Larry Dignan and other IT industry experts, blogging at the intersection of business and technology, deliver daily news and analysis on vital enterprise trends.
Larry Dignan is Editor in Chief of ZDNet and SmartPlanet as well as Editorial Director of ZDNet's sister site TechRepublic.
Andrew Nusca is a writer-editor for ZDNet, contributor to CNET and the editor of SmartPlanet, ZDNet's sister site about innovation. In 2013, his coverage will focus on enterprise startups. He is based in New York.
Rachel King is a staff writer for ZDNet based in San Francisco.
In addition to finding out that a megamerger happened while you were gone, there's nothing like coming home from a vacation to find out that someone else has not only volunteered to do some work that was on your to-do list, but they went ahead and did it. Gratis.
Of the many character roles played by Windows, the one that probably gets the least coverage is its use in public as the underlying technology behind embedded applications such as kiosks and information panels. Earlier this year, I interviewed a designer of embedded systems who had been unwavering in using Windows as his choice for embedded operating systems.
South Korea is an interesting country. The nation has gone from a per capita GDP of $87 in the 1950s to $17,580 at purchasing power parity in 2003.
Pittsburg-based HyperActive Technologies has reportedly deployed a fast-food restaurant demand management system, called "Bob," that can reliably predict whether you'll want burgers or chicken nuggets even before you walk in the door. By examining your height, it can decide whether you're a child (nuggets, probably) or an adult (burgers, probably) and get the chefs working seconds or minutes before you actually order.
I recently talked with Sybase CEO John Chen [watch the video] about a variety of subjects, including his notion of the "unwired enterprise," how the database business will evolve more toward an open source foundation, RFID, doing business in Asia, and reporting security vulnerabilities. Chen told me that Sybase is "attempting to change the open-source business model a little bit.
Running IT like a business is a major priority for IT managers today. And if you are like most organizations, you're evaluating one or more emerging approaches that can help you align business goals with IT infrastructure.
IT Facts reports on recent IDC research on the 191 buyouts worth $30 billion in the enterprise applications market within the past 15 months. In the coming months, IDC predicts that bidding wars will ensue as consolidation mania spreads.
Sometimes one's choice of a comparison gives subtle hints about hidden assumptions. A recent ZDNet article discussing Apple's and Microsoft's upcoming operating systems was probably driven by the fact that both OS vendors plan upgrades in the near future (one much sooner than the other).
Datapoint has the scoop on a report that zeroes in on the practical considerations for organizations thinking about a desktop operating system migration to Linux. While offering no surprise conclusions (Linux on the desktop still has a long way to go…), the free--with registration--report from Europe's Quocirca is a worthwhile read, replete with survey respondents’ free text comments that add color to the issues.
Earlier this week I attended a dinner, accompanied by a fine Jordan 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon, hosted by Mercury Interactive President and COO Tony Zingale and CMO Christopher Lochhead. The company has made its mark in business technology optimization (BTO)—getting the most out of complex IT systems and aligning them with business goals.