. Measuring just 39mm (D) x 34mm (W) x 15mm (H) and with a volume of 19ml, this system can be installed in notebook PCs, mobile handsets and other devices. Hitachi is promoting the application of finger vein authentication technology in all manner of everyday situations, not just the office, such as the proposal of systems for the ignition key in cars.
http://www.hitachi.co.jp/Prod/comp/fingervein/global/index.html
***Business Gateway Market Will Take Off in 2007 According to In-Stat
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.
Oct. 11, 2005
The market for multiservice Business Gateway equipment will ramp up beginning in 2007, reports In-Stat. By 2007, service providers will offer bundled service offerings that include Business Gateway devices for SMB and branch office markets, a development prized by customers. A Business Gateway is a next-generation networking device designed specifically to perform multiple primary functions in contrast to the plethora of multiservice devices that remain optimized for a single function or application.
In-Stat sees that field trials of new Business Gateway products will continue through the remainder of 2005 and most of 2006. Their survey data shows that Business Gateway buying decisions will be driven more by datacomm device replacement than by PBX replacement.
A recent report by In-Stat found the following:
-- North America will be the largest geographic market, with approximately 43% of total Business Gateway shipments in 2007, followed by Europe with a 33% share of the market.
-- Respondents to an In-Stat survey clearly indicated a preference toward multiservice devices and a bundle of services supplied by a single service provider.
-- The migration to VoIP may also prompt the equipment buying decision, but currently, small and medium businesses and small enterprises do not have plans for full VoIP deployment.
The report, "SMBs & Branch Office Markets Prefer Multi-Service Business Gateways!" (#IN0501821LN), covers the market for Business Gateways in the small and medium-sized business and branch office market. It includes the results of a July 2005 In-Stat market survey conducted to identify market characteristics and equipment buying preferences for voice and data equipment/services. The report features analysis of the implications of the survey on vendors, and unit and revenue Business Gateway forecasts.
http://www.instat.com/catalog/Ncatalogue.asp?id=138
***Second Annual Software Licensing Study Shows Compliance a Major Challenge for Enterprises; 72% of Enterprises Manually Track License Compliance or Do Not Track It at All
SANTA CLARA, Calif.
Oct. 10, 2005
The second annual study on software pricing and licensing trends recently released reveals that compliance with software license agreements is a major challenge for enterprises increasingly faced with regulatory pressures in the post Sarbanes-Oxley era. The report, "Key Trends in Software Pricing and Licensing," found that 72% of enterprises manually or do not track license compliance at all and that half of companies today want their licensing automatically enforced.
The study was sponsored by the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA), Centralized Electronic Licensing User Group (CELUG), and Macrovision Corporation. The results of the study were unveiled during a keynote presentation at SoftSummit.
The study's key findings include:
-- License Compliance Is a Large Problem That Enterprises Want Solved. 72% of enterprises manually track license compliance or don't track it at all. Since manual methods tend to be error-ridden and non-scalable in large enterprises, a large number of enterprises are likely to be out of compliance with their vendors. Enterprises are showing an increasing preference for digital licensing methods. Half of companies today want their licensing automatically enforced, an increase of 6% over last year's data.
-- ISVs and enterprises lack alignment on licensing policy satisfaction. Although more than two-thirds of software vendors have changed their pricing and/or licensing policies during the past two years, and 57% say they are satisfied with those policies, only 28% of enterprises say they are satisfied with their vendors' pricing and licensing strategies.
-- Software vendors and enterprises continue to move toward subscription-based business models. The number of vendors offering subscription models as their primary pricing method has risen to 40% this year, an increase of 7% over the previous year's survey. By 2007, that number is expected to reach 60%. Similarly, the number of enterprises who prefer to purchase software through subscriptions increased 7% to 43%, showing increased interest from customers.
-- Both enterprises and vendors have made a significant move towards concurrent and away from per machine/per server licensing. The preference in enterprises for concurrent licensing has grown by 11% in the last year to 53%, while the preference for traditional per machine/server licensing dropped by 7%. Among ISVs, there was a 16% decrease in the prevalence of the per machine/server model. Metric-based licensing is expected to reach almost 40% among vendors by 2007.
-- Processor-based licensing is not taking hold. The multi-core processing debate has been an important issue over the past year. Despite some large vendors' aggressive efforts to license per processor, only 6% of enterprises prefer this kind of licensing.
-- Product activation and network licensing are becoming the most prevalent license models. Software vendors continue to move away from older licensing models such as serial numbers, dongle/USB keys and audit and compliance teams. Product activation is clearly becoming the leading method, with 47% using it today and 57% expected use by 2007.
The report is based on a detailed survey conducted in August and September 2005 of approximately 500 software industry executives. The executives were reached via a combination of lists from the SIIA, the principal trade association for the software and digital content industry, CIO Magazine, and other third-party sources.
http://www.softsummit.com/surveyresult
***OSGi Alliance Announces Draft Release of Mobile Environment Specifications in Cooperation with JSR 232 of the Java Community Process
SAN RAMON, Calif.
Oct. 11, 2005
As part of the Release 4 of the OSGi Service Platform specification, the OSGi Alliance is pleased to announce early access to the OSGi Service Platform Mobile Specification on its Web Site. The Mobile Specification will enable the platform management and service management features that next generation mobile device will require.
In conjunction with the Release 4 specification, the Mobile Specification has been submitted to the Java Community Process (JCP), for approval as Java Specification Request 232 (JSR 232). The specification has been submitted to the JCP as an Early Draft Review (EDR), which is the first step towards becoming an official JCP Standard.
The OSGi Service Platform Release 4 specification defines a standardized, service oriented, component model and computing environment for networked services. Using the OSGi Service Platform in a networked device also adds the capability to manage the life cycle of the software services in the device through the network. Software services can be installed, updated, or removed in a controlled manner without having to disrupt the operation of the device.
A unique aspect of the OSGi Service Platform is that its service oriented component model enables networked services to dynamically discover other services and work together to achieve the desired functionality. Other groups and consortia, such as the Eclipse Foundation and the ERTICO GST project, have worked with the OSGi Alliance to define open service specifications that address common industry needs in an open, non-proprietary way.
This Mobile Specification release is targeted at creating the next generation Java services on mobile devices. This includes enabling a service-oriented and modular architecture, the ability to create platform extensions after manufacturing, as well as providing platform stability and performance that meets industry needs, specifically in the enterprise. In addition, mobile devices implementing the Mobile Specification will feature strong support for network-connected applications and a secure application execution environment, both of which will enable a powerful platform capable of remote management and monitoring of applications and the platform itself.
The Mobile Specification, a draft release which is available from the OSGi web site, offers a clear upwards transition path, both at the developer and application level, to allow developers to take advantage of these next generation Java features, while leveraging the developers' experience and knowledge in the MIDP environment they've become accustomed to in mobile devices.
Many software developers have already expressed interest in creating middleware services which can be built upon these specifications. Middleware service will enable the ecosystem for this next generation Java, creating new business for everyone in the value chain.
***Survey by Sensicast and B&B Electronics Finds 18 Percent Increase in Wireless Sensor Network Deployment Plans; Over 70 Percent of Respondents Researching Wireless for Industrial Applications; 53 Percent Considering Deployment in the Next 12 Months
NEEDHAM, Mass.
Oct. 11, 2005
Sensicast Systems, provider of wireless sensor networking products and solutions, and B&B Electronics, manufacturer of data communication products for industrial automation, has released the results of an online survey of 200 end-users and system integrators in the industrial automation marketplace regarding wireless sensor networks. Overall, the survey found strong interest in wireless sensor networking technologies among the group. Over half of respondents (53%) are considering deploying a wireless sensor network in the next 12 months, compared to January's survey results which showed 45 percent planning to deploy in 2005. The August survey is the second in a series that Sensicast and B&B Electronics have designed to track industry attitudes towards wireless sensor networks.
Interest in wireless sensor networks specifically for industrial monitoring has also increased as 73 percent of respondents are researching wireless sensors for use in these more rugged environments, compared to the 64 percent who expressed interest in January. Reliability of the wireless sensor network was the primary reason respondents were delaying deployment, with 33 percent citing reliability as their greatest concern.
Findings revealed that respondents had a strong understanding of which applications were appropriate for wireless sensor networks. The applications chosen as most appropriate were:
-- Process monitoring
-- Environmental monitoring
-- Machine monitoring
The survey further uncovered that 2.4 GHz remains the favored frequency of operation, with twice as many respondents selecting 2.4 GHz compared to 900 MHz in both the August and the January surveys.
http://www.sensicast.com/survey
***Clearswift's Spam Index: Spammers Increase Sophistication to Evade Detection; Subtle Tricks Are in, While 419 Scams Are Out
REDWOOD CITY, Calif.
Oct. 11, 2005
Thought spammers had run out of tricks? Not just yet. Unsolicited e-mail content is continuing to evolve in an ongoing effort to bypass security defenses, according to Clearswift's Spam Index, the technology industry's most in-depth analysis of unsolicited e-mails.
Through analysis of tens of thousands of individual e-mails, Clearswift has identified increases in spam using genuine Web sites as "jump-off points," enabling spammers to avoid anti-spam defenses. The jump-off points direct e-mail users who click on links to the spammers' sites via legitimate sites such as Yahoo! and Geocities. These are not on the banned list of anti-spam databases, and are therefore not blocked.
Also evident is more sophisticated sentence randomization -- a move away from the random passages taken from novels or dictionary definitions, or more obvious ploys such as word obfuscation (seen in messages that advertise V1agra, Levitr@ or C!ialis).
As new spam methodologies emerge, old ones are dying out. The infamous Nigerian 419 e-mails now account for only 1% of all scams, and just under 0.1% of all spam.
According to Clearswift, Nigeria's major police operations against e-mail fraudsters in Lagos are likely to be a factor in this trend. Indeed, reports from Nigeria's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in August 2005 revealed that cash and assets worth more than $700 million have been recovered from suspects since 2003.
Given the popularity of online gambling, it's perhaps surprising to see spam in this category decrease from 2.2% of the total to 0.01%. The old perennial, health care, has subsided by 9% compared to last month to make up only 32.5% of all unsolicited mail. Elsewhere, fluctuations have been minimal. Financial spam has risen from just over 31% to 33% overall, whereas product-related spam has increased by fewer than 5%, and presently stands at 18.3%.
Exploiting users' interest in current affairs, spammers have also begun to craft e-mails purporting to be "nationwide surveys" on matters of public interest, asking "Do you support the war in Iraq?" and "Is our president doing a good job?" Visa gift cards or laptops are offered as incentives to give the e-mails a greater air of legitimacy.
Clearswift strangest spam of the month
"Which free diapers do you prefer? Make your choice and claim one year's supply of FREE diapers!"
The spam categorization statistics were extracted from the millions of spam e-mails harvested by Clearswift's seed accounts on a weekly basis. They are collated and analyzed using Clearswift's spamActive service, which is an integral component of the multilayered anti-spam protection offered by MIMEsweeper for SMTP 5.1. Updated eight times daily, spamActive routinely extracts spam terms, sender domains, URLs and subject lines, which can be automatically downloaded to update customers' e-mail policies.
***TransUnion Announces Consumer Credit Scores Are Rising; U.S. Consumer Credit Risk Improving
WASHINGTON
Oct. 10, 2005
TransUnion has announced that its proprietary TransUnion Risk Index is the lowest it has been in five years in the U.S. The TransUnion Risk Index measures the relative risk of default with the lower the value the better the credit risk. The Index has improved from 120 in 2000 to 109 in 2005. The consumer-based index is an example of TransUnion's comprehensive enterprise risk management solutions. It allows risk managers to evaluate credit conditions by geography over an extended period of time.
In addition, TransUnion announced that the median consumer credit score has risen six points - from 676 to 682 - since the first quarter of 2004. Consumer credit scores have gradually been rising over the last two years, but this marks the first substantial increase since the second quarter of 2000. Both announcements were made at the 2005 Risk Management Association's Annual Risk Management Conference in Washington D.C.
The data behind these figures come from TransUnion's Trend Database, which consists of a quarterly snapshot of 25 million anonymous consumers randomly sampled from TransUnion's national consumer credit database. Each consumer record contains more than 200 credit variables that illustrate consumer credit usage and performance. Information has been aggregated at the county, Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), state and national-level since 1992 and is available to TransUnion business customers.
http://www.transunion.com/index.jsp
--------------------------------------
Copyright 2005 4th WAVE, Inc.
To subscribe to WAVE go to
To unsubscribe also use the Wave Report Home page or send the preformatted UNSUBSCRIBE message:
Previous issues of WAVE, as well as other info can be found at
http://www.wave-report.com
http://www.3dlinks.com
Comments on or questions about the WAVE may be sent to:
or the below individuals below:
John N. Latta - Editor-In-Chief
Michael Robertson - Web Editor
The WAVE Report may be redistributed in full for individual readership and posted to newsgroups, Web, and FTP sites. This publication may not be reprinted or redistributed for profit. Short quotes are permitted but must be attributed to the WAVE Report. 4th Wave retains the copyright to the WAVE Report.