InformationWeek

October 23, 2000

IT Confidential
By John Soat

John Soat Five minutes into his keynote at Centra Software's user conference at the Sheraton Boston last week, Stu Needel, a TCP/IP expert, was driving home the point that Internet connectivity is E-learning's Achilles' heel when--and who says God doesn't have a sense of humor?--the hotel's Internet connection dropped off. Some attendees left, but most were content to grumble among themselves at their banquet tables or check phone messages until the connection came back up. Centra IT director Ken Griffin met with the Sheraton's IT team to see what could be done. Turns out the Sheraton had a lot of Cisco equipment its IT crew hadn't yet installed. Within an hour, Griffin and his six IT pros had upgraded the hotel's network backbone--free of charge.

The most persistent rumor of the last few weeks is that Microsoft has sold (is selling, will sell) its Java development environment, Visual J++, to tools vendor Rational Software. Rational won't comment; a Microsoft spokesperson says its Java code is hung up in a lawsuit with Sun Microsystems and that Microsoft couldn't sell the code if it wanted to. But rumors are like clichés--there's a smidgen of truth buried in them. Developers say Microsoft continues to distance itself from its Java IDE.

Speaking of software rumors, the recent application integration relationship between Wonderware and CRM powerhouse Siebel Systems may bear scrutiny. Wonderware has a niche ERP product called Protean, and front-office vendor Siebel may be interested in a permanent deal for the product, according to a source close to the companies. Wonderware, formerly Marcam, was acquired by Invensys last year. But Invensys acquired Baan earlier this year, which makes Invensys ERP-heavy--and potentially ready to deal.

Gary Moore, senior VP and CIO of Chase Manhattan Mortgage, has joined online storage provider Driveway as its first CIO. Moore will head Driveway's business-services group and oversee network operations and customer and technical support. At Chase Manhattan Mortgage, a subsidiary of Chase Manhattan Bank and the nation's third-largest mortgage company, he managed technology support for all E-commerce initiatives and directed the company's Internet strategy.

Wasn't it Freud who asked: What do CIOs want? Harvey Fiallo, president of Enterasys Networks, says he knows: "No PowerPoint presentations!" Fiallo, who was CIO of Cabletron, parent company of Enterasys, before being tapped to head the network management spin-off, told his sales crew to can the generic presentations and approach IT chiefs with targeted strategies. "They have to be specific--and helpful," Fiallo says.

Male IT workers make almost 11% more per year than female IT workers and earn more across all educational levels, according to 20,000 respondents to an online survey by Dice.com, an Internet job site. Full-time permanent IT workers average almost 40% less than consultants--incorporated consultants being at the top of the scale, earning an average yearly salary of $115,000 whether they work independently or through an agency.

Computer Associates founder Charles Wang and CEO Sanjay Kumar got a standing ovation last week at the ceremonial opening face-off at the first home game of the New York Islanders. Wang and Kumar, who bought the struggling hockey team last spring, were available for interviews before the game--but only to two of the four local newspapers, the ones who sent writers to the team's first two games in Tampa Bay and Toronto. The New York Times and the Daily News, which opted to use their resources on the baseball playoffs, didn't get face time with the new owners.

Seems fair. Petty, but fair--a thin line I negotiate all the time. Ask my wife. Or send an industry tip to her at jsoat@cmp.com or phone 516-562-5326 or fax 516-562-5036.

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