cloud computing, Software, startups Gregory T. Huang wrote: EMC, the software and data-storage giant based in Hopkinton, MA, is announcing today it has formed a new company called Decho. The new organization is composed of two formerly separate EMC businesses—American Fork, UT-based Mozy and Seattle-based Pi. The merged operation will focus on cloud computing services having to do with managing people’s digital information, including the online backup and storage of personal data. Xconomy is very familiar with EMC (NYSE: EMC) and Mozy. Back in October 2007, we wrote about the story behind EMC’s acquisition of Berkeley Data Systems, which developed Mozy, the online backup service. The Mozy desktop application automatically uploads copies of key files and folders to Mozy’s servers, and is best known for its popularity among consumers rather than companies. As for Pi, the software startup was acquired by EMC last February, and has always been pretty stealthy about what it’s doing. (Its name stands for “personal information,” not the transcendental number we know from geometry class.) The firm was originally founded by ex-Microsoft exec Paul Maritz, who became CEO of VMware (also part of EMC) in July. Maritz will remain at VMware, and is on the board of Decho. The new company has more than 100 employees based in four cities: Seattle; American Fork, Utah; Montreal, Canada; and Bangalore, India. Charles Fitzgerald, Decho’s vice president of product management (also an ex-Microsoftie), sat down with Xconomy last week to tell us more about the direction of the company. First of all, its name stands for “digital echo,” referring to the data bouncing around between a user’s devices—phone, laptop, desktop—and the Internet cloud. “If you look at the new Decho entity, we are a cloud-based service provider focused on personal information. We’re beyond the startup stage,” says Fitzgerald. “We have eight figures of revenue now and are growing nicely…The revenue is all coming from Mozy.” Why focus on personal information management? Fitzgerald cited four catalysts: the sheer volume of data out there (70 percent is from individuals—things like photos and documents); redundant information scattered across many devices; the desire of customers to save data for decades; and the need to categorize and tag our information in an automated way. “Today’s world is very device-centric,” Fitzgerald says. “Instead of a device-centric world. we’d like to have an information-centric world where the core information is something I can act on and protect and manage and enrich very explicitly.” To that end, Decho will be combining Mozy’s technology—cheap disk storage with advanced software algorithms—with Pi’s “metadata” platform. “Pi provides some very sophisticated metadata management—finding, tagging, and indexing stuff and having a more semantic understanding of the data in these clouds,” says Fitzgerald. “We have a bunch of data centers like other people, but the magic is at the software layer…Mozy will continue to be the brand for online backup going forward, but you will see us also provide some additional applications to take advantage of that back end.” Fitzgerald isn’t saying much about what those applications will be just yet. “You can think of multiple propositions,” he says. “We certainly will go back to somebody who has done backup and say, ‘Hey, would you like to do more with your backup? You have a critical mass of data in the cloud, and there are other things you can do with it.’” Fitzgerald adds that the main challenges going forward are on the business side rather than technical, and they include “getting customers comfortable with the platform.” So, will Decho be primarily a consumer brand, and how will EMC run it? Fitzgerald hinted that the new venture will be a fairly autonomous entity. “We are a cloud service provider who sells all the way up to GE—but part of the reason for making it a new company is that it is a very different space from the traditional EMC space,” he says. “Catering to consumers among other customers is very different from anything EMC has done traditionally. In recent years, they’ve been pretty good at making things more or less loosely coupled depending on what they need to do from a business perspective. VMware and RSA are more or less autonomous.” We’ll have to wait and see what new products Decho has in store for its users, and what its impact will be on EMC’s business. But all signs point to it being a formidable competitor in the race to cash in on people’s need to organize their stockpiles of personal data online. Comments | Permalink | Share |  E-mail Less

Heidalmsgate like a promethean curse by Of Montreal at Regent's Park bandstand for Bandstand Busking. Less

VC, funding, Software Wade Roush wrote: Waltham, MA-based Commonwealth Capital Partners is the lead investor in a $5 million Series A venture round for Tungle, a maker of free Web-based calendar groupware, the Montreal-based startup announced today. Existing investors JLA Ventures and Desjardins Venture Capital also contributed to the round, which will be used to—you guessed it—”accelerate the company’s marketing and engineering activities.” Permalink | Share |  E-mail Less

Elizabeth Powell of Montreal Quebec’s Land of Talk , met bandmates Chris McCarron and Mark Wheaton in the Jazz program at Concordia University after some attempts as a solo artist and efforts in other bands. After releasing their first EP in April of 2006, they are back with their first full length album, Some Are Lakes. The album will be released on Secret City Records in Canada and on Saddle Creek in the US, with an upcoming release date of October 7, 2008 and loads of upcoming tourdates.  You can currently purchase the album at iTunes and Land of Talk is taking visitors at Facebook, MySpace, and over at Saddle Creek Records Download | Subscribe | Subscribe in iTunes | Subscribe to All Spread It Around: Hide Sites Less

Encore une fois : moi, mon micro et mon enregistreur sur ma terrasse arrière. Je vous parle de l’India Pale Ale de la Barberie, de iWPhone, de l’horaire de PodCamp Montréal, de Praize’n'raze, de Ping.fm et de 10putes & nous. En musique, on écoute The Stills, Stereolab, Destroyer, The Pack A.D., The Bombay Dub Orchestra, Takako Minekawa, Hot Chip, Wolf Parade et Plants and Animals. Less

First of all, thank you to Jimmy Gardner for filling in for me while I was in San Francisco and to Ben Yoskovitz for joining the show and being an absolute pro through technical difficulties. What the guys don’t know is that I called in and listened to 10 minutes of the show on my phone while I was sitting in a session at WordCamp. These guys are great. The show was multi-faceted in an interesting way. Ben described StandoutJobs, a B2B HR tool that allows hiring companies to put destination portals online for job seekers. At taking the poll that is open. Until next week. Listen to Episode 6 Less

I came across this Canadian improv troupe somewhere in my web surfing this year, and this week I saw their videos on the Montreal Fringe’s Facebook page. It looks like their show is called “Argument With A Dolphin”, and I think they specifically do long-form shows. Watch more of Without Annette’s behind-the-scenes footage on their blog. Some of our friends from previous Orlando Fringes will be there, like Barry Smith (Jesus in Montana, American Squatter), TJ Dawe (Totem Figures, Slipknot), and Greg Landucci (Dishpig, Mr. FOX), and Influx Dance (Goals for 2002). Also, some new friends from this year’s festival - The Cody Rivers Show (Stick to Glue) and Andrew Connor (Boom), will be there too. If this information is wrong, sorry. Iwas having some trouble finding info on the Fringe site. If I’m missing anyone, I’d love to include them too. Funny thing about Montreal and Blogging Fringe - if you search for it, we come up on the first page, from my post-fringe show last year where I was Seeking Updates from Montreal Fringe. My offer from last month (and last year) still stands - anyone who wants to can do whatever with Blogging Fringe - we have set up some conventions - Fringe Crush, Voicemail Reviews, and Fringe Moments - do with them what you will. If you send me links I will post them here, or I will give you an account and plenty of attribution on the site. We will even import your blog posts word-for-word, but a warning that MySpace blogs are not very good for that purpose, since the feeds only include a few words for each blog post. If you’re in Montreal or any other Fringe City, get in touch. I’d love to just know you’re out there. Less

Interview 20, podcast consacré à une série d’interviews avec des acteurs et entrepreneurs liés aux nouvelles technologies. Aujourd’hui, je reçois Stéphane Faucompré président d’ilitoo NA. ilitoo est une entreprise spécialisée en marketing de proximité. Benoit Descary Liens: ilitou NA: http://www.ilitoo-na.com Ilitoo pousse votre message Billets relatifs Ilitoo pousse votre message Coup de pub: je suis cité dans La Presse Créez votre chaîne de podcast audio et vidéo avec Wide.tv YulBiz, l’incontournable rencontre des blogueurs d’affaires Interview2.0: entretien avec Marc Thouvenin, il nous parle d’Europa la nouvelle version de Wikio Less

This week's Headphones required / Mets tes écouteurs podcast features only quebecers projects, with one exception. I think I am compensating for all those times where I wished I would have more local music. Here is this week's playlist... Le Headphones required / Mets tes écouteurs podcast de cette semaine est dédié à des projets québécois, une exception près. Je pense que cela compense toutes les fois où j'aurais aimé faire tourner plus de musique locale. Voici la playlist pour cette semaine... Munich Madness1 StereolabAluminum TunesPublished by Duophonic Ultra-High Frequency Disks and Drag City in 1998 No Heaven2 ChampionChill' Em AllReleased by Saboteur Musique in 2004 Luscious LifePatrick WatsonMontreal Noise & FriendzReleased by Nightlife Magazine in 2006 Automne3 Navet ConfitL.P.1Released by GSI Musique in 2006 Journaliste4Numéro#L'idéologie des starsPublished by Saboteur Musique in 2006 Les matins tu te dessines un visage5Peter + Petite musiqueCouvertures & ConfituresReleased by Natacha's Recordings in 2003 You can leave me comments, questions or suggestions below. Vous pouvez me faire part de vos commentaires, questions ou suggestion ci-dessous. 1. Courtesy of / Gracieuseté de Drag City.2. Courtesy of / Gracieuseté de Saboteur Musique.3. Courtesy of / Gracieuseté de Navet Confit.4. Courtesy of / Gracieuseté de Saboteur Musique. Less

Louise-Caroline Bergeron of Block the Empire, speaks about the bail hearing for Montreal activist Jaggi Singh, held at Montreal municipal court on November 27, 2006. Sings was arrested on Friday November 24 at a press conference of Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Less

This week’s Headphones required / Mets tes écouteurs podcast starts with a classic of the electronica scene and finish off with somewhat experimental stuff. Here is this week’s playlist… Le Headphones required / Mets tes écouteurs podcast de cette semaine s’ouvre avec un classique de la scène electronica et se termine avec des pièces un tant soit peu expérimentales. Voici la playlist pour cette semaine… Tour de France, Kraftwerk • Tour de France [Soundtracks], Published by Astralwerks in 2003 The Mating Game1, Bitter:Sweet • The Mating Game, Released by Quango in 2006 On the Radio, Regina Spektor • Begin to Hope, Published by Sire Records in 2006 Always for You, The Album Leaf • Into The Blue Again, Published by Sub Pop Records in 2006 {Untitled}2, Le Peuplier de Simon • {Untitled}, Released by Natacha’s Recordings in 2005 The Reinforcements3, Electroluminescent • Open On All Sides, Released by Chat Blanc Records in 2006 You can leave me comments, questions or suggestions on our website, headphonesrequired.com. Vous pouvez me faire part de vos commentaires, questions ou suggestion sur notre site web, headphonesrequired.com. 1 Courtesy of / Gracieuseté de Bitter:Sweet. 2 Courtesy of / Gracieuseté de Natacha’s Recordings (via l’achat d’Amélie Dubreuil). 3 Courtesy of / Gracieuseté de Chat Blanc Records. Less

Saint-Jean Baptiste special, which means that I am only playing french (or instrumental) music from Quebec for this week. Spécial Saint-Jean Baptiste, ce qui signifie que je roule seulement de la musique francophone (ou instrumental) de la Belle Province cette semaine. All of the songs featured on this podcast are available for free on either the band or their label website. When it’s not the case, it means I received authorization by the artist or the label in charge of publishing the music. Here is this week’s playlist… Toutes les chansons en vedettes dans ce podcast sont disponibles gratuitement sur le site de l’artiste en question ou celui de sa maison de disque. Lorsque ce n’est pas le cas, c’est que j’ai obtenu l’autorisation de l’artiste ou l’étiquette responsable de l’édition de la pièce. Voici le menu pour cette semaine… “Retour à Vega” (The Stills’ Retour à Vega – Published by Vice Records in 2004) “Aérobie : Un Exercice” (André’s Les Derniers Modèles de la Mode Masculine – Published by Les Disques Bérézine in 2005; Reissued by Les Disques Anubis in 2006) “Le Moniste” (IXE-13’s Lo-Fi Love [a split record with Millimetrik] – Released by Worthy Records in 2005) “Baie Sainte-Marie” (Alexandre Bilodeau’s Wois-tu ça? – Published in 2004 by Spin-it in Moncton, Revolution Records in Halifax and Galerie Saule in La Baie) “Si au moins j’étais deux” (Maco’s Si au moins j’étais deux – Released by Dusty Tracks Records in 2005) “Montréal -40°C” (Malajube’s Trompe-L’Oeil – Published by Dare To Care Records in 2006) “Melt Materna”1 (Peter + Petite Musique’s Couvertures et confitures – Released by Natacha’s Recordings in 2003) You can email me your questions or comments at laurent@headphonesrequired.com. Envoyez-moi vos questions ou commentaires à l’adresse laurent@headphonesrequired.com. 1 Courtesy of / Gracieuseté de Natacha’s Recordings. Less

All of the songs featured on this podcast are available for free on either the band or their label website. Here is this week’s playlist… Toutes les chansons en vedettes dans ce podcast sont disponibles gratuitement sur le site de l’artiste en question ou celui de sa maison de disque. Voici le menu pour cette semaine… “It Dawned on Me” (Calla’s Collisions – Published by Beggars Banquet Records in 2005) “Wraith Pinned to the Miust (and Other Games)” (Of Montreal’s The Sunlandic Twins – Published by Polyvynil Records in 2005) “Bad News from the Stars” (Brezel Göring’s Bad News from the Stars – Released by Gagarin Records in 2002) “Ex Fan des Sixties” (Stereo Total’s Monokini – Published by Kill Rock Stars in 1996) “Wishing I Lived Near Water” (Vitaminsforyou’s The Legend of Bird’s Hill – Released by Sfeericle Records in 2006) “COYL” (Vertigo Quartet – Unreleased) “Everyone Gets Shot” (The American Dollar’s Self titled album – Self released) You can email me your questions or comments at laurent@headphonesrequired.com. Envoyez-moi vos questions ou commentaires à l’adresse laurent@headphonesrequired.com. Less

All of the songs featured on this podcast are available for free on either the band or their label website. When it’s not the case, it means I received authorization by the artist or the label in charge of publishing the music. Here is this week’s playlist… Toutes les chansons en vedettes dans ce podcast sont disponibles gratuitement sur le site de l’artiste en question ou celui de sa maison de disque. Lorsque ce n’est pas le cas, c’est que j’ai obtenu l’autorisation de l’artiste ou l’étiquette responsable de l’édition de la pièce. Voici le menu pour cette semaine… “Somewhere Up Above”¹ (April March’s Triggers – Published by Tricatel in 2003) “You’re A Hologram” (Hexes & Ohs’ Demo – Unreleased) “Shine a Light” (Wolf Parade’s Apologies to the Queen Mary – Published by Sub Pop Records in 2005) “Something Better” (Porter Block’s Suburban Sprawl – Upcoming release by Engine Room Audio for 2006) “Ladyflash”² (The Go! Team’s Thunder, Lightning, Strike – Released by Memphis Industries in 2005) “L’Abondance d’une Minorité” (Millimetrik’s Variety is the Spice of Life – Published by Statik in 2003) You can email me your questions or comments at laurent@headphonesrequired.com. Envoyez-moi vos questions ou commentaires à l’adresse laurent@headphonesrequired.com. ¹ Courtesy of / Gracieuseté de Elinor Blake. ² Courtesy of / Gracieuseté de The Go! Team. Less