Business

Offering a reminder of just how quickly things can change in the world of business, AOL Time Warner booked a $1 billion profit for the second quarter -- just six months after posting the largest-ever one-year loss by a U.S. firm. The company said asset sales, its $750 million settlement with Microso...

While enterprises face all kinds of security risks, including vulnerabilities that must be patched and viruses that bombard corporate firewalls, the threats that strike the most fear into the hearts of chief security officers and their employees are the ones nobody has thought of yet. "There are no ...

Microsoft plans to announce that the two largest cable television providers in the United States, Time Warner Cable and Comcast, will test its interactive program guide (IPG) software in their set-top boxes in limited markets. The test marks a milestone in the software giant's push into the home ent...

When it comes to the Internet, China is no longer undiscovered country. Three Chinese portals are trouncing their U.S. rivals in the region, and investors are taking notice. However, although Sina Corp., Sohu.com and NetEase.com are beating U.S. rivals Yahoo, AOL Time Warner and Microsoft now, they ...

PeopleSoft has completed its tender offer for ERP vendor J.D. Edwards. Both companies noted that PeopleSoft now owns 88 percent of J.D. Edwards' outstanding shares and will buy the remaining 12 percent by the end of August. PeopleSoft estimated the transaction was worth about $1.8 billion in total.

Microsoft's recent purchase of antivirus firm GeCAD Software has sparked a torrent of speculation about the company's intentions in the security arena. Established antivirus firms, such as Symantec and Network Associates, were quick to downplay the competitive threat posed by Microsoft, and some obs...

With server software sales booming, Microsoft recorded a 26 percent gain in earnings, to $1.92 billion, for its recently ended fourth quarter -- but the software giant also posted a rare miss of analysts' profit targets. The company said its profit was dented by nearly $800 million in charges, large...

Apple Computer outpaced expectations with its latest earnings, posting a profit of $19 million as strong sales of non-desktop machines led the company to its best revenue-generating quarter in more than two years. Apple's revenue totaled $1.54 billion, an 8 percent increase over year-ago figures. Ga...

In a sign that one of the main combatants in the browser wars is ready to lay down its arms, AOL has cut workers from its already shrunken Netscape division and has cut loose the Mozilla open-source browser project. The move comes about a month and a half after AOL and Microsoft settled a long-simme...

Bringing together various applications and computer systems is certainly no picnic, but another vital integration challenge is often overlooked in the corporate dialogue: integrating the IT department with the rest of the enterprise. How can a CIO ensure that his or her department is involved in sha...

No. 2 chipmaker AMD has unveiled a joint venture with Japan-based Fujitsu, creating a $3 billion global company bent on mastering the market for flash memory products. Known as FASL LLC, the new venture is made up of the two companies' flash businesses, with a combined workforce of 7,000. It will ma...

In a move that could dramatically alter the booming search engine marketplace, Yahoo has announced plans to acquire Overture, the company credited with pioneering the pay-for-placement search business model, in a cash-and-stock deal worth more than $1.6 billion. The move positions Yahoo as the top c...

Of all the words that inspire affection in a small-business owner's heart, few can compete with "free," especially at a time when companies are trying to rein in spending as tightly as possible. Still, it is virtually impossible, even in a buyer's market, to get something for nothing when it comes t...

Yahoo comfortably met Wall Street targets for the second quarter, posting its fifth straight profitable quarter and its best revenue mark ever as key areas, such as subscriptions and premium online services, provided a spark. The company said it earned $50.8 million on $321.4 million in revenue in t...

To a small-business owner, choosing technology can be daunting. On one hand, the latest gadgets can glitter like a well-stocked toy store, with vendors promising to put a company on the cutting edge. On the other, budget constraints mean purchases must pay for themselves in the long run. So, what is...