Is PineApp The Israeli Version Of Gmail?

If there is one thing Gmail (an email service by Google) is known for it is its archiving and anti spam features. While gmail is great and dandy (note: this author loves Gmail) some companies may want something similar to handle mail on their own servers instead of Google's.

PineApp, which is located in Nesher (which is right underneath Haifa) has created some interesting hardware/software combo to help companies "defend the gates" against the ever annoying spammers (who need to be destroyed).

(Israel 21st Century) Protecting and archiving e-mail is PineApp's business. What firewalls have done for computer networks, PineApp aims to do for e-mail. The company's first appliance, Mail-SeCure, is a separate piece of hardwire that isolates bad messages in a safe zone and prevents them from contaminating the rest of the system, ensuring maximum security for organizations and users.

PineApp's ArchiveSeCure keeps a record of corporate e-mail activity, allowing managers to reproduce records when required to by government or courts. And SurfSeCure protects organizations from the hazards of web-based e-mail, as well as other online web threats. [...]

"The PineApp appliance is attached to the mail server, and evaluates each message that comes in," Michaeli explains. "Messages are scanned for suspect attachments, and are 'killed' before they make it onto the mail server or into a user's inbox. And any messages that don't have a valid destination are also eliminated before making it onto the server," thus preventing hackers from performing a DOS attack.

The appliances, which are designed for small and medium sized companies, are built on a custom Linux platform that is encrypted on several levels and cannot be easily compromised. This makes it hard for hackers to write viruses or Trojans.

PineApp seems to be gaining ground around the globe, as they already have offices in New York, Florida, England, Russia and Germany--not to mention Israel as well (which they dominate with a 40% market share according to Israel 21st Century).

Time will only tell whether PineApp will be able to challenge the tech giants in the US of A, although if their technology is as good as a lot of people are saying, we may find their company assimilated by Microsoft (who  is currently in talks to purchase yet another Israeli company).

IsraGeek: Microsoft May Assimilate 3DV Systems (Potential 3D Gaming For Xbox?)

While this is not the first time Microsoft has courted the Jewish state (as they previously purchased Secured Dimensions and YaData), this latest move could hint at what the Redmond giant is planning for their gaming console Xbox.

(Globes Online) Software giant Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT) is negotiating to acquire 3DV Systems Ltd. for $30-$40 million.

IVC reports that 3DV Systems has raised $38 million in investment funds to date. [...]

3DV has targeted the video gaming market. It has developed video camera technology capable of capturing the depth dimension of objects in real time, enabling it to sense motion and recognize shape within a dynamically defined three-dimensional space.

While no word has yet emerged what Microsoft plans on doing with 3DV Systems (as they are still negotiating), although if they did find some way of integrating 3DV Systems 3D technology into a future Xbox, they could dethrone Nintendo's Wii as the king of gaming consoles (at least internationally).

Should Israel Join OPEC? (Alternate Title: Haifa Gas Larger Than Life)

Not too long ago there was news that Israel discovered a large amount of natural gas off the coast of Haifa.

While discovering large reserves of natural gas is not really "breaking news" (as it is discovered all over the world very frequently) this one treasure trove may help Israel become energy independent (at least from foreign gas).

(Israel National News) A massive natural gas find off the coast of Haifa which was lauded as capable of fueling all of Israel for 15 years is actually more than 60 percent larger than originally estimated, according to the American partner in the drill, Noble Energy Inc.

Israeli companies Isramco Negev 2, Delek Drilling, Avner Oil Exploration, and Dor Gas Exploration had the majority of the stake on the dig – named Tamar-1 – which is estimated at a potential of 5 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. That estimate is up from January, at which time the partners believed the well contained 3 trillion cubic feet of gas.

Even though Israel already receives gas from Egypt, having a large secondary source should greatly benefit Israel (as they have not made too many friends abroad ever since defending their borders in Gaza).

Avoiding Future Disaster (Blog Maintenance)

In order to avoid future problems down the road, this weblog is going under the DNS knife (so it may appear choppy for 48 hours).

I'll update this post as soon as it is back up. :-)


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