A WORCESTERSHIRE company has linked up with one of the leading enterprise partners in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region to promote a major international software brand.

Purple Rage Software in Malvern, who are sole UK and Ireland distributors for Germany-based DeskCenter Solutions, has appointed ASM Technologies as its premier partner.

ASM Technologies contacted Purple Rage after seeing DeskCenter in action at CeBIT, the world’s largest trade fair showcasing digital IT and telecommunications solutions, in Hanover.

Sales and channels director Jan Gregson said: “We are delighted to be teaming up with ASM to spread the word about DeskCenter, which is aimed at companies in the public, private and financial sectors.  Included in the portfolio is Management Suite, which enables administrators to manage and control IT infrastructure centrally from their workspace and is used by many high profile companies and organisations worldwide, including FIFA and Volkswagen.
“Efficient and reliable license management is more important than ever and should not be left to chance. All unused software licenses use important financial resources that could be used elsewhere and incorrect or incomplete licensing constitutes significant legal risk. DeskCenter faces that challenge and offers a powerful SAM DNA module that helps companies keep software licenses under control.

“One of DeskCenter’s other benefits is that it powers down PCs not in use. The PC Energy Report 2009 showed that only 56 per cent of employees in the UK switch off their PCs after work, which results in unnecessary costs and unwanted carbon dioxide emissions.”

Irvin Shillingford, software channel manager of ASM Technologies, said: “We are delighted to be building a relationship with DeskCenter, an emerging vendor.

“We look forward to this partnership with Purple Rage and creating many market opportunities, DeskCenter brings something different to the table by offering a comprehensive and unique solution in helping clients manage their physical and virtual desktops more cost effectively.”

Purple Rage Software is a privately owned company founded by sales director Jan Gregson and technical director Rob Dixon. Other major brands distributed or resold by the company include NovaStor, Peer Software and Likewise. For more details, visit www.purplerage.com or call 01684 576343.

Notes to editors
For more details, call Jan Gregson of Purple Rage Software on 01684 576343 or email Jan.Gregson@purplerage.com.

Fix this, fix that, my computer’s crashed, I’ve just lost that 5,000 word report I’ve been working on since last Friday.

Sounds familiar? If you haven’t heard any of those groans and grumbles today, you can bet your last memory stick your IT department has.

So why don’t you say ‘I love you’ to your IT folks by buying Deskcenter Management Suite, available from Purple Rage Software.

One of the most comprehensive product portfolios on the market, Deskcenter helps IT managers save time and perform all processes in your company quickly and reliably.

The product allows servers, PCs, assets, configurations and applications to be administered from one central point. All functions are included right from the start and modules are added by changing the license key at any time.

Deskcenters has many advantages – here are just a few to whet your appetite.

OS deployment – The suite allows you to install complete operating systems.

Software deployment – Supply departments, groups or users with the software they need.

File and contract repository – Store, find and connect files, documents and contracts.

Reporting – Run valuable and relevant analysis on collected data.
Real-time system management – Use all the commands that can be run on a workstation.

Service calendar – Manage all support employees’ appointments so nobody is forgotten about, especially that bloke and his 5,000 report.

For more details about how Deskcenter could transform the way your company works, contact Purple Rage Software, specialised UK and European distributors working with leading American and European software manufacturers, on 01684 576343 or email enquiries@purplerage.com

Purple Rage announces the release of Peer Software’s PeerSync 7.4. PeerSync provides expanded functionality and improved performance for enterprise-level synchronisation and backup. The new version offers tighter integration with PeerLock and enhanced scan processing to more efficiently handle large volumes of data and complex directory structures.

The new version offers numerous new features and performance enhancements, most notably tighter integration with PeerLock, providing more flexibility and control over file locking and releasing within PeerSync, and the ability to more efficiently handle large amounts of data and complex directories. The new features and enhancements make PeerSync 7.4 a true enterprise-grade file management solution.

“Managing data in enterprise environments demands a continual balancing of functionality/power and performance,” said Paul Marsala, CEO of Peer Software. “Often, one comes at the expense of the other. The new version of PeerSync was developed to offer a true enterprise-grade file management tool that delivers uncompromised functionality and performance—IT admins now have the ability to efficiently manage larger volumes of data, provide users with a transparent, reliable collaborative framework by way of PeerLock, and maintain complete data availability without overburdening network resources.”

PeerLock is the only true stand-alone file locking solution on the market today offering real-time detection of file use and immediate remote locking, ensuring that when a user is modifying a file, no other user will be allowed to make changes to that file on any machine that the user has chosen to lock. The newest version, PeerLock 2.0, eliminates several critical file management barriers (i.e., now files can be locked on any location even if the location is on a different domain), and facilitates more seamless collaboration by reducing file “release” intervals (longer “release” intervals increases the risk of “version conflict,” one of the main reasons collaborative projects are late, over-budget or fail).

New and Improved Features At-a-Glance

• Tighter PeerLock Integration: the ability to configure, manage, and monitor PeerLock from the Profiler.
• Enhanced Scan Processing: the ability to dynamically build multiple sub Jobs from each Job in a Profile for parallel processing of folder scans, shortening the time of completion for scanning.
• Enhanced Event Processing: the ability to parallel process real-time, retry and any other non-scan events, optimizing performance and minimizing processing time.
• Bi-directional through TCP: added functionality to support bi-directional synchronization with source and/or target being a TCP connected folder.
• Improved Interface: added four main sections to the Profiler: PeerSync, PeerLock, Run/View, and Service/Startup.
• Managed Files – Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS): new screen now allows for the option of using either of the following technologies to manage open/locked files: Embedded Open File Manager (EOFM) and Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS).
• Exceptions – Include Attributes: Ability to include a broad range of attributes, including Normal, Archive, System, Hidden, Read Only, Temporary, Offline, Encrypted, Compressed, Not Indexed.
• Exceptions – Exclude Attributes: includes Normal, Archive, System, Hidden, Read Only, Temporary, Offline, Encrypted, Compressed, and Not Indexed.
• Reporting – ACLs: ability to log the transfer of ACLs during scanning (ACL’s updates only) and after successful synchronization of a file.

For more information visit www.purplerage.com/peersync.

PeerSync is available in two versions: PeerSync Workstation and PeerSync Server, and runs under Microsoft Windows 2000/2003/XP/Vista.

A free 15 day trial copy is available for downloading at www.purplerage.com/getpeer.

Purple Rage announces the release of the latest version of Peer Software’s PeerSync Observer Enterprise Edition. Observer version 2.0 provides enhanced monitoring of all instances of PeerSync and PeerLock.

New features facilitate improved management in Peer collaborative environments by providing administrators with comprehensive visibility of file activity from a single console.

Purple Rage, a UK distributor of software solutions for Windows, Linux and Mac OSX, today announces the release of PeerSync Observer Enterprise Edition 2.0. Observer 2.0 provides administrators with the ability to monitor all running instances of PeerSync and PeerLock from a single console. Version 2.0 gives users optimised performance of, and increased visibility into, their Peer product deployment(s) and enables administrators to more efficiently manage even the most demanding collaborative environments.

PeerSync Observer Enterprise Edition V2.0 offers complete interoperability with the new version of PeerLock 2.0, the industry’s only stand-alone file locking tool. PeerLock 2.0 eliminates version conflicts many users experience with Microsoft’s DFS Replication solution, as it adds true file-locking. Administrators implementing both PeerSync Observer V2.0 and PeerLock 2.0 will achieve immediate productivity gains. Collaboration is made even more efficient, reliable and transparent – all within an environment that can be easily monitored and managed from any location (using the new Observer tool).

“Removing any and all barriers to efficient collaboration is imperative in today’s digitally-driven, 24×7 business environment,” said Paul Marsala, Peer Software’s President. “Our goal is to provide users with a seamlessly integrated collaborative framework, built on our core PeerSync file management tool. Together with the new version of PeerSync Observer and our recent release of PeerLock 2.0, users now have a complete solution for reliable, anywhere/anytime collaboration. “

New Features:

• The ability to receive PeerLock status information and display it in a separate table, similar to the display available in PeerLock, when running in an application mode.
• Allows Observer to set the interval by which PeerSync and PeerLock transmit status information to the Observer.
• PeerLock entries can now change their status and colour if the Observer has not received new updates from PeerLock for a given period of time.
• Improved PeerSync and PeerLock status colour change notification setup and accuracy. The Observer will now correctly update the colour status of the entries accordingly. End user setup for colour change notification is now much simpler and intuitive.
• Can show/hide, resize, reposition, and sort all PeerSync and PeerLock table columns. Each column size and index will be saved in the PSOBDEF.CFG file to be loaded each time the Observer is restarted.
• New “Locked” and “Released” PeerLock activity panel Tabs to maintain separate listings of locked or released files similar to the PeerLock application.
• Improved auto sorting mechanism to automatically sort PeerSync and PeerLock entries, as they are received, based on a new “Status Level” column.
• Refresh all active PeerSync or PeerLock entries by hitting F5 on the keyboard provided that the PeerSync or PeerLock Activity Panels are in focus.
• Manually add, rather than self-discover, a machine name for the Observer to broadcast to directly (in order for running PeerSync and PeerLock instances to begin transmitting status information to the Observer). This ability is useful when the Observer is having problems receiving status information from PeerSync and PeerLock instances running on the domain or across the VPN.
• Enhanced Logging to include PeerLock activity.
• New “Enable Repetitive Broadcast” setting ties into the “Always Enable Activity Reporting” feature. When this option is checked the user will be able to “Enable Repetitive Broadcast” and specify the broadcast interval. This sets the cycle of how often the Observer will broadcast messages to all PeerSync and PeerLock instances running within the designated domain to begin transmitting status information to the Observer.

Since its introduction in 1993, PeerSync has been used by thousands of organisations to keep their data secure, synchronised, and continuously available, without interruption. PeerSync unobtrusively monitors connections between storage points and provides a range of manual, scheduled, and/or real-time file backup and synchronisation routines. In addition, users can select multiple source-target configurations for speed and flexibility when dealing with multiple computers and storage devices.

Observer Enterprise Edition v2.0 is available directly from the Purple Rage website (www.purplerage.com/peer) or through authorised Purple Rage resellers. For those ordering Observer Enterprise Edition v2.0 between now and 15 November 2007, it is £247 per instance; after 15 November 2007 the price will increase to £494 per instance.

A free 15 day trial copy is available for downloading at http://www.purplerage.com/getpeer.

Purple Rage announces the release of the latest version of Peer Software’s PeerLock. PeerLock 2.0 offers a more granular approach to file management for improved distributed collaboration.

New features provide more flexibility and control over file locking and releasing; includes cross domain file locking, narrower “release” intervals, and key performance enhancements for more efficient collaboration.

Purple Rage, a UK distributor of software solutions for Windows, Linux and Mac OSX, today announces the release of PeerLock 2.0. The new version contains features and enhancements to provide greater control over file management and collaboration.

The only true stand-alone file locking solution on the market today offering real-time detection of file use and immediate remote locking, Peerlock’s core functionality ensures that when a user is modifying a file, no other user will be allowed to make changes to that file on any machine that the user has chosen to lock. The new version, Peerlock 2.0, eliminates several critical file management barriers (i.e., now files can be locked on any location even if the location is on a different domain) and facilitates more seamless collaboration by reducing file “release” intervals (longer “release” intervals increases the risk of “version conflict,” one of the main reasons collaborative projects are late, over-budget or fail).

PeerLock 2.0 adds locking options for more precise control, increases visibility into locked files across collaborative environments, and offers a number of enhancements to streamline overall performance. PeerLock 2.0 eliminates version conflict many users experience with Microsoft’s DFS Replication solution, as it adds true file-locking; project teams relying on the PeerSync Collaboration Package will realize immediate productivity gains, as collaboration is made even more efficient, reliable and transparent.

Key Features

• Cross Domain File Locking: Lock files on any location even if the location is on a different domain or on another machine requiring specific credentials for access.
• Performance – Improved Locking and Releasing Time: Files are locked and released in milliseconds instead of approximately one second per file.
• Detection Options – Dual Detection: Use both Local and File Server Mode Detection for complete locking on machines that may have files opened from users connecting over the network as well as accessing the files locally.
• Ability to manipulate Locked List: Release locks from the PeerLock Locked list.
• Lock Options – Allow Access based on Source File: This feature adds the ability to Lock Target Files with the same access based on the Source File. When using this feature files on the source and their corresponding target(s) will be accessible by other users in the same manner: i.e. you cannot open the file, you can open the file for read access or you can open the file for read and write access. This is an important feature for applications that open some files for read and write access and other related files for read access, as well as, applications that just open Source Files for read access (such as for CAD resource files).
• Display – Release List: Sorts recently released files and all information pertaining to the locking and releasing of those files including why the file was released (i.e. Manually, Locking Stopped, PeerLock Stopped or the Source File was released).
• Internal File Management – Cache Management: Used to track and remove temporary files used by PeerLock. There are options to enable the caching, clear the cache at the start of locking and to clear the cache manually on demand.
• Failed Connections Retry: PeerLock now stores failed connections and retries them on a ten minute cycle. This should improve overall performance when connection losses occur.
• Performance – Optimized Lock and Release: Separated the Locking and Releasing cycles to allow for the ability to set the priority of each procedure.

A free 15 day trial copy is available for downloading at http://www.purplerage.com/getpeer.

Purple Rage, a UK distributor of software solutions for Windows, Linux and Mac OSX, announces the release of Peer Software’s Peer DRS. Peer DRS delivers centralised database backup and replication, with changes being transmitted to one or more remote locations. The initial release supports Microsoft SQL Server; future releases will support other database platforms (Microsoft® Exchange®, MSDE, MySQL, etc.).

Peer DRS is an application which provides a framework for automating the replication of databases and incremental changes from primary servers. Replicated data is then restored onto one or more target standby servers. Transaction logs are automatically backed up throughout the day which are then automatically restored on standby servers located anywhere in the world. Through continuous data protection Peer DRS is able to deliver the resilience companies need for their database applications, even in the most diverse environments. Peer DRS is highly configurable to meet the needs of almost any backup scenario.

Paul Marsala, CEO of Peer Software said, “Peer DRS was developed to meet an unaddressed need: centralising and simplifying the replication of an organisation’s databases, wherever they may reside. Peer DRS has a plug-in architecture allowing it to support different types of database backups from a single application. As with all our backup and synchronization tools, Peer DRS combines enterprise-grade functionality with ease-of-use. Once configured, it will manage all database replication routines with nominal administration.”

Key Features

• Support for MS SQL Server 7.0 (limited support), MS SQL Server 2000 and MS SQL Server 2005.
• Perform up to the minute incremental backups and replicate them to one or more warm standby databases.
• Configure and manage all database backups and replication remotely from a central, client-based GUI.
• Replicate across a WAN via FTP, SFTP, SSH or a password protected Network Shared drive.
• Cross platform Java based application that can run on various operating systems such as Windows, Linux, Mac, etc.
• Able to use the standby server as a live read-only database.
• Send alert emails if connection to primary database cannot be established or if a backup or restore has not occurred within a configurable period of time threshold.
• Report on all replication activity in real-time from a single control panel allowing for easy identification of current errors or for peace of mind by knowing everything is operating smoothly

A free 15 day trial copy is available for downloading at http://www.purplerage.com/downloads. Pricing is £573 per SQL Server, and is available for purchase from the Purple Rage online store.

About Purple Rage Limited
Purple Rage was founded in 2005 by Rob Dixon and Jan Gregson. Purple Rage is a UK & European Distributor, formed to create a platform for a focused set of solutions to meet the requirements of company’s evermore demanding, diverse and heterogeneous environments. By working with strategic partners that promote and enhance multiple operating systems we are able to serve diverse business sectors. For further information: http://www.purplerage.com

About Peer Software Inc
Founded in 1993 by Paul Marsala, “Peer Software, Inc.’s mission is to offer utilities that centralize management of critical computer processes across your entire business enterprise”. Their goal is to promote data consistency, ensure against data loss, and facilitate software distribution, desktop monitoring, knowledge transfer, and a host of activities designed to sustain seamless business communications and improve operating efficiencies.