Enterprise IT

Now that the concept of cloud computing has become tech the topic du jour, the latest round of debate has centered on whether cloud computing can be extended into the enterprise in the form of private clouds to meet the unique requirements of individual organizations. Cloud computing zealots are veh...

Virtualization and cloud computing specialist Citrix wants to do for its IT customers what Apple does for users of its App Store. Instead of selling programs like games or restaurant finders for the iPhone, however, Citrix's new Dazzle service will provide on-demand business applications. Citrix ann...

In the world of IT, it's important to maintain an open mind and be willing to consider new approaches to addressing problems. People often have a tendency to get locked into a particular approach and hold onto it long past the point at which it has ceased being a best practice. On the other hand, i...

Cloud computing has been a central subject and strategy for IT vendors of every sort, but the actual meaning of "cloud" remains hazy. For Web-based information aggregators like Google and Yahoo, the cloud offers a mechanism for delivering advertising-driven content and services. For Software as a Se...

Research In Motion is bolstering its mobile productivity lineup with new enterprise offerings. In addition to a new version of its server software, BlackBerry Enterprise Server 5.0, which emphasizes energy efficiency and virtualization, RIM has partnered with HP on an operations manager for the Blac...

Oracle is intent on expanding its offering of Software as a Service applications, according to press reports. Specifically, it is planning to offer seven new products in a SaaS environment -- a move that would significantly enlarge its already substantial SaaS footprint. What's surprising is that it...

Two different types of media uses are propelling the vision for a connected consumer electronics home. These two concepts -- media server and cloud media -- increase the value of television, as well as other devices, by increasing the ability to discover, aggregate, access and display different type...

Sun Microsystems has reported a $201 million loss for Q3 2009, a significant increase over the loss of $34 million that it registered in the same quarter a year ago. At $2.6 billion, third-quarter revenue fell short of Wall Street's forecast of $2.86 million and was a steep drop from the $3.3 billio...

The reported acquisition of Sun Microsystems by Oracle makes a ton more sense than IBM's earlier failed bid. This new compact, if it succeeds, will bring as good an end to an independent Sun as the pioneering IT vendor could have hoped for at this sorry stage in its history. However, there are much ...

One of the misconceptions of the Software-as-a-Service and broader cloud computing market is that these new Web-based services will "disintermediate" the channel because of their simpler, more user-friendly solutions, and direct sales and delivery business models. While there is no question that the...

Cisco has announced its intention to acquire Tidal Software for $105 million in cash and retention-based bonuses. The privately held company makes intelligent application management and automation software. Cisco says that the company's line will enhance its data center product and service delivery ...

Software giant Microsoft announced Wednesday that it will offer a stripped-down version of its server software, targeting small businesses with fewer than 15 employees. Windows Server 2008 Foundation, priced at $1,000, provides small-business customers with the ability to run business applications, ...

You do not need another diatribe on how tough the economy is and how the next tsunami is hitting IT departments. You have seen the signs and have to take necessary actions: budget cuts, pay cuts. You know the drill. However, bad times need not be all doom and gloom -- they can be times of opportunit...

In just a few years, Software as a Service has gone from a curiosity to a mission-critical application, accelerating into mainstream adoption. Faced with a dire financial situation, most businesses are taking advantage of the tremendous economies of scale that SaaS brings. Yet that's only the beginn...

VoIP provider Skype announced on Monday the beta version of its business-user-oriented Skype for SIP, which will run on enterprise PBX systems. SIP is a signaling protocol that lets users set up and tear down multimedia communication sessions such as voice and video calls over the Internet. It can a...