PARIS, October 2 /PRNewswire/ --

- European Search Technology Centre will be focused on developing a world-class search offering.

Microsoft Corp CEO Steve Ballmer continued his five-city European trip today with additional announcements of plans to step up investment and recruitment in the region. Following an earlier announcement in Norway, creating jobs focused on innovation in enterprise search, Microsoft today announced further details on the plan to open a new European Search Technology Centre (STC).

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LONDON, October 2 /PRNewswire/ --

Splunk (http://www.splunk.com), the IT Search company, today announces the appointment of Brian Haynes as Vice President Sales in the Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA) region. The appointment of Haynes follows Splunk's continued and exceptional growth -- in Q2 alone Splunk added 94 new customers and upgraded 45 existing customers to higher data indexing levels. The company ended Q2 with more than 750 enterprise, service provider and government agency customers worldwide, including more than 60 in EMEA.

WATFORD, England, October 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Doing business online has been the mission of Novae Group Plc ('Novae') since deploying Salmon's Application Framework for Insurance (SAFI(TM)) for its underwriting business in 2004. Novae have now launched its Motor Fleet line-of-business on SAFI, extending the web-based platform to get a range of new products to market quickly and efficiently.

Steve Fookes, IT Director Novae said, "The introduction of Novae's Motor Fleet Underwriting Service is an opportunity to strengthen our market position. We needed a completely integrated IT infrastructure that could be aligned across the business which was cost effective and would support ongoing growth."

BASKING RIDGE, New Jersey, October 2 /PRNewswire/ --

- Supplemental Analysis From Four-Year, Landmark Study Finds Need for Tailored Strategies

Enterprises should assess their security strategies knowing that the challenges differ significantly by industry and that a one-size-fits-all approach is rarely effective. Those are the key findings in a supplemental analysis of data breaches released by Verizon Business today.

The latest study is based on the 2008 Verizon Business Data Breach Investigations Report, issued in June. The landmark report analyzed breaches spanning four years and more than 500 forensic investigations involving 230 million compromised records including three of the five largest breaches ever reported.

HONG KONG, October 2 /PRNewswire/ --

PIE United International Limited (PIE United) introduces the world first HDMI 1080P digital photo viewer (HD-0310). Existing photo viewers only allow photo viewing on small-size screen. Unlike others, HD-0310 is a compact, slim and easy-to-use device that allows customers to view photos, enjoy video clips and music on high-definition TV (HDTV). No need crowding around the computer, just sit back and relax in comfortable living room to share customer favorite photos with friends and family in HDTV.

PIE United believes that, "Yesterday we stored photos in album. Today we view photos in digital photo frame. Tomorrow we share photos with family and friend in large HDTV. "

NEW YORK, October 2 /PRNewswire/ --

In announcing the 2008 finalists for its annual Platts Global Energy Awards today, Platts underscores the changing emphasis of global energy towards long-term supply solutions with finalists in two new categories: Sustainable Technology Innovation of the Year and Strategic Energy Investment of the Year. Established in 1999 and referred to by past attendees as the "Oscars of Energy," the Platts Global Energy Awards recognize innovation, leadership, and superior performance in more than a dozen categories spanning the entire energy industry.

Platts further captures the industry's increased focus on future energy supply by merging two former award categories to create the Sustainable Energy Initiative of the Year award.