E-Commerce News: Enterprise IT

Trend Micro Rejiggers Small-Biz SaaS Security
February 08, 2010

Trend Micro on Monday announced a new and completely overhauled version of its Software as a Service for small and medium-sized businesses. The new version, named "Worry-Free Business Security Services," replaces "Worry-Free Business Security Hosted," which was launched only 10 months ago.

Which IT Skills Are Pulling Big Bucks?
February 07, 2010

David Foote is CEO and chief research officer, as well as cofounder, at Foote Partners of Vero Beach, Fla. David closely tracks the hiring and human resources trends across the IT landscape. He'll share his findings of where the recession has taken IT hiring and where the recovery will shape up. We'll also look at what skills are going to be in demand and which ones are not.

Apple and Oracle: Will the Real Tech Titans Please Stand Up?
February 05, 2010

I was a bit distracted from the Apple iPad news due to the marathon Oracle conference last week on its shiny new Sun Microsystems acquisition. However, the more I thought about it, the more these two companies are extremely well-positioned to actually fulfill what other powerful companies tried to do and failed.

Can't We All Just Get Along? Post-Merger IT Integration
February 04, 2010

Enterprises that have merged with or acquired the systems and assets of another company know how difficult it is to combine disparate systems -- platforms, databases and software solutions -- with its existing infrastructure. Mergers can be very disruptive, especially if the companies have standardized on differing platforms, protocols and encryption methods.

IBM Taps Power of DAM With Guardium Buy
February 04, 2010

In November 2009, IBM announced its acquisition of Guardium, a privately held company based in Waltham, Mass., and the planned integration of Guardium's Database Activity Monitoring technology into IBM's Information Management and Business Analytics and Optimization initiatives. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Plan Ahead to Prevent Maintenance Window Pain
February 03, 2010

System administrators are well aware of the pain associated with maintenance windows. This effort is usually taking place off-hours and requires challenging coordination between different activities and often different departmental personnel. Maintenance windows are very important to obtain an updated infrastructure and to mitigate risks of an unplanned outage.

The Cloud Is Not a Place
February 03, 2010

What exactly is cloud computing? The question just doesn't go away, and as the year starts, SugarCRM has just released a white paper -- "The Sugar Open Cloud" -- offering its definition and its argument for why its vision is superior. I am not sure about either. Full disclosure: I like SugarCRM and have a lot of respect for what they are trying to do.

Google May Cut Ribbon on Enterprise App Store
February 02, 2010

A brief stroll through the Google Solutions Marketplace shows you that the search giant is already working and playing well with others when it comes to the business of specialized business software. Need something to give your Google Calendar a little sharing and productivity boost? What about enhancements to Google Spreadsheets?

Windows Azure Graduates Into the Commercial World
February 01, 2010

Following a month of testing at no cost to customers, Microsoft's Windows Azure platform will become a paid service on Monday. The Azure platform is a set of cloud computing services that can be used together or independently on a pay-per-use basis. Originally unveiled in October 2008, the service has been free for customers during the month of January.

The Great Mainframe Shakeout
January 31, 2010

A growing number of technical and economic incentives are mounting that make a strong case for modernizing and transforming enterprise mainframe applications -- and the aging infrastructure that support them. IT budget planners are using the strident economic environment to force a harder look at alternatives to inflexible and hard-to-manage legacy systems.

Microsoft to Google: Get Ready to Get Grilled in Europe
January 30, 2010

Microsoft's top lawyer said Monday that Google will inevitably have to answer questions about its huge market share in selling advertisements linked to results from its search engine. Microsoft's general counsel Brad Smith said the search advertising market has become "the fundamental economic engine for content online" and "the gateway to content on the Internet."

Oracle Puts Third-Party Support in Crosshairs
January 28, 2010

Oracle says it will focus strongly on customer service and support for customers of both its products and those of Sun Microsystems, whose acquisition it completed on Wednesday. "We believe our customers deserve the best level of support and it's our job to make that extremely compelling," said Juergen Rottler, executive vice president of Oracle global customer services.

Putting Support Centers In High Gear With Enterprise Search
January 28, 2010

Aberdeen Group's September 2009 report "Enterprise Search - Discover the Next Opportunity for Growth" investigated the strategies and tactics companies have used to drive productivity and improve customer service using enterprise search. In that report, Aberdeen used four key performance criteria to distinguish Best-in-Class companies.

VoFi Is Coming - Are You Ready?
January 28, 2010

In case you missed it, seven long years of wrangling have come to an end: 802.11n has now been officially ratified by the IEEE. Super-fast WiFi is here. The 802.11n standard ushers in increased network throughput and range that will change wireless access, services and applications. With this final blessing, any hesitancy that existed within many organizations around 802.11n deployment has been removed.

The Friction in the Federal Cloud
January 28, 2010

As the U.S. federal government moves ahead with its cloud computing strategy, it may find that the real bugbear won't be technology but politics. What else would expect on the Hill? Other problems could pop up in the government's approach to security and a lack of adequately qualified staff. Can these issues be resolved?

Oracle Ropes In Sun
January 27, 2010

Oracle announced on Wednesday the completion of its $7 billion acquisition of Sun Microsystems. At a briefing on its plans, Oracle pledged to reenergize Sun's brand name, products and other assets. Further, Oracle said it will continue its commitment to open systems and Java. "We'll invest in Java One; it'll just go global," Oracle Copresident Charles Phillips said.