http://www.ecommercetimes.com E-Commerce Times: the E-Business and Technology Super Site en-us Copyright 2009 2013-05-22T07:53:15-07:00 ECT News Network ECT News Network E-Commerce Times: the E-Business and Technology Super Site hourly 1 2013-05-22T07:53:15-07:00 http://www.ecommercetimes.com/images/rss/ect_100x36.jpg http://www.ecommercetimes.com http://www.ecommercetimes.com/rsstory/78088.html The U.S. government is awash in data that is collected, stored, and disseminated by federal agencies to fulfill their public service missions. However, the existence of huge amounts of information within the government presents a major profit-making opportunity for commercial firms. The Obama administration has now launched a program to make federal data resources much more available. John K. Higgins 2013-05-22T05:00:00-07:00 Government The U.S. government is awash in data that is collected, stored, and disseminated by federal agencies to fulfill their public service missions. However, the existence of huge amounts of information within the government presents a major profit-making opportunity for commercial firms. The Obama administration has now launched a program designed to make the data resources of the federal government much more available to the public and to private firms for commercial development. ]]> 2013-05-22T05:00:00-07:00 2013-05-20T22:33:21-07:00 http://www.ecommercetimes.com/rsstory/78102.html Apple CEO Tim Cook defended his company's tax policies in Congress Tuesday, after the Senate released a report that condemned it for tax policies that used global subsidiaries to avoid paying billions in U.S. taxes. The report alleged that Apple dodged paying taxes on as much as $44 billion in foreign income from 2009 to 2012. Rachelle Dragani 2013-05-22T05:00:00-07:00 Apple Financial Apple CEO Tim Cook defended his company's tax policies in Congress Tuesday, after the Senate released a report that condemned it for tax policies that used global subsidiaries to avoid paying billions in U.S. taxes. The report alleged that Apple dodged paying taxes on as much as $44 billion in foreign income from 2009 to 2012. The company reportedly used subsidiaries to get around certain tax responsibility. When the senators spoke in percentages, Cook spoke dollars and cents. ]]> 2013-05-22T05:00:00-07:00 2013-05-21T18:35:45-07:00 http://www.ecommercetimes.com/rsstory/78101.html NetSuite bloomed this week, in part because of a very well-produced user meeting, SuiteWorld, held in San Jose. However, it also bloomed because there can no longer be any doubt that the market for ERP technology is turning to the cloud. What was once unthinkable -- that ERP could or would ever be delivered as a cloud solution -- has been gaining acceptance Denis Pombriant 2013-05-22T05:00:00-07:00 Enterprise Apps NetSuite bloomed this week, in part because of a very well-produced user meeting, SuiteWorld, held in San Jose. However, it also bloomed because there can no longer be any doubt that the market for ERP technology is turning to the cloud. What was once unthinkable -- that ERP could or would ever be delivered as a cloud solution -- has been gaining acceptance over the last couple of years, and NetSuite has been the most aggressive of ERP vendors at promoting it. Cloud based ERP is now a value proposition that competes well. ]]> 2013-05-22T05:00:00-07:00 2013-05-22T07:27:20-07:00 http://www.ecommercetimes.com/rsstory/78099.html Mobile identity was the theme that kicked off at a keynote speech Tuesday at CTIA 2013, the wireless industry trade show underway this week in Las Vegas. Michael Saylor, founder, chairman and CEO of MicroStrategy and author of <em>The Mobile Wave,</em> spoke of how mobile identity is making the shift from inconsequential to vital to our existence. Enid Burns 2013-05-21T16:24:00-07:00 Mobile Mobile identity was the theme that kicked off at a keynote speech Tuesday at CTIA 2013, the wireless industry trade show underway this week in Las Vegas. Michael Saylor, founder, chairman and CEO of MicroStrategy and author of The Mobile Wave, spoke of how mobile identity is making the shift from inconsequential to vital to our existence. The subject of identity is put into context as mobile phones grow in sophistication, and can act as a visual technological form of identification. ]]> 2013-05-21T16:24:00-07:00 2013-05-21T17:36:33-07:00 http://www.ecommercetimes.com/rsstory/78096.html During her keynote address at the opening session of the CTIA 2013 wireless industry trade show in Las Vegas, acting FCC Chairwoman Mignon Clyburn spoke of continuing the work of her predecessor -- with a slight shift from focusing on rural communities to addressing the needs of the underprivileged. Clyburn, in her second day in office, stepped in as a late addition to the keynote lineup. Enid Burns 2013-05-21T15:38:00-07:00 Mobile During her keynote address at the opening session of the CTIA 2013 wireless industry trade show in Las Vegas, acting FCC Chairwoman Mignon Clyburn spoke of continuing the work of her predecessor -- with a slight shift from focusing on rural communities to addressing the needs of the underprivileged. Clyburn, in her second day in office, stepped in as a late addition to the keynote lineup on the conference's first day. Because of her interim position, she should avoid risks, she said. ]]> 2013-05-21T15:38:00-07:00 2013-05-21T16:51:08-07:00 http://www.ecommercetimes.com/rsstory/78098.html Two well-known restaurant delivery services -- GrubHub and Seamless -- announced plans to merge on Monday. The services enable users to search local restaurants that deliver by ZIP code and food specialty. Combined, the companies' footprint will cover 500 cities and connect users to more than 20,000 establishments. Erika Morphy 2013-05-21T15:54:34-07:00 Deals Two well-known restaurant delivery services -- GrubHub and Seamless -- announced plans to merge on Monday. The services enable users to search local restaurants that deliver by ZIP code and food specialty. Combined, the companies' footprint will cover 500 cities and connect users to more than 20,000 establishments. Last year, GrubHub's and Seamless' online and mobile platforms accounted for about $875 million in gross food sales to the local restaurants, with resulting combined revenue of more than $100 million for the services. ]]> 2013-05-21T15:54:34-07:00 2013-05-21T15:54:51-07:00 http://www.ecommercetimes.com/rsstory/78091.html Dish Network is offering $2 billion for some of LightSquared's spectrum in a move that could help the company expand its services beyond pay TV. The offer would add spectrum to Dish's growing supply of airwaves and allow it to expand into wireless solutions. LightSquared, the bankrupt wireless network company, would use the capital to pay off debt. Rachelle Dragani 2013-05-21T12:36:00-07:00 Deals Dish Network is offering $2 billion for some of LightSquared's spectrum in a move that could help the company expand its offerings beyond pay TV. The offer would add spectrum to Dish's growing supply of airwaves. LightSquared, the bankrupt wireless network company funded largely by billionaire Philip Falcone's Harbinger Capital Partners, would use the capital to pay off debt. Neither company has commented on the offer, which would be subject to regulatory approval. ]]> 2013-05-21T12:36:00-07:00 2013-05-21T14:34:56-07:00 http://www.ecommercetimes.com/rsstory/78087.html There's no shortage of partner initiatives at most annual IT vendor events, but that was especially apparent at SAP's recent Sapphire NOW conference in Orlando, Fla. In large part, it's simply the nature of the event beast. Vendors work for weeks or even months on conference-related announcements, hoping to garner the attention of energized, enthusiastic attendees. Charles King 2013-05-21T05:00:00-07:00 Applications There's no shortage of partner initiatives at most annual IT vendor events, but that was especially apparent at SAP's recent Sapphire NOW conference in Orlando, Fla. In large part, it's simply the nature of the event beast. Vendors work for weeks or even months on conference-related announcements, hoping to garner the attention of energized, enthusiastic attendees -- some 20,000 of them, in the case of Sapphire NOW 2013. SAP's partnership strategy has also been increasingly aggressive and effective, driving up the stakes for all involved. ]]> 2013-05-21T05:00:00-07:00 2013-05-21T09:52:41-07:00 http://www.ecommercetimes.com/rsstory/78089.html Pretty much all CRM deployments need some degree of customization, the exceptions being those rare situations where businesses have very simple needs. Customizations can be as simple as the modification of a field to accommodate a local convention for addresses, or as complex as the addition of workflows that introduce social media data or specific sales and marketing behaviors. Christopher J. Bucholtz 2013-05-21T05:00:00-07:00 Strategy Pretty much all CRM deployments need some degree of customization, the exceptions being those rare situations where businesses have very simple needs. Customizations can be as simple as the modification of a field to accommodate a local convention for addresses, or as complex as the addition of workflows that introduce social media data or specific sales and marketing behaviors unique to the business. Unless you have exceptional in-house talent, this means you'll have to engage with a consultant, reseller or other third-party expert. ]]> 2013-05-21T05:00:00-07:00 2013-05-20T21:42:07-07:00 http://www.ecommercetimes.com/rsstory/78081.html Pinterest on Monday announced new features and relationships with brands that will bring more functionality to its pins. The features, according to the social bookmarking company, will make the pins more "useful." Pinterest introduced its new features in a Monday blog post. Pins now show more information, so users have more than photos to help them determine interest. Enid Burns 2013-05-20T12:52:00-07:00 Marketing Pinterest on Monday announced new features and relationships with brands that will bring more functionality to its pins. The features, according to the social bookmarking company, will make the pins more "useful." Pinterest introduced its new features in a Monday blog post. Pins now show more information, so users have more than photos to help them determine interest. Product pins for clothing, furniture and other goods will include pricing, availability and information on where to buy the items. ]]> 2013-05-20T12:52:00-07:00 2013-05-20T12:53:02-07:00 http://www.ecommercetimes.com/rsstory/78083.html Marketo and Tableau Software are having strong launches as public companies, indicating investors are excited about the growth in enterprise software markets that target niches such as Big Data and marketing automation. Tableau Software, which designs data visualization software that helps businesses manage information, trades under the appropriate ticker symbol DATA. Rachelle Dragani 2013-05-20T11:35:00-07:00 Wall Street Marketo and Tableau Software are having strong launches as public companies, indicating investors are excited about the growth in enterprise software markets that target niches such as Big Data and marketing automation. Tableau Software, which designs data visualization software that helps businesses manage an abundance of information, trades under the appropriate ticker symbol DATA. Its Friday IPO was a strong one. The company set its opening share price at $31 and it shot up 63 percent. ]]> 2013-05-20T11:35:00-07:00 2013-05-20T11:35:24-07:00 http://www.ecommercetimes.com/rsstory/78074.html When you're a top Internet service provider in Turkey, and you deploy scores of applications each year, you have to find an efficient testing method that ensures the apps are working properly across all infrastructures. TTNET, with six million subscribers, found that service virtualization was the best solution. Dana Gardner 2013-05-20T05:00:00-07:00 Podcasts When you're a top Internet service provider in Turkey, and you deploy scores of applications each year, you have to find an efficient testing method that ensures the apps are working properly across all infrastructures. TTNET, with six million subscribers, found that service virtualization was the best solution. The ISP found that by using this form of app testing combined with automation, it was able to cut costs and time to delivery. The business side of the systems saw improvements, and end users were provided with better experiences. ]]> 2013-05-20T05:00:00-07:00 2013-05-18T11:56:03-07:00 http://www.ecommercetimes.com/rsstory/78075.html The case for mobile CRM is an easy one to make. Smartphones are now ubiquitous, and the way most people work requires 24-7 accessibility. Also, not being tethered to a desktop to access customer records is a plus -- if not an outright necessity in some cases. For sales reps or anyone who interacts with customers in the field, mobile CRM is essential. Erika Morphy 2013-05-20T05:00:00-07:00 Mobile CRM The case for mobile CRM is an easy one to make. Smartphones are now ubiquitous, and the way most people work requires 24-7 accessibility. Also, not being tethered to a desktop to access customer records is a plus -- if not an outright necessity in some cases. For sales reps or anyone who interacts with customers in the field, mobile CRM is essential, said Tom Brennan, VP of product marketing at FinancialForce.com. ]]> 2013-05-20T05:00:00-07:00 2013-05-20T12:13:56-07:00 http://www.ecommercetimes.com/rsstory/78072.html Yahoo is reportedly looking to purchase microblogging platform and social networking website Tumblr for $1 billion. Tumblr is considered one of the coolest companies on the Internet because of its appeal to younger users -- the very demographic that Yahoo, which recently characterized its users as aging, is now attempting to reach. Richard Adhikari 2013-05-18T05:00:00-07:00 Deals Yahoo is reportedly looking to purchase microblogging platform and social networking website Tumblr for $1 billion. Tumblr is considered one of the coolest companies on the Internet because of its appeal to younger users -- the very demographic that Yahoo, which recently characterized its users as aging, is now attempting to reach. For its part, Tumblr, which has raised $125 million in several rounds from various investors, is under pressure to monetize the site. ]]> 2013-05-18T05:00:00-07:00 2013-05-17T16:16:56-07:00 http://www.ecommercetimes.com/rsstory/78068.html Dell's quarterly earnings fell short of Wall Street expectations this week, leading to more questions about whether or not shareholders will accept Michael Dell's buyout offer and regroup as a private company. The PC maker reported a net income of $130 million, or 7 cents per share, during its most recent quarter. Rachelle Dragani 2013-05-17T10:31:00-07:00 Wall Street Dell's quarterly earnings fell short of Wall Street expectations this week, leading to more questions about whether or not shareholders will accept Michael Dell's buyout offer and regroup as a private company. The PC maker reported a net income of $130 million, or 7 cents per share, during its most recent quarter. If not for certain items, Dell said it would have brought in $372 million, or 21 cents per share, for the past quarter, a 51 percent slide from the same time a year earlier. ]]> 2013-05-17T10:31:00-07:00 2013-05-17T12:35:47-07:00