MS, EquaTerra launch governance tool

Microsoft and software developer EquaTerra have partnered to launch an IT workplace governance platform, says VNUNet.

EquaTerra made the decision to develop the Governance WorkPlace tool after seeing an increase in sourcing activity and the subsequent need to manage service providers and contracts effectively.

EquaTerra believes it can reduce the cost to manage an outsourced relationship by one per cent of the annual contract value. Most organisations' outsourcing governance budgets are between four and seven per cent of the annual value of the contract, and Governance WorkPlace can reduce these costs by approximately 20%, the company said.

With several small and medium enterprises in Gujarat, India, lacking Internet security, the Ahmedabad chapter of Western India Regional Council (WIRC) of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) has organised a seminar to guide them in this regard, says Business Standard.

The seminar, named 'National Programme on Information Technology', will focus on data security, IT governance, compliance and risk management.

"The seminar will also be targeted at aspiring chartered accountants, whose curriculum features only 15% of information technology," said Nitin Pathak, chairman, IT Committee, Ahmedabad chapter of WIRC of ICAI.

Compliance 360, a leading provider of on-demand solutions for enterprise governance, risk management and compliance, has appointed Scot McLeod, a software industry veteran of 24 years, as vice-president of marketing, says Market Watch.

Prior to joining Compliance 360, McLeod was senior vice-president of marketing for CDC Software, ranked as the world's 12th largest enterprise application software company in 2007.

During his six-year tenure with the company, McLeod was instrumental in driving vertical market strategies and programmes that supported the company's success in new-business sales and double-digit growth rates.