16/09/98 Daily Digest

RM profits from National Grid for Learning RM Plc reports "significantly increased demand" for its RM Window Box products including RM SchoolShare, following the introduction of the Government's plan to build a National Grid for Learning. RM, is the UK's dominant technology supplier in the UK schools sector. And it is set to profit handsomely from the £100 million expansion of school IT budgets, set aside for the National Grid. Under the scheme, RM plugged more than 2,000 schools to the Internet,with more than a third plumping for ISDN connections. And -- in line with Government projections -- more than 90 per cent are primary schools, RM says. Infobank shares rise on Lotus deal Infobank and Lotus Development have signed two trading agreements to set up secure software distribution on the Internet.Infobank's AIM-listed shares moved up sevem per cent on the news. TrustMarque International, a subsidiary of Infobank, is to encrypt and distribute Lotus and IBM software. Decryption keys will be issued once payment and user authentication details are confirmed. Another subsidiary, Infobank Software Corporation has been appointed the first of these resellers in Europe and the UK. Terms of the channel agreement, including security arrangements, have yet to be finalised. Anite options Anite Group plc director John Hawkin has been awarded an option on 1,316,000 company shares, exercisable from 15 September 2001 at 47p each. Yesterday's share price was 46 pence, but a high of 67 pence per share has been reached this year. Reflex results The Reflex Group has recorded a pre-tax profit of IR£206,000 for the half year to 30 June 1998 including charges of IR£16,000. After tax, the figure falls to IR£161,000. In the same period last year, the group reported a loss of IR£154,000. Operations comprise two UK subsidiaries both of which supply short term data processing facilities to the industrial and services sectors throughout the UK. Both daughter companies, Short Term Rental Systems in London and First Rental in Cambridge, traded profitably during the period. In a statement, Reflex said it plans to keep focused on its subsidiaries while looking for other areas in IT that could be profitable. Memory Corp awards Savage options On 11 September this year David Savage, CEO of Memory Corporation has been granted 375,000 options at an exercise price of 18p. This is the first such award he has received. Good start for Misys financial year With the first quarter results in hand, Misys has proclaimed a good start to the current financial year. In a statement at the company's AGM, chairman Kevin Lomax, reported "a strong order intake across the group", and expressed confidence in another year of good progress. ITG finds US partner GX Networks, a subsidiary of Internet Technology Group (ITG), has beefed up its overseas presence through a "strategic partnership" with US ISP Concentric Network. Backed by Concentric, GX will be able to offer a wider range of services to a larger market and can use its new partner's US ATM network. Concentric in turn gets access to GX's UK meshed frame relay backbone and STM-1 transatlantic connection, giving it a foothold in Europe. Kyocera nabs £4 million deal Kyocera has won a £4 million deal to supply Nationwide Building Society with 2,500 printers. The installation will be handled by Computacenter, Nationwide's incumbent reseller.