Ted Koppel Mulling Move to Satellite Radio
A short, frothy interview in Editor & Publisher posted online yesterday revealed that Nightline host Ted Koppel, one of the leading TV journalists of the past three decades and a master of the substantive political interview, is seriously considering a move to Sirius radio -- or XM.
Business Technology: The Real Impact Of The IBM-UPMC Deal
The stunning deal between IBM and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center is not only a landmark for those two organizations but a new standard for the type of forward-looking, precedent-setting relationship that should begin to characterize the new ways the IT customers and vendors regard each other, Bob Evans says.
Bad Apple Stinks
For many years now, I've been a fan of Apple Computer. That is, I'm a fan of the Apple Computer that produced the iMac, OS X, and Darwin--not the idiot twin who staggers around Cupertino, leering at old ladies and spilling cheap beer all over its ratty Think Different" T-shirt.
SAP Gets Rich
SAP application data is about to get a lot flashier.
Same Old Story
It's déjà vu all over again - but is anyone listening this time?
A panel of top-tier user companies this week once again sounded the call for software vendors to start delivering better quality products.
They also made it clear that they long to be close to you - vendors that is. For all the endless marketing blather we hear about customer relationship management, it's clear that the only k
Security Heavyweights Join Spyware Fight
Microsoft, Symantec and McAfee recently cranked up their antispyware efforts. That's good news for users under siege. Also: Seven tips for choosing antispyware technology.
Three Ways To Prepare For The IT Impact Of New Privacy Laws
In the wake of numerous high-profile customer-data breaches, companies that haven't previously been subject to information security and privacy regulation should expect new regulations to mirror elements from existing laws. For businesses that want to start planning now, there's no need to wait for implementation instructions on how to secure consumer data.
Amazon Leaks Apple Secrets
As Apple pursues legal remedies against online publishers that have published supposed trade secrets, it may have to contemplate suing its own sales partners to seal loose lips.
Wake Up To XBRL
If you're a BI professional at a big company who doesn't know about XBRL, start learning. It's going to ignite a competitive analytics explosion.
Be Careful! Your E-Mail Past May Catch Up With You
The Internet Era has, in just a few short years, seen e-mail go from a newly-minted, often-talked-about-in-excitedly-hushed-tones, messaging technology to the most pedestrian sort of communications systems, more mundane than even the lowly wired telephone on your desk. But as we all know, mundane doesn't mean unimportant, and it's become something of a scourge among the ill-behaved and the criminally minded folks who have used it from time to time to express ill will, outrage, or just plain crim
Cooking an old puzzle
I just got an email about Puzzle #11 in my old book SQL PUZZLES & ANSWER from Rainer Gemulla at TU Dresden, Fak. Informatik, Institut SyA, in Dresden, Germany. It is a very nice cook and it is embarassing to see how needlessly complex the other answers were:
Business Technology: If Data Is Breached, Do The Right Thing
Let's say you get a call at 2:30 a.m. from your team, and they tell you they've uncovered a security breach that has let 250,000 customer files be stolen, Bob Evans says. What's the first thing you do? Do you call the CEO? Do you call the FBI? And what about those 250,000 customers--do you contact them, or try to keep a lid on the breach and resultant theft?
SmartAdvice: Follower Or Pioneer, X64's Time Is Near
Look at what programs you'll be running and how long you expect to keep the hardware when deciding when to start buying 64-bit PCs and servers, The Advisory Council says. Also, vendors are developing self-healing wide-area file services for delivering data on a wide-area network.
Life During Wartime
The mean streets of Linuxland can be a tough beat to cover these days. There are two sides to every story--and they're ready to beat one another to a pulp at the drop of a hat. Gangs of thugs roam the back alleys, kicking in doors, rifling through hard drives in the dead of night, making humiliated Windows users do the Monkey Boy dance in front of the neighbors
Open For Business (Intelligence)
Our colleague Ted Kemp saw this coming last year: Everyone and their dog suddenly has a stake in open-source business intelligence solutions. Where our dog got that line of credit and laptop computer, however, remains a mystery.
The Flatness of Thomas L. Friedman
New York Times reporter Thomas L. Friedman is one of our more insightful commentators on the mid-East, globalization and international affairs. But it's also true that Friedman at times gets carried away with himself. In his new book, The World Is Flat, Friedman draws a bit too much meaning from East/West, new world/old world, hi tech/low tech juxtapositions that by now are commonplace.
For instance, Friedman seems almost dumbstruck by this banal utterance from Infosys CEO Nandan Nilekani: "Tom
The iPod Phone Will Ship. But Where?
I told you April 8 that the U.S. carriers are blocking the coveted iPod phone. Still, it looks like Motorola and Apple plan to release both the phone, and a mobile version of iTunes. But where?
Open For Business (Intelligence)
It wasn't really all that bold of me to predict last year that we'd see more open-source BI tools. Actually, it was a no-brainer. But hey, I like being right.
Outsourcing Successes Rival Those Of Marriage
Companies don't outsource core competencies. It's a concept carved in stone. But exactly what is or isn't a core competency? You might be surprised that routine processes commonly outsourced might be core to a company's bottom line. Take, for instance, accounts payable.
IBM Needs A Shakeup
In the wake of a tepid first quarter, IBM officials say a "sizeable restructuring" is imminent at the company. Given its recent string of underwhelming financial reports, nothing less would seem in order.
Government, Not Vendors, Must Lead In Securing Federal IT
No doubt the IT security industry has a lot of knowledge to share with the federal government to help secure government IT systems and Web sites. With near-failure grades on IT security scorecards, the feds need the assistance.
More on streaming databases
There is a good article on streaming databases with lots of product names and stuff suitable for googling inthe current issue of INTELLIGENT ENTERPRISE.
Kerry's Latest Benedict Arnold is Heinz
During the 2004 presidential campaign, Democratic candidate John Kerry vilified corporate heads who presided over the outsourcing of jobs overseas as "Benedict Arnold CEOs." Kerry can now add another industry chieftain to his list of those he considers to be national traitors: William R. Johnson, president, CEO, and chairman of H.J. Heinz Company-the multi-billion dollar food empire founded by Teresa Heinz Kerry's late, fo
Business Technology: The Biggest Threat To Your Career
You're still spending 75% of your IT budget on maintenance, your CEO still treats you as a bit of an outsider, and the closest you get to strategic involvement is implementing it rather than helping develop it. If you don't see the interlinked connections among those three conditions, Bob Evans says, then it's time to wake up.
Langa Letter: The Pros And Cons Of Firefox
Firefox is a good browser but not the panacea its most ardent fans think it is. While Microsoft's IE gets most of the attention for its security vulnerabilities, the reality is that Firefox (like other open-source products) has security flaws of its own of that readers need to be aware of, Fred Langa notes.
Hungry Minds
I was glad to see the prospect of closer cooperation between Chinese and Indian technology firms get so much coverage this week. These two nations are the future of the world's IT industry, both as markets and as competitors. It's a future in which open-source software will set the rules: Whatever other surprises these giant economies have in store, you can bet one of them won't be a deal to put Longhorn and Microso
Google Launches Video Service
Google Inc. yesterday said it had begun accepting digital video files of any length for its Video Upload Program. Eventually, Internet users will be able to preview, play, and purchase video content through Google Video, the company's video search service, which debuted in January.
Enter The Dragon
Microsoft plans to debut real-time reporting. Cue everybody else to plan big-time rethinking.
What About SAS?
SAS has been known for high-end data analysis software for years. Now it wants to be known as a business intelligence vendor.
Sony Spanked For Shafting Europe, Asia
Sony all but shut down shipments of the Sony PlayStation Portable, or PSP, worldwide to maximize shipments to North America for its March 24 launch. It turns out to have been a gross miscalculation.
The $40 Million Question
I heard last night from Steve Puluka, the guy who authored the SCO cash flow analysis I mentioned earlier this week. "The real shame," he said, "is [SCO] built up a huge cash reserve in 2003 that is being blown on these lawsuits. What might have happened if that 40 million was invested in the Unix and Linux business instead?"
Business Technology: Time To Apply 'If You Build It' Principle To IT
''So today, the trend is toward punishing IT--the CIO and his team are sitting in the corner with a dunce cap on. It's not fair, but that's what it's like right now.'' Sound a little too close to home? Bob Evans asks. Courage: Here are some suggestions toward new headwear from Accenture chief technology strategist Bob Suh.
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