Applied Computer Technologies (ACT) announced this week that two of its systems engineers have earned the title of Master Storage Area Networks (SAN) Architect, part of the Hewlett-Packard/Compaq Master Accredited Systems Engineer 's certification programme.

ACT said it is the first company in Bermuda and the Caribbean region to attain this highest level of certification in storage technologies and remains one of the very few, if not the only IT company in the region that employs engineers with this advanced level of certification and expertise.

The company said that to date, ACT has been responsible for most of the SAN implementations in Bermuda with 12 major installations completed and more on the way.

SAN is a storage networking technology that allows multiple, disparate computer systems to share the same storage facilities, even across different geographical locations.

This technology enables fault-tolerance, data replication and extremely high performance such that a catastrophe in one geographic location will initiate a complete recovery of a company's data on a second SAN almost instantaneously, even if it is located on the other side of the world.

The two engineers from ACT that have earned the Master SAN Architect qualification are David Korsunsky and Michal Stoppa.

David Korsunsky has had more than 8 years experience working in systems engineering in both Canada and Bermuda. Michal Stoppa is a senior systems engineer with ACT and has more than 10 years of experience.

Arch new London appointments

Arch Capital (UK) Ltd., a subsidiary of Arch Insurance Group (US), has appointed Hedley Blane as underwriting manager with the UK's Executive Assurance team effective from 25 February.

Mr. Blane joins Arch from ACE Europe where he was a senior underwriter specialising in Directors' and Officers' liability insurance. Prior to that he held a number of broking positions at HSBC and Sedgwick in London and Australia.

"I am very pleased to have someone of Hedley's calibre join our Executive Assurance team. His expertise in D&O will be invaluable to Arch as we continue to expand our financial lines business in Europe," said R T Van Gieson, President & CEO of Arch Capital (UK).

Arch Capital (UK) Ltd. is a subsidiary of Arch Insurance Group Inc, which is a division of Arch Capital Group Ltd., a Bermuda-based company that provides insurance and reinsurance on a worldwide basis through its wholly owned subsidiaries.

Rego joins global network

Rego Realtors has announced it has joined Chicago based RELO, a network of 700 real estate companies across the United States and businesses around the world.

William Madeiros, vice president of Rego Realtors, announced today it had joined the global network with coverage in the US, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Europe, India, South Africa and China.

In the U.S., RELO is the country's largest network of independent real estate firms specialising in relocation.

RELO members produced $252 billion in sales in 2001 and hold number one market share in 41 of the top 80 metropolitan markets - in either volume or transaction sides, far more than representatives of other networks. RELO's member firms are widely recognised as the premier providers of quality relocation and affinity services, he said in a release.

As a member of RELO, Rego Realtors can assist individuals relocating to virtually any community in the US or abroad, with services including comprehensive destination orientation programs, real estate assistance, spouse employment aid, mortgage assistance, shipping of household items and more.

"The affiliation also enables Rego Realtors to manage corporate employee relocation accounts through RELO Direct, RELO's business-to-business enterprise designed to streamline the delivery of relocation services for corporations, transferees and broker members," said a release from the company.

William Madeiros said that the RELO Network "represents another step in the development of our firm and its ability to meet the real estate needs of existing Bermudian residents and people moving onto the island."

New CableVision appointments

Bermuda CableVision has announced the promotion of Wayne Williams to the position of headend supervisor and the appointment of Sharai Woods to the newly-created position of human resources manager.

One of the company's first employees, Mr. Williams has been with Bermuda CableVision for more than twelve years.

After joining CableVision in 1991, began a training programme, got eight different technical certifications as well being repeatedly promoted.

Over the course of his career, Mr. Williams has earned NCTI certifications and held positions at CableVision in the following areas: installer, installer technician, service technician, systems technician, fibre optics, advanced technician and, most recently, supervisor.

Mr. Williams said "I love engineering and electronics, and building computer systems. That's what I have always done. Here, the equipment we have is excellent; it is great technology that works very well."

In his current role, Mr. Williams is charged with monitoring and maintaining CableVision's headend and all its related equipment. "Wayne Williams is an important asset to our technical organisation," said Alan Smith, operations manager of Bermuda CableVision. "The headend is the nerve centre of the entire television operation. It is where incoming television signals are received, converted, processed and re-broadcast to our customers."

Ms Woods joins CableVision from Performance Solutions Ltd. of Hamilton, where she was a human resource consultant where she was responsible for managing a broad range of human resource activities on behalf of the firm's clients, including recruiting, immigration, reporting, research and administrative functions.

Her current responsibilities at CableVision include recruitment, standardising and implementing policies and procedures, co-ordinating training programmes and managing special projects.

"We're delighted to welcome Sharai to the team," said Jeremy Elmas, general manager. "The human resource function is of critical importance at CableVision. With the completion of our new cable system, introduction of digital and the deployment of broadband internet, we will need someone who understands our business, has the experience implementing internal training programmes and can interface well with an employee pool that ranges from a hard hat construction crew and highly specialised technicians down to administrative and customer representatives. Ms. Woods will manage the needs of 50 staff and will play a valuable role in helping us to achieve our goals."

"It's exciting being a part of a team that is growing and a company that truly cares about its employees and customers," said Ms Woods. "My goal is to help CableVision develop its image as a premier employer and also make a smooth transition as it evolves into a leading high-tech company. I believe we can do it and still maintain the family-like atmosphere that makes it such a great place to work."