Google,IBM,Microsoft,Verisign and Yahoo Join OpenID

The OpenID Foundation today announced that Google (Nasdaq:GOOG), IBM (NYSE: IBM), Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT), Verisign (Nasdaq:VRSN) and Yahoo! (Nasdaq: YHOO) have joined as its first corporate board members.

With these companies’ deep expertise in Internet and security technology, the OpenID Foundation strengthens the industrywide effort to empower users with portable Web identities, or OpenIDs. This effort helps ensure the evolution of an open and interoperable Internet that helps people take control of how their personal information is used online and helps online businesses attract and retain more users by simplifying and securing the management of digital identities.

The OpenID Foundation was formed in June 2007 to support and promote the technology developed by the OpenID community. Members include individuals, students, nonprofits, startups and industry giants that have come together to develop and promote open identity management on the Web.

OpenID is free technology that simplifies the online user experience by eliminating the need for multiple user names across Internet sites, enabling individuals to take more control and ownership of their digital identities. This user-centric digital identity technology helps users reduce the pain of managing dozens, even hundreds, of user names and passwords, and gives users more control over what personal information they share with Web sites when they sign in using an OpenID.

Today more than 10,000 Web sites support OpenID log-ins, and an estimated 350 million OpenID-enabled URLs exist.

“With this support from these new company board members, the OpenID Foundation will be able to continue to promote and protect the technology and its community moving forward,” said Bill Washburn, executive director, OpenID Foundation. “The community has expanded quickly since the inception of the foundation, and these companies will help bring OpenID into the mainstream markets.”

The industry collaboration supporting OpenID extends not only to the technology itself, but also to the establishment of the OpenID Foundation as an open forum to promote, protect and enable the OpenID technologies and community. The OpenID community has matured rapidly from its inception as a loose coalition of volunteers to the establishment of the OpenID Foundation with a strong mission and intellectual property structure that enables all to participate in developing and implementing OpenID technology. This progress has been made with donations of legal resources by Microsoft and various contributions from Google, IBM, VeriSign and Yahoo!.

“Google shares the OpenID Foundation’s vision of a Web that’s easy to use and built on open standards available to everyone,” said Brad Fitzpatrick, a software engineer at Google. “OpenID was always intended to be a decentralized sign-on system, so it’s fantastic to join a foundation committed to keeping it free and unencumbered by proprietary extensions.”

“Privacy concerns have been escalating rapidly because of repeated incidents involving unexpected personal information loss and user identity theft,” said Anthony Nadalin, IBM Distinguished Engineer and chief security architect, IBM Tivoli software. “As a leader in identity, access and federated identity management and open standards-based software, this is an important step in IBM’s collaboration with other industry leaders to continuously enhance open source projects for user-centric identity management. This effort is intended to provide users with more control and help them to better manage and protect their digital identities.”

“The OpenID community is a key constituency in solving the digital identity problems Internet users face, and will benefit from being represented by the OpenID Foundation,” said Kim Cameron, chief identity architect, Microsoft. “Since Bill Gates and Craig Mundie announced our collaboration with the OpenID community last February at RSA, Microsoft has played a leading role in establishing the foundation’s open policy framework that allows everyone to participate in the development and use of OpenID specifications. Now we look forward to working with the community to refine and drive adoption of the specifications.”

“OpenID enables consumers to take control of their online identity, which in turn will drive trust, privacy and security on the Internet,” said Nico Popp, vice president of Innovation at VeriSign Inc. “Networked identity and authentication services are core elements of VeriSign’s current and future service offerings. Because of this, we applaud the creation of the OpenID foundation and we look forward to contributing to its mission.”

“Yahoo! believes that a truly open Web is the key to the next generation of Internet experiences; OpenID furthers this cause by delivering a free, standards-based solution that the entire industry can embrace,” said Ash Patel, executive vice president of platforms and infrastructure at Yahoo!. “Over the last year we have worked closely with the OpenID Foundation to develop the organization’s intellectual property framework, finalize the OpenID 2.0 specification and adopt OpenID for all 248 million active registered Yahoo! users worldwide. We look forward to collaborating with the OpenID Foundation, its board and community to further simplify the consumer experience of the Web and empower users to take control of their online identity with OpenID.”

OpenID Technology

With the increased use of the Internet to conduct business and the rise of new types of online interactions, such as social networking and user-generated content, innovative kinds of digital identifier technologies are necessary to sustain the “open Web.” OpenID enables individuals to convert one of their already existing digital identifiers — such as their personal blog’s URL — into an OpenID account, which then can be used as a login at any Web site supporting OpenID.

Wide adoption of OpenID reduces the frustration of repeatedly having to register username/password accounts and then later recalling login information for an ever-increasing array of Web sites. For online businesses, these efforts can lower password and account management costs, help reduce the overall risks of security breaches by limiting the amount of customer personal information businesses need to store and protect, and increase both new and return user traffic by lowering the barriers to Web site entry and reentry.

To learn more about the OpenID Foundation, please visit http://openid.net/foundation.

To learn more about the OpenID, please visit http://openid.net.

Intel and Google Join with Dell,EDS,EPA,HP,IBM,Lenovo, Microsoft, PG&E, World Wildlife Fund and Others to Launch Climate Savers Computing Initiative

Intel Corporation and Google* joined with Dell*, EDS*, the Environmental Protection Agency*, HP*, IBM*, Lenovo*, Microsoft*, Pacific Gas and Electric*, World Wildlife Fund*, and more than a dozen additional organizations today announcing their intent to form the Climate Savers Computing Initiative (www.climatesaverscomputing.org ). The goal of the new broad-based environmental effort is to save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by setting aggressive new targets for energy-efficient computers and components, and promoting the adoption of energy-efficient computers and power management tools worldwide.

"Today, the average desktop PC wastes nearly half of its power, and the average server wastes one-third of its power," said Urs Holzle, senior vice president, Operations, Google Inc. "The Climate Savers Computing Initiative is setting a new 90 percent efficiency target for power supplies, which if achieved, will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 54 million tons per year -- and save more than $5.5 billion in energy costs.

"We are asking businesses and individuals throughout the world to join with us to institute better power management of their computing equipment and purchase energy-efficient computers," Holzle added.

Initial companies who intend to participate in the initiative represent both the demand and supply side of the computer industry, including computer manufacturers and chip makers, as well as environmental groups, energy companies, retailers, government agencies and more. The group will formalize its membership in coming weeks.

"By 2010, the Climate Savers Computing Initiative will cut greenhouse gas emissions in an amount equal to removing more than 11 million cars from the road or shutting down 20 500-megawatt coal-fired power plants -- a significant step in reducing the emissions affecting our planet," said Pat Gelsinger, senior vice president and general manager of Intel's Digital Enterprise Group.

"Computers have helped us make huge strides toward a more efficient world today, with reduced travel, more productivity, online transactions and more," Gelsinger added. "But with today's latest energy-efficient technologies, we can do even more. The commitment of the member companies that are here with us today is a firm statement to the collective resolve to make an enormous impact."

Computer and computer component manufacturers who support the initiative are committed to building energy-efficient products that meet or surpass the EPA's Energy Star* guidelines. Businesses must also commit to requiring high efficiency systems for the majority of their corporate desktop PCs and volume server purchases, and to deploy and use power management tools on desktop PCs.

Individual consumers can also support the Climate Savers Computing Initiative by signing up at www.climatesaverscomputing.org, where they will be able to pledge to purchase an initiative-certified system. The Web site will also help consumers learn how to take advantage of their existing computer's power-saving capabilities such as sleep and hibernate modes, which can reduce the amount of energy consumed by up to 60 percent.

The Climate Savers Computing Initiative licensed its name from the World Wildlife Fund Climate Savers program, which involves several leading companies working to reduce their carbon footprint.

"This is the first time our Climate Savers program has been applied to an entire sector, engaging manufacturers, retailers, and consumers," said John Donoghue, senior vice president for the WWF. "We are pleased to join these industry leaders to provide solutions to address climate change."

The initiative's energy efficiency benchmarks will initially follow the EPA's Energy Star guidelines; but with increasing requirements during the next several years. For example, 2007 Energy Star specifications require that PC power supplies meet at least 80 percent minimum efficiency. The initiative would require a minimum of 90 percent by 2010. In addition, the initiative sets a higher efficiency target in the power supply for volume servers (1U and 2U single-socket and dual-socket systems): an increase from 85 percent to 92 percent efficiency by 2010. For a complete description of the requirements, see www.climatesaverscomputing.org.

Initial Supporters
Intel Corporation (www.intel.com),
Google, Inc.* (www.google.com),
Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.* (www.amd.com),
Canonical Ltd.* (www.canonical.com),
Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society* (www.citris-uc.org), Coldwatt, Inc.* (www.coldwatt.com),
Dell Inc.* (www.dell.com),
Delta Electronics, Inc.* (www.delta.com.tw),
eBay* (www.ebay.com)
Electronic Data Systems Corporation* (www.eds.com),
EMC Corporation* (www.emc.com),
Fujitsu Limited* (www.fujitsu.com),
Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.* (www.hp.com),
Hipro Technology Inc.* (www.hipro-us.com),
Hitachi, Ltd.* (www.hitachi.com),
IBM Corporation* (www.ibm.com),
LANDesk Software* (www.landesk.com),
Lenovo Group Limited* (www.lenovo.com),
Linux Foundation* (www.linux-foundation.com),
Massachusetts Institute of Technology* (web.mit.edu),
Microsoft Corporation* (www.microsoft.com),
Natural Resource Defense Council* (www.nrdc.org),
NEC Corporation* (www.nec.com),
One Laptop per Child* (www.laptop.org),
PG&E Corporation* (www.pgecorp.com),
Power-One, Inc.* (www.power-one.com),
Quanta Computer Inc.* (www.quantatw.com),
Rackable Systems* (www.rackable.com),
Red Hat, Inc.* (www.redhat.com),
Starbucks Corporation* (www.starbucks.com),
Sun Microsystems, Inc.* (www.sun.com),
Supermicro Computer Inc.* (www.supermicro.com),
United States Environmental Protection Agency* (www.epa.gov),
University of Michigan* (www.umich.edu),
Unisys (www.unisys.com)
Verdiem Corporation* (www.verdiem.com),
World Wildlife Fund* (www.worldwildlife.org),
World Resources Institute* (www.wri.org),
Yahoo!* (www.yahoo.com).


About Intel
Intel, the world leader in silicon innovation, develops technologies, products and initiatives to continually advance how people work and live. Additional information about Intel is available at www.intel.com/pressroom.

About Google Inc.
Google's innovative search technologies connect millions of people around the world with information every day. Founded in 1998 by Stanford Ph.D. students Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Google today is a top web property in all major global markets. Google's targeted advertising program provides businesses of all sizes with measurable results, while enhancing the overall web experience for users. Google is headquartered in Silicon Valley with offices throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia. For more information, visit www.google.com.


* Other brands may be claimed as the property of others.
†Based on IDC projections of desktop and server volumes between 2007 and 2011. Emissions savings in mid-2010, and savings are annual starting in 2010.

Intel Unveils Virtual Marketing Storefront And Google Advertising Program For Reseller Channel

Intel Corporation today announced a new program that will help resellers worldwide market innovative Intel-based products in a more quick and cost-effective manner. The company has created a new virtual marketing storefront for its reseller channel and has also collaborated with Google to create an advertising program where resellers can place online ads.

The new initiative will provide qualified members of Intel's reseller channel network the resources and support to plan and execute marketing campaigns for their businesses. The online marketing storefront allows select resellers to place print ads, order merchandise and services, and easily customize collateral with their company information or logo. There will also be a suite of tools to support online advertising with Google, allowing reseller customers to go online and order ads by filing out a simple order form. Intel and Google will then facilitate the production and execution to simplify the process for the customer.

"We are listening to our customers who have asked for the ability to use online resources such as those offered by Google, in creative ways to help grow their business," said Steve Dallman, general manager, Intel Worldwide Reseller Channel Organization. "Many resellers are small businesses that have limited resources and expertise in marketing. Intel's virtual storefront will help customers overcome this challenge and equip them with the tools to be innovative in reaching and communicating to their customers."

The new virtual marketing storefront is being offered to Track Two licensees of the Intel® Inside program. It eliminates out-of-pocket expenses for Intel's channel customers through Intel Inside co-marketing funds. It also eliminates administration costs that were previously incurred by customers when applying for co-marketing reimbursements.

"We are excited about working together with Intel to bring the scale, relevancy and measurability of online advertising to Intel's small- to medium-sized channel partners around the globe," said John Topping, director, Technology BtoB Vertical, Google. "In leveraging Intel’s co-op marketing expertise, we have built tools and services to help Intel's channel partners more effectively manage their online advertising programs and generate better results from their marketing dollars."

Established in 1991, the Intel Inside program has always been a core element of Intel's worldwide marketing programs. The program has continued to evolve to better serve Intel's customers. The online advertising program established with Google reflects the growing importance of online ads in the marketing mix, especially for businesses customers.

The Intel Inside program is one of the world's largest co-operative marketing programs, supported by thousands of PC makers who are licensed to use the Intel Inside logos. The Intel brand is one of the top ten known-brands in the world, in a class with Coke*, Disney* and McDonalds*, according to various rankings.

The virtual marketing storefront and Google program will go into effect April 29. For more information resellers can contact their local Intel Reseller Channel Organization representative.