Spotlight Features

Small and medium-sized businesses are frequently slow to adopt new technology because of the cost, manpower and lengthy deployment cycles that can be involved, but Internet telephony is one technology that deserves serious consideration for two related reasons. First, an increasing number of SMBs ha...

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 is a congressional act passed to prevent future scandals of Enron proportion and is considered to be one of the most significant changes to federal securities law in the United States. The Enron scandal and other similar scandals damaged investors' confidence in the ac...

With the ongoing development of wireless telecommunications and shared application and data resources, the practice of integrating geographic information systems with conventional data analysis and decision support systems is on the rise. This trend is having a profound effect on how products and se...

Roaming door-to-door salespeople were once American cultural archetypes, exemplars of the struggles of the common man to improve his lot and provide for his family through the art of the sale. For better and for worse, they epitomized the American obsession with commerce, material wealth and well-be...

The U.S. dollar is still the world's dominant currency. But, there are rumblings that could foretell a great weakening of the dollar and a loss of its hegemony. For example, the European Union is currently gathering both members and economic power. Its combined gross domestic product now exceeds tha...

Researchers have long recognized that representing large and diverse data sets visually and spatially offers the potential for improving both comprehension and ease of use. With the confluence of work in geographic information systems, enterprise data systems and distributed computing, this potentia...

The business of providing small businesses with e-commerce hosting and support solutions is growing fast. The large-enterprise market is crowded, and competition is fierce. That has led an increasing number of e-commerce platform providers to enter the SMB end, where they are looking to establish fo...

Want to be your own boss? Got an itch to try your hand at e-commerce but don't consider yourself a techie? Maybe you've got an eye for style, the next big fad, or just useful products. Or perhaps you have the pulse of a particular space, as well as the sales and marketing savvy to put an idea to ...

The size of an organization's data mountain can be expected to double roughly every five years, which can be an overwhelming prospect. For the firm that has implemented effective data management procedures, though, there's gold in them there hills. Interest in GIS-based Web services, such as Google ...

When most people are asked about software giants, they usually think of Microsoft. But I recently discovered that there is a company that is regarded as one of the largest international, independent software companies in the world. That company is called Cincom and has 40 offices on six continents.

These days it seems that science fact is at least as amazing as science fiction. In a few short generations, actual developments in the real world of computing and information systems, biotechnology, nanotechnology and robotics have surpassed the imaginary leaps of early sci-fi authors such as Jules...

Sarbanes-Oxley has really sharpened the businessperson's awareness of the fiduciary responsibilities of corporate board service. In fact, it seems that nowadays, even the press has become more attentive to what's going on in the corporate boardroom. The recent battles over directorship seats at H.J....

When a searcher types a word into Google or Yahoo, organic and paid results populate the return screen. Because competition for top rankings in search results is steadily increasing, business-to-business marketers are challenged to develop ever more sophisticated search strategies. FedEx, for instan...

A week or so after Hurricane Katrina roared out of the Gulf of Mexico and devastated huge portions of the coast, it became clear to officials at the Louisiana Department of Economic Development that they would have to rethink their long-term game plans. "The mission of the LDED is to expand existing...

A major auto manufacturer spends four years and more than US$200 million to install a Web-based enterprise resource planning system from an industry leading developer, then pulls the plug and goes back to its legacy system. An IT industry pioneer launches a leading vendor's customized order manageme...