Aug 22nd - Fujitsu launches FENICS network service

Fujitsu has launched a network service that enables smartphones and tablets to securely connect to a corporate intranet.

With the new Mobile Browser Connection Service, customers can connect to a company’s internal network over the FENICS II Universal Connect service from a mobile device equipped with a special FENICS Browser application from Fujitsu. This, in turn, enables enterprise users to access websites, applications, web e-mail, groupware, address books, and other resources without leaving business data and logs on their mobile devices. As a result, users are freed from having to worry about information leaks and can securely browse and update data.

Amid a remarkable spread in the use of smartphones and tablets, companies are increasingly facing the need to employ such devices in a wide range of business scenarios. On the other hand, due to uncertainty about information leaks and other security risks, as well as concerns about deployment costs and operational burdens, many customers are hesitant to use mobile devices as part of their business processes.

In light of these circumstances, Fujitsu is offering the Mobile Browser Connection Service, a network service that enables mobile devices to securely connect to a corporate intranet. In addition, as an added service, Fujitsu will be offering the Mobile Content Conversion Service, which converts website content intended for PCs into a format that is easily viewable on mobile devices.

Aug 20th - Fujitsu to expand mobile phone business

Fujitsu Ltd. has revealed plans to buy out its mobile phone joint venture with Toshiba Corp. next year, a deal that is expected to pull Toshiba out of the handset business.

Fujitsu currently holds an 80.1 percent stake in Fujitsu Toshiba Mobile Communications Ltd. and intends to make the joint venture its wholly owned subsidiary as early as the first half of 2012 by acquiring the remaining 19.9 percent stake from Toshiba.

The joint venture was launched in October 2010. The combined market share of Fujitsu's mobile phone unit and the joint venture currently accounts for about 20 percent in the nation, the second-largest after Sharp Corp.

Toshiba wants to concentrate management resources on its core businesses such as semiconductors, some observers said. As Fujitsu has a dominant position in the joint venture, the company agreed to buy out Toshiba's stake, sources said.

Fujitsu's mobile phone unit has developed handsets for NTT Docomo Inc., while the joint venture has supplied handsets for KDDI Corp. and others. Fujitsu likely plans to cut development and other costs by integrating operations of its mobile phone unit and the joint venture.

After the joint venture is dissolved, Fujitsu will no longer be able to sell smartphones using the "Regza" brand, which is also the name of a popular range of Toshiba LCD TVs. The company will market smartphones with a different brand name.

Fujitsu also said it planned to enter the U.S. and European markets next year.

Aug 15th - Fujitsu releases software tool for easy web app creation

Fujitsu Ltd and Fujitsu Applications Ltd have launched a software tool that makes it easy for customers to create their own web applications.

RapidWebSS has been designed mainly for office tasks managed through Microsoft Office Excel, including simple workflow management, customer-relationship management, bid management, and trouble-ticket management, as well as providing supplemental functionality to mission-critical systems. After installing the product on a PC server, customers can create new web applications in about a half a day using familiar Excel operations. In addition, the software can flexibly accommodate changes to business process specifications after applications have already been put into use. Users of web applications produced using this software can access the applications over the Internet from their own computers to input or browse information.

As a result, business processes for which ICT use has been difficult in the past due to budgetary or operational workload constraints can now be systemized by users, thereby enabling improved business efficiency through central management of information.

Companies have made some progress in systematizing their key business processes. However, for processes with constantly-changing specifications and that involve ROI or operational overhead risks, companies manage information manually using Excel in many cases. As this approach involves the exchange of Excel and other files via e-mail with a variety of different people inputting data, it can be difficult to determine the status of progress with Excel files often becoming scattered, thus making tabulation work complicated.

With these circumstances in mind, Fujitsu and Fujitsu Applications have released RapidWebSS, a software tool that makes it quick, inexpensive, and easy to develop web applications.

JCN Newswire