In brief: Coffman Engineers buys Montana company

Coffman Engineers has acquired a Bozeman company that specializes in fire protection engineering.

Absorbing the operations and personnel of Sprinkler Technology Design Inc. will help Coffman Engineers continue to expand its fire engineering department, the company said in a news release. Coffman Engineers has offices in eight locations, including a large office in Spokane.

As part of the deal, Sprinkler Technology Design’s founder Dave Hughes will be principal adviser for those operations. The other two Sprinkler Technology principals will become principals at Coffman, according to the release. Eventually the two companies’ Bozeman offices will consolidate, and Sprinkler Technology will take on the Coffman Engineers name.

The two companies have worked on numerous projects together, the release said.

Dave Ruff, president of Coffman Engineers, said in the release, “Not only does this venture align with the strategies of both companies, but more importantly our cultures are a match.”

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Alliant Insurance adds Sandpoint company

Alliant Insurance Services continues expanding in the Inland Northwest with the acquisition of North Idaho Insurance of Sandpoint.

Newport Beach, California-based Alliant Insurance bought Moloney O’Neill of Spokane in 2014.

Terms of the latest acquisition were not disclosed.

“Alliant is dedicated to establishing a leadership position in the Inland Northwest,” company CEO Tom Corbett said in a news release.

North Idaho Insurance provides personal and commercial insurance. Following the acquisition, it will operate as part of Alliant Americas, a division launched in 2014 to provide midsize businesses with insurance products and services, the release said.

North Idaho Insurance’s managing agent, Mike Mahoney, will join Alliant as vice president. The Sandpoint company will continue to operate under its current name.

Microsoft reverses on ‘do not track’ default

Microsoft has changed course on a Web browsing feature that was the subject of a heated Internet privacy debate.

As Internet users became aware of the amount of data advertisers were able to collect based on their browsing, privacy advocates and regulators in recent years pushed for a “do not track” feature in Web browsers that would ask sites not to monitor their behavior for advertising purposes.

Microsoft took a firm stance on the issue, enabling “do not track” by default beginning with the 2012 release of Internet Explorer 10.

Now, the company is reversing that decision for its new browsers. In a blog post Friday, Microsoft chief privacy officer Brendon Lynch said the company made its decision after draft guidelines from the World Wide Web Consortium recommended that “in the absence of user choice, there is no tracking preference expressed” by Web browsers.

DishWorld changing to Sling International

Dish Network’s Sling TV said Friday the live streaming, multilanguage television service DishWorld will now be called Sling International.

The service provides global programming starting at $15 per month from nearly 200 channels in 18 languages to U.S. households.