Joint Venture Riverdeep and Microsoft (Riverdeep)

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., and Orlando, Fla., March 23, 2006 - Improving academic achievement is the key objective behind a unique relationship between Riverdeep and Microsoft, Riverdeep announced today at the Florida Education Technology Conference (FETC) in Orlando.

IBM Expands Its Modeling Suite in Database Design Arena (Gartner)

In releasing its new strategic data modeling and database design tool, Rational Data Architect, IBM takes on leading database design tool vendors. IBM customers should consider acquiring RDA now.

Survey: Vista and Office 2007--What Are Your Plans? (AMR)

Microsoft plans on releasing its long-awaited Vista operating system later this year, as well as an upgrade to its Office productivity suite. The new products claim enhanced search, collaboration, and security, but how important are these new features to your organization? Has your IT department started planning for these events? What would motivate your company to make these upgrades?

The week in technology: Vista now further off (FT)

Microsoft sent shock waves through technology equity markets this week after it delayed the release of Vista - its next generation operating system - until early next year because of engineering problems.

Microsoft delays new Office to January (FT)

Microsoft on Friday announced the new version of its Office software suite would be delayed until next year for consumers, appearing in January to coincide with the postponed launch of its Vista operating system.

Gates Pushes Office as Dev Platform (cbronline)

Microsoft Corp chairman Bill Gates this week pitched the virtues of Office 2007 and its server-side counterpart Sharepoint 2007 as platforms that can be extended and built upon by developers, speaking at a company conference in Redmond, Washington.

Microsoft's 'People-Ready' Campaign Offers New Opportunity (Gartner)

The People-Ready campaign is a reasonable differentiating strategy. However, as presented, People-Ready is a marketing program for Microsoft's product launches rather than a compelling vision for the future.

Understanding Google: Exclusive look at a JupiterResearch report (ZDNet)

JupiterResearch recently released a Concept Report entitled Understanding Google. Subtitle: Competing and Partnering with the Most Influential Company Online. It costs $750 to purchase this report, so I asked Jupiter's Michael Gartenberg if I could get it for free and blog about it - as I did almost 1 year ago with their report on RSS Readers. Happily Michael agreed and so I've been mulling over the Understanding Google report for the past few days.

Stellent the Platform for Broader Content Management (SOCJ News)

The Stellent platform provides a solution to organizations that want to leverage the platform for broader content management investments as well as for GRC purposes.

Microsoft to shake up its Windows unit (FT)

Microsoft shaking up its beleaguered Windows division. The move follows problems that led the world’s biggest software company to delay the launch of the consumer version of its latest operating system until next year.

In Brief: BEA boosts data access technology with Microsoft support (InfoWorld)

BEA Systems on Wednesday will announce the release of AquaLogic Data Services 2.1, for unifying data assets from disparate sources. Version 2.1 adds support for Microsoft's (Profile, Products, Articles) ADO.Net (Active Data Objects), enabling native access to this data. Previously, access required use of Web services.

SAP EP Business Package für FIRSTspirit (FIRSTspirit)

Vista Slip, Enterprise Testing, Make 2007 Deployment Unlikely (Gartner)

The latest Windows Vista delay affects consumers more than businesses -- most of which wouldn't have been able deploy it until 2008 anyway. But once Microsoft misses the 4Q06 holiday season, further slippage is possible.

Portals and SOA (Line56)

The evolving role of enterprise portals in a Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) world

Judge: Google must give govt index data, not queries (InfoWorld)

Google must provide the government with 50,000 Web addresses in its search engine index, but not with sample of users' queries.

Google scans French literature for Book Search support (InfoWorld)

Google's plan to digitize all the world's books and put them online in searchable form has upset authors and publishers on both sides of the Atlantic

Mindjet Adds WebEx Collaboration to MindManager Pro 6 (geekzone)

Mindjet Corporation has released its new Mindjet MindManager Instant Meeting, powered by WebEx. The software enables users to instantly launch a WebEx Meeting Center session from within MindManager Pro 6 and invite other team members, regardless of their location, to the online meeting.

Web 2.0 (Publisher)

In referring to the Internet, The Economist, says that since its, "Inception in 1969 engineers have tweaked it in a piecemeal fashion. That the system has scaled up well enough to handle almost 1 billion users and blazingly fast fibre-optic links is nothing short of amazing." During this period the Internet has done much more than scale-up. It has fundamentally changed the way businesses operate and interact with consumers and its impact on the software industry has been radical. The Internet itself is reaching for a new milestone and though consensus on a definition of the milestone may be hard to reach, its name is Web 2.0.

The Financial Times says that, "Web 2.0 is the name being given to a wave of web services that offer more interactivity in the browser and 'social software' such as photo-sharing and public tagging of web pages." By that definition Web 2.0 is already emerging. The subject of the article, Google's recent purchase of the online word processor, Writely, indicates this as well. Writely, which allows users to do word processing via the Web, is specifically the type of Web service which the Financial Times and others are referring to. According to information leaked by Google, they also have the intention to offer a virtual storage service known as a "Gdrive." According to one source the Gdrive, "Would give Google users access to their data from any internet-enabled device and could make Google the biggest information storage company in the world." Google is not alone in its move to Web services, Yahoo! has made similar purchases and Microsoft stepped into the arena with Windows Live!. The offering of applications and services, once linked to the PC, via the Web shows the presence of Web 2.0 and this indicator may have far-reaching implications. For example, such services may affect the PC and software industries by leveling the field. If one can word process on the web there may not be a need to buy MS Office and if Web services such as online word processing may be used regardless of a machine's operating system there may be no need to buy Windows. Whatever the impact on these markets, they will not be alone.

Gartner singles out retail as one of the industries which needs to prepare for what has already begun. Specifically Gartner mentions the need of retailers to embrace the community aspect of Web 2.0. "In particular, the Web community will erode retailers' control over their brands, services and products and force them to design more-open and transparent processes and practices." Blogs and other community related aspects of Web 2.0, while posing a challenge, also hold great potential. By monitoring and utilizing customer driven content retail enterprises gain the ability to respond efficiently to consumer feedback and to do so with more personalization. It follows then that the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) industry will enter a period of change.

The nature of Web 2.0, particularly richer user/customer interfaces, personalized content and information delivery, and embedded business intelligence and process flows will, according to Gartner, "Give businesses more choices on how to improve their interactions with customers, prospects and partners." In order to exploit the potential Gartner says that budgets will need to take into account technology training for business executives and that, "Organizations must begin to research these emerging areas to build new skills, with a focus on usability for employees, partners and customers." Further, opportunities will open for software and service providers to design revolutionary new CRM systems to fill the needs of enterprises.

Gartner cautions, "Current excitement about a second wave of Web capabilities is a major development, but there will be another wave starting early next decade."

Competition Looms in Bloomberg Real-Time Market Data Feed Use (Gartner)

A vendor has announced a feed handler system for Bloomberg's B-Pipe feed, and Reuters has confirmed that it will deliver the B-Pipe feed over its own platform. Banks should enhance their applications to accommodate multiple feeds.

Cool Vendors in High-Performance Workplace, 2006 (Gartner)

High-performance workplace includes technologies that span enterprise activities. The cool vendors in 2006 reflect that richness and illustrate unique approaches to achieving performance improvements.

Gethuman...Or Not?

The following article contains a blog entry from Gartner Resarch Director Esteban Kolsky on the subject of the gethuman.com service, which lists ways to bypass automated systems and get humans on the telephone at hundreds of different companies followed by my short response. My own longer take on the state of service can be found in today's From the Editor column. - - Editor

Microsoft unwraps software, financing for SMBs (InfoWorld)

Microsoft Corp. will hold its first Small Business Summit Tuesday as a way to increase communications between the software vendor and its small and mid-size business (SMB) customers.

Mindjet presents the latest highlights at CeBIT 2006 (Mindjet)

This year we are focusing on Mindjet® MindManager® as a solution platform for dynamic integration of external information and efficient team collaboration.

In Hall 6, Booth B26 Mindjet will be demonstrating the latest MindManager Pro 6 integration solutions for enhanced project and information management along with our partners Emprise Process Management GmbH, Mastersolution AG, MindBusiness GmbH, Spirit Education, Wodey Informationssysteme and Visual Technology Solution LTD.

Google buys online word processor (FT)

Google on Friday said it was buying "Web 2.0" start-up Writely, an online word processor, for an undisclosed sum.

The move might be seen by Microsoft - whose Word program is the dominant application in word processing - as a threat to its market share.

Google has challenged Microsoft in areas including search technology and email.

Google and other internet companies such as Yahoo have been focusing on making applications, commonly run from a computer's hard drive, available remotely over the web.

Web 2.0 is the name being given to a wave of web services that offer more interactivity in the browser and "social software" such as photo-sharing and public tagging of web pages.

Writely allows users to compose and print text from inside a web browser, as well as collaborate with other users on a document.

Google revealed its acquisition in an entry in its official blog by Writely co-founder Jen Mazzon. "For the last five months, I've been part of a Silicon Valley start-up called Upstartle, which makes Writely," she wrote. "As of Monday, I'm happy to say that I and the rest of the Writely team are now part of Google."

Writely is in a developing "beta" stage, like many of Google's products, and is "far from perfect", according to Ms Mazzon.

But it will be expected to join a suite of applications being made available by Google through the browser. They include the Gmail email service and an online calendar.

Bloggers on Thursday speculated that Google would next be looking at browser-based spreadsheet applications as it sought to mirror Microsoft's Office suite of software applications.

Yahoo has followed a similar strategy of buying up Web 2.0 companies to fill gaps in its online offering and strengthen its services.

Google buys online word processor (FT)

Google on Friday said it was buying "Web 2.0" start-up Writely, an online word processor, for an undisclosed sum.

Reinventing the internet (The Economist)

Networking: New initiatives aim to overhaul the internet. But how can a “clean slate” redesign ever be implemented?

CeBIT: bizcon und ContentServ zeigen SharePoint Integration (contentmanager.de)

Unter dem Namen bizcon SharePoint Marketing Portals zeigen die bizcon AG, ein erfolgreiches Münchner Consulting-Unternehmen, und die ContentServ GmbH, führender deutscher Softwarehersteller, auf der diesjährigen CeBIT erstmals eine Integration der CS EMMS Suite von ContentServ mit dem SharePoint-Server von Microsoft. Diese neuartige Verbindung kombiniert die umfangreichen Kollaborationsmöglichkeiten der Microsoft SharePoint-Services mit den prozessoptimierenden Lösungen der ContentServ GmbH. Über eine SAP-Schnittstelle der CS EMMS Suite können auf diese Weise in den SharePoint-Räumen sogar SAP-Daten abgerufen werden. Die beiden renommierten Unternehmen zeigen dieses zukunftsweisende Konzept der Kollaboration mit dem Namen bizcon SharePoint Marketing Portals in Halle 3 an Stand E08.

Content Crisis (Line56)

They say they're leery of Google and Amazon, but traditional content distributors like publishers are really afraid of the Long Tail

Blinkx revamps search application (InfoWorld)

Blinkx's free search application will now be called Pico

Drawing work and life together (FT)

CeBIT, which opens tomorrow in Hanover and runs until Wednesday March 15, has grown to become the world’s biggest IT and telecoms fair.

In its current form it is 20 years old, so its adolescence is behind it but there are important decisions to make about the road it will take in adulthood.

It developed into an IT event from an exhibition of office equipment (CeBIT originally stood for Centrum der Büro- und Informationstechnik “Centre for office and information technology”) and has changed along with the industry it serves.

The slogan for this year’s event shows the dilemma facing the organisers, and many exhibitors. “Digital solutions for work and life” embraces both business technology and consumer electronics.

Since the end of the dotcom boom in 2001, much of the market for enterprise IT has been flat or in decline. But consumer electronics has enjoyed significant growth, driven by technologies such as MP3 music players and high definition television.

“Historically, consumer entertainment and enterprise IT have been worlds apart,” says Gartner analyst Steve Prentice, who will be speaking at the conference. “But we are fast reaching the point where the two come together.”

At CeBIT, convergence has led to overlapping themes in different halls. Some companies have taken multiple stands: Symantec, for example, will be in both the security and storage halls.

For smaller exhibitors, however, this is not a practical option. “There has been a lack of clear segmentation of the halls, and that has not worked well in the past,” says Mark Muschelknautz, marketing director for business software company Mindjet. “The organisation does need to be transparent when you have 470,000 sq metres of exhibition space.

For some exhibitors, though, the mix works well. “Some people think that you can segment the business user and the consumer, but after 6pm we all become consumers,” says Oscar Koenders, general manager for marketing at Toshiba’s European computer division.

He adds: “There is the fairly traditional mix of B2B customers at CeBIT, but also a growing number of consumers, and we will be addressing both.” As well as computers, Toshiba will be showing projectors, video players and high definition television.

Other exhibitors are happy to see convergence back on the agenda, despite attempts by the organisers in the mid-1990s to “re-professionalise” the show and attract business visitors rather than the general public.

This led to a shorter event with higher ticket prices but the trend seems to have reversed, at least in part. This year there will be evening opening of selected halls aimed at teenage visitors, and the digital home hall is expected to be one of the busiest.

“CeBIT plays to our strengths in voice, broadband and home media,” says Martin Kinne, chief executive of Siemens’ home and office communication devices. Last year, Siemens made an impact, bringing in Brazilian footballer Ronaldo to promote its wares.

This year, the presence might be slightly lower key, with Siemens exhibiting alongside BenQ, which bought Siemens’ mobile phone division last year. But Mr Kinne still expects to do a significant amount of business, especially with network operators and internet service providers interested in Voice over IP and other advanced services.

Mr Kinne expects a significant number of leads to come from overseas visitors. Last year, a third of visitors to Siemens booths were international. But for some vendors, that figure is as low as 15 per cent. This has led some companies to question CeBIT’s value as an international event, rather than a show for the, admittedly large, German market.

The telecoms, broadcast and internet services market that provides the key customers to Siemens’ home and office communication devices division is very international. This helps explain the high level of overseas interest. It may be that visitors want to see German vendors on their home turf.

For other companies, however, the focus for CeBIT is primarily on Germany, Austria and Switzerland or central Europe.

Tim Pickard, vice-president for international marketing at RSA Security says: “We find that the most benefit for us comes from opportunities in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. We justify attending CeBIT on the basis of our German business.”

For overseas exhibitors, this appears to be the pragmatic approach. Microsoft, for example, found that 82 per cent of its non-German requests for information came from elsewhere in Europe. But German visitors still generated more than 90 per cent of requests for further information.

Microsoft treats CeBIT primarily as a German event, although Frank Mihm-Gebauer of Microsoft Germany points out that it is a critical event for the software company. One reason Microsoft is committed to CeBIT, he explains, is that it is a chance to speak directly with customers.

As a company that sells through channels and partners, rather than direct to the public, this is an opportunity Microsoft values. But as Mr Mihm-Gebauer adds, the show does have to justify itself by generating new sales leads and ultimately, licence revenue for Microsoft.

It is this hard-headed, metrics-based approach that persuades IT vendors to put, and keep, CeBIT on their agendas. Over the years, there have been some significant absentees from the event: Apple Computer will not be exhibiting, nor will Oracle, nor HP.

But for companies which manage their CeBIT presence well, it can be a profitable, if exhausting, week. Amanda Jobbins, EMEA vice-president for marketing at Symantec, says she constantly asks her German marketing team for evidence that CeBIT generates business leads.

So far, it has done so. “Our research shows that 25 per cent of visitors have come to CeBIT planning to invest in technology,” she says. “Up to 40 per cent of attendees are IT decision-makers or managing directors.”

The event, she says, is a chance to meet channel partners and distributors, and raise awareness with the public and with the media. She stresses that making the most of the event requires thorough preparation.

But the investment is worth it. “The opportunity pipeline for Germany shows a spike after CeBIT,” she says. “In terms of our German business alone, it is pretty compelling.”

Buying a television used to be such a simple business (FT)

Televisions are getting bigger. This week at CeBIT, Samsung will announce what it claims is the world’s first 82-inch LCD TV – there is already a 106-inch plasma screen one.

Content Management Giant Acquires Rights Management firm (Content Wire)

EMC acquires Authentica

EMC has acquired Authentica, provider of security software.

Authentica’s solution is based on patented technology, our Active Rights Management platform to dynamically control information throughout the content lifecycle.

Six Apart takes blogs to work (InfoWorld)

Six Apart launches two new business-class blog offerings

Google seeks to quell fears on growth (FT)

Google executives on Thursday sought to dispel recent doubts about their company’s growth prospects, using an annual meeting with analysts to promise further strong growth in its core search engine business and to sketch a broader role in the “offline” advertising world.

Office 2007 Includes Several New Twists (NewsFactor Network)

John Carins, Microsoft's senior director of information worker licensing and packaging, says the company expects a majority of corporate users to opt for the Professional Plus edition of Office and couple it with SharePoint Server. "This is the nod that SharePoint is the server we are going to put a lot of the collaboration work under," he said.

ScholarOne® Launches Web Services for Application Information Exchange (ScholarOne)

Charlottesville, VA – February 28, 2006 ScholarOne, Inc., the leading provider of Web-based workflow and management solutions for scholarly publishers, is pleased to announce Web services for Manuscript Central™ version 3.4.

Google Base will get e-commerce functions (InfoWorld)

Google makes it easier for people to buy items using their Google Accounts

Ask seeks answers without Jeeves (FT)

Media mogul Barry Diller is stepping up the battle for a share of the search market with Monday’s global relaunch of Ask Jeeves, the number four US search engine acquired for $1.85bn by his internet conglomerate, IAC/InterActiveCorp.

Google Desktop for the enterprise remains controversial (InfoWorld)

Feature for searching across computers incites concerns about privacy, security

Ask Jeeves' Relaunch Does Little to Clarify Future Strategy (Gartner)

Ask Jeeves has relaunched as Ask.Com, emphasizing its consumer-focused search features. This relaunch is missing several features popular with consumers, but Ask.com remains a rich search offering.

Google's Web page hosting service closed to new users (InfoWorld)

Google launched an early test version of a Web page creation and hosting service on Thursday and hours later stopped accepting sign-ups, citing overwhelming demand.

IBM Positioned in Magic Quadrant for Product Information Management Software (Market Wire)

ARMONK, NY -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 02/24/2006 -- IBM today announced that Gartner, Inc. has positioned IBM in the visionary quadrant in its Magic Quadrant for Product Information Management, 2005.*

According to Gartner, this market is attracting end-user organizations that are trying to achieve a single view of product data. Gartner expects to see strong growth across a wide range of industries, including retail, consumer goods, industrial, automotive, life sciences and distribution/wholesale. By 2009, the product information management market is expected to reach revenue of more than $500 million.

Buzzword: Product Information Management (PIM)

Google Preps Strategy For Real-Time Business Search (CRN)

Services To Extend Search's Reach Into Transactions, ERP

Imperia AG mit Schwerpunkt Portalintegration auf der CeBIT 2006 (contentmanager.de)

Auf der CeBIT 2006 finden Sie die Imperia AG mit ihren Partnern Seitenbau GmbH, e-tecture GmbH und Netpioneer GmbH in Halle 3, Stand D31.

Die Imperia AG präsentiert die 8. Version ihres Enterprise Content Management Systems Imperia mit zahlreichen neuen Funktionalitäten auf der CeBIT in Hannover. Dabei liegt der Schwerpunkt der Präsentation auf dem Thema Portalintegration. In diesem Rahmen stellt die Imperia AG verschiedene Möglichkeiten zur Realisierung komplexer Internet- und Intranetportale vor. So steht u.a. die im Herbst fertiggestellte SAP-Portalintegration nun als von SAP zertifizierte Schnittstelle zur Verfügung. Das Zusammenspiel von Imperia 8 mit dem SAP NetWeaver Portal verstärkt die Vorteile beider Systeme zu einem Optimum und schafft erhebliche Synergieeffekte bei der Verwaltung von Unternehmensinhalten. Mit dieser Kombination lassen sich komplexe Unternehmensszenarien mit Standardanwendungen aus den Bereichen ERP, SCM und CRM komfortabel abbilden.

Finding the Right Content (Line56)

It's always a challenge in commerce situations; what IBM has to contribute

We first came across iPhrase in 2003, when we profiled the company's natural-language search contribution to a big call center. A lot has happened to iPhrase in the intervening three years, notably its acquisition by IBM, but the search technology's proposition remains just as relevant in an age of exploding content.

CeBIT 2006: FIRSTSpirit - Professionelles CMS in SAP-Portalumfeld (FIRSTSpirit)

Die zertifizierte Integration des Content Managament Systems FIRSTspirit in die Portaltechnologie von SAP steht im Mittelpunkt des diesjährigen CeBIT-Auftritts des Dortmunder Softwarehauses e-Spirit. Die Lösung, für die sich bereits Unternehmen wie Bosch, EADS Headquarter und Eurocopter entschieden haben, wird dieses Jahr erstmals an zwei Ständen demonstriert: Am SAP-Stand (Halle 4, Stand D12) zusammen mit dem Partner HLP Informationsmanagement und am eigenen e-Spirit-Stand (Halle 3, Stand E47) mit den Partnerunternehmen adesso AG, kernpunkt GmbH und der Würth Phoenix GmbH

Microsoft 'Snaps' Office into Dynamics applications (InfoWorld)

Microsoft Corp. this week introduced a set of tools that connect its Office 2003 suite to data and business processes within its Dynamics back-end applications.


The tools are similar to software, code-named Mendocino, being co-developed by Microsoft (Profile, Products, Articles) and SAP (Profile, Products, Articles) AG to link Office to SAP's ERP (enterprise resource planning) system.

Microsoft's Office Live services debut with e-mail, Web hosting services (InfoWorld)

The first installment of Microsoft's (Profile, Products, Articles) Office Live initiative landed in beta form last week. No one really thought an AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) version of MS Office was imminent, but it was still slightly disappointing to see that Office Live went little beyond the fee-based e-mail, HTML template, and Web hosting services that a range of vendors have offered before to small businesses.

Managing Google Desktop Search (Line56)

Gartner warns users to disable or rigorously control one feature of Google's new enterprise tool

Office 2007 Gets New Forms, Groove Servers (CRN)

Office 12—now dubbed Office 2007—will feature a converged SharePoint and Content Management Server, new forms and Groove collaboration servers and tweaked desktop SKUs.

The week in technology: Office update fails to impress (FT)

It was a busy week for Microsoft as they revealed details of some hotly-awaited new products, while defiantly defending itself against European Union regulators and critics of its actions in China.

Can Google gain a foothold in the enterprise? (InfoWorld)

Partnerships, new software bolster the search vendor's appeal to corporate customers

Google's got its eyes on your corporate data, and if its ability to parlay its whip-smart Web search technology into a vast empire of consumer services is any indication, you may be Googling enterprise apps and data sooner than you think.

For several years, Google (Profile, Products, Articles) has been putting the wheels in motion for a serious enterprise play, but the Web-specific nature of its search has limited its reach. That obstacle may have fallen last week as consulting services company BearingPoint announced a partnership to extend the GSA (Google Search Appliance) throughout the enterprise with services, support, customized plug-ins, and security integration.

Manage Google's Desktop Search Now or Lock It Out (Gartner)

The newest release of Google's desktop search application is fine for technically adept personal users. But the Search Across Computers option should be disabled or heavily managed by enterprises.

Manage Google's Desktop Search Now or Lock It Out (Gartner)

The newest release of Google's desktop search application is fine for technically adept personal users. But the Search Across Computers option should be disabled or heavily managed by enterprises.

Ajax - Week of 02/09/2006 (Analyst Views)

Ajax - Week of 02/09/2006

It was roughly a year ago, with the introduction of Google Maps, that the term Ajax was coined. Ajax, an acronym for Asynchronous JavaScript and XML, is not a technology itself but a web development technique that combines preexisting technologies that have been around for years. A recent report by IDC refers to Ajax as, "A development technique that uses HTML, JavaScript, and often XML to allow Web applications to communicate with web servers and present new information to the user without continually reloading the page." This may not appear on the face to be significant, to many it may be read as 'faster loading web pages,' but it is. The spreading use of Ajax has already raised the bar for Web development; further, there are those that say that Ajax will make desktop applications obsolete. Though IDC does not go that far, they do state that, "Ajax may be the buzzword of 2005, and some of the hype is deserved: it closes one significant gap between Web and desktop applications by allowing Web applications to move away from their traditional, page-based model."

As stated above, one of the first Web applications to make use of Ajax was Google Maps. Google Maps differs largely from prior map programs in that it allows for features such as zooming and rotation without requiring the page to refresh. Prior to this the process was more or less, 'click zoom and wait for the new page to load;' any user of Google Maps will quickly notice its fluidity. Another example of Ajax in action is Gap's (or many other) eCommerce site; here users can get close ups of merchandise or see merchandise displayed in an alternate color without refreshing the page. The NetFlix web site is also a notable user of Ajax; here Ajax is used to present supplemental information about movies when the title is hovered over. This implementation is significant for two reasons, it avoids the need to load all relevant information initially, which would slow the page load, and it does not require the user click on the 'details' link to gain access to such information. Microsoft is also using Ajax in its web-based version of Outlook, as is Google's Gmail. All this shows the power of Ajax on the Web, but what does it mean for the future of desktop applications.

Those that would state that a typical desktop application, for example Microsoft Word, will be replaced by Ajax (or similarly) enabled technologies base the idea, at least in part, on Ajax's ability to store data remotely as it is typed, rather than requiring a user to hit a 'save' or 'enter' key. In this scenario a user could create a document on any PC and have it saved in cyberspace for retrieval from any PC at a later time. This functionality is already available at sites such as Writely.com; it is also the direction that Microsoft Live! is moving in; what Ajax could do is make this possible without an Internet browser.

As far as overtaking common desktop applications there are several barriers that would need to be surpassed for this to happen, at the top of the list are connectivity and code. A true web-based application can only run if the user is connected to the Web with a fast connection; and JavaScript, on which Ajax relies, is not noted for its streamlined code. Despite these barriers, Ajax according to IDC, has already transformed, "Expectations and standards for what a Web application can (and should) do." With the need for desktop applications to be more portable, implementations which allow this will continue to gain in popularity. However, as IDC puts it, "Ajax is hot right now, and many are suggesting that it will make the desktop application obsolete. Remote scripting is worthy of hype and attention, but as with most over-hyped technologies, such claims are extreme. Significant gaps remain between desktop and Web applications."

Here comes Measure Map (Google Blog)

My first post to my blog was a little paragraph about my obsession with cycling, and I remember feeling a little ... let down. Sure, it was remarkably easy. Write. Click a button. Reload. Cool! But then what? It wasn't until someone left a comment that I was hooked. An audience! Someone is reading!

BearingPoint partners with Google to launch Search Solutions Practice (Google)

BearingPoint partners with Google to launch Search Solutions Practice

Fixing Search (Line56)

How IKEA adjusted its online search processes; the whole picture

Schmidt's Google Broadens Gmail Reach (Forbes)

NEW YORK - Troubleshooting e-mail can be pricy for a medium-sized company. So when Google offered Friday evening to host e-mail for private domains belonging to businesses and organizations, the ears of many IT directors perked up.

IKEA Updates Online Search (Line56)

Replacing a bad search process with a good one; kudos, and a look at retail conditions

Blogs reshaping content management tools (InfoWorld)

Blogs and editable Web pages called wikis are gaining popularity with enterprise users, introducing to these organizations a new level of content contribution and participation.

Privacy fears over Google’s new software (FT)

A prominent digital rights group has forcefully urged computers users not to install the latest version of Google’s desktop software, which it says greatly increases the risk to personal privacy.

Lotus Touts Role of Blogs and Wikis (newsfactor.com)

"A lot of what we are doing now is figuring out where this all fits in. These things are not replacements for what we already have," says Duncan Mewherter, development manager for blogs, wikis and feeds at IBM Research. Instead, he describes them as a light layer of collaboration.

IBM/Lotus plans to expand its corporate collaboration tools by adding social relationship, behavior mapping and alerting technology that lets users easily share ideas, data, research and corporate knowledge.

Customers are hoping that the tools can help revolutionize the way their organizations communicate, share data, and analyze information and work patterns. The goal is to help improve collaboration.

At its annual Lotusphere conference, IBM/Lotus showed off plans to infuse its entire collaborative software lineup with social networking technology such as blogs, wikis and syndication feeds. While those tools are changing the face of the Internet, Lotus is adapting the concepts and features for internal corporate use in much the same way instant messaging was adapted for real-time communication.

Analysts still see fuzzy future for MSN as new chief takes helm (InfoWorld)

Industry watchers question how the portal will fit into Microsoft's Web strategy as the company builds out its new "Live" services brand

Setting up a KM Program (Line56)

A wealth of resources and guidelines

Setting up a KM Program (Line56)

A wealth of resources and guidelines

contentXXL – Business Content Management für den Mittelstand (contentxxl)

contentXXL wurde bereits 2003 mit dem Microsoft .NET Solutions Award im Segment Mittelstand ausgezeichnet und erhielt u.a. eine Anerkennung durch die bayerische Staatsregierung für die damit realisierten e-Government Lösungen. Zu den Anwendern von contentXXL zählen u.a. die Siemens AG, T-Com, das Deutsche Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt, die Swiss Olympic Association, Shuttle Computer Europa, Saint-Gobain Isover G+H AG, die Städte Erlangen und Fürth sowie zahlreiche kleine und mittelständische Unternehmen, Verbände und Kommunen.

SpringCM Releases Version 3.0 of its On-Demand Content Management Solution (Business Wire)

SpringCM Releases Version 3.0 of its On-Demand Content Management Solution; New Functionality Gives Businesses Smarter Collaboration, Adds Version Control for Documents and Files

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 7, 2006--SpringCM(TM) today unveiled the latest version of its web-based, integrated content management product, which delivers greater collaboration capabilities and content routing for files and documents. The new release underscores SpringCM's commitment to give its customers monthly product innovations.

SpringCM Releases Latest Version of Content Management Solution (Supply & Demand Chain Executive)

New functionality gives businesses better collaboration, adds version control for documents and files

Chicago — February 7, 2006 — SpringCM, an on-demand content management company, today unveiled the latest version of its Web-based, integrated content management product, which it said delivers greater collaboration capabilities and content routing for files and documents.

Gunning For Google (Forbes)

LONDON - The Google guys must be wondering what the hell hit them. For a year or two now, Sergey Brin and Larry Page have been hailed by Wall Street and the press, adored by fiendishly avid users and devoted investors, and all but worshipped by Silicon Valley colleagues and advertisers.

SpringCM to Provide Content Management On-Demand (EContent)

SpringCM has launched as an on-demand content management company for businesses of all sizes. SpringCM provides a way of making sure everyone is on the same document by removing the barriers that businesses have learned to tolerate, such as storage waste, email attachments, and dumb network drives. The company will deliver a suite of on-demand, integrated subscription solutions that incorporates enterprise search, remote storage, collaboration, and content distribution technologies.

Portal Excellence Awards (DMReview)

Each year at DCI's Portals, Collaboration and Content Management Conference, customers and their solution providers compete in the Portal Excellence Awards. At the November 2005 event in Miami, winners were announced in four categories: Best Customer or Partner Portal, Best Employee Portal, Best Content Management System and Best Knowledge Management System.

Microsoft increases funding for computer training (InfoWorld)

Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates announced Wednesday that the company will increase funding for a program that provides basic computer training and job skills to people in countries lacking those services.

Disney's Pixar Buy Will Accelerate Change in Media Industry (Gartner)

The Walt Disney Co.'s purchase of Pixar Animation Studios puts two of the media industry's most effective change-makers under one corporate roof.

Where On Demand Stands (Line56)

Salesforce.com's release of AppExchange offers a chance to examine the state of play

Microsoft to Launch Internet Research Lab (Forbes)

Microsoft Corp. is creating a research lab devoted solely to developing Internet technology, as part of efforts to move products to market faster and better compete with rivals such as Google Inc.

Disney's Pixar Buyout A 'Near-Perfect Strategic Fit' (Forbes)

Merrill Lynch research analyst Jessica Reif Cohen maintained a "buy" rating and $31 price target on The Walt Disney Co. after the media giant said it would acquire Pixar Animation Studios for $7.4 billion in an all-stock deal announced late Tuesday.

The Aging Workforce (Accenture, May 2005)

Companies in developed nations, as well as those in many developing countries, face a major workforce-related challenge: Depending on the industry sector, as much as half of
the workforce will be eligible for retirement in the next five to 10 years. Worse yet, this development is not a short-term problem, as the working-age population will continue to age
over the next 30 to 40 years. This challenge is compounded by the fact that there is a much smaller talent pool coming up behind retiring baby boomers. With workers aging and fewer
people in succeeding generations, companies will experience a significant exodus of talent and experience in the next two decades and a dearth of new employees to step into roles
requiring specialized skills that are in short supply.

Keeping the know-how of a retiring generation (FT)

If the average age of the scientists in your company’s R&D department is 48, surely there is no need to worry yet about losing expertise if one of them retires? Wrong, says David DeLong: “I want to know which of the key people are 56, 58 or 60 – who is getting ready to walk out the door.”

Disney in $7.4bn Pixar deal (FT)

Walt Disney on Tuesday agreed to acquire Pixar, the animated film studio, in a $7.4bn deal it hopes will revive its animation department and better position the company to compete in a media industry being remade by digital technology.

Data management: A growing and expensive problem (FT)

Just 20 years ago, everything that meant anything to an organisation would have been in a database, says Phil Tee. In five years time, he says, less than 10 per cent could be there – the rest will be files on employees’ hard disks or corporate storage systems.

Classifying unstructured data according to business policy is a hot topic in the enterprise IT sector, with other small companies such as Kazeon, Arkivio, Scentric and StoredIQ all trying to establish positions.

A powerful idea whose time may be still to come (FT)

How can I squeeze more value from my people using IT?

Magic Quadrant for Integrated Workplace Management Systems, 2005 (Gartner)

The integrated workplace management system
market has evolved rapidly during the past year
with new entrants, consolidations and departures.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
The integrated workplace management system market is
rapidly evolving. Clients should validate vendor financial
health, operational capability and product road maps.
When selecting a vendor, focus on client references, with
an emphasis on customer service, pricing and the
references' installation experience. Pay particular attention
to breadth of functionality, adoption of current Web
technologies such as service-oriented architecture, and
service quality assurance methodologies.

Market Definition/Description
The IWMS market began to emerge in the late 1990s, with
rapid evolution in the past three years. The market is
characterized by enterprise-level software solutions that
integrate four key components of functionality: project
management; real estate portfolio and lease management;
space management (moves, adds and changes [MAC]);
and maintenance management. The software operates
from a single database, and it offers workflow tools,
executive dashboards, and predefined and customized
reporting capabilities. Most suite applications will
interoperate with other enterprise applications, such as
enterprise resource planning (ERP), supply chain
management (SCM) and human capital management
(HCM), via Web services technology.

Microsoft to offer production-ready Vista technologies (InfoWorld)

Microsoft releases 'Go-Live' versions of Web services, workflow software

PIM- und Cross-Media-Lösung von crossbase überzeugt Neukunden (contentmanager.de)

Das hochintegrierte Product Information Management (PIM) auf Basis der crossbase-Datenbank wird für verschiedene Zwecke, z.B. zur datenbankgestützten Erstellung von Print- und Onlinekatalogen oder für die Bereitstellung von Katalogdaten für Handelspartner genutzt.

salesforce.com AppExchange Opens for Business (AMR)

This week salesforce.com hosted the North American launch of its Winter ’06 release in San Francisco and rolled out the new AppExchange, an online directory of applications that partners can use to offer complementary Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) applications. salesforce.com executives likened it to iTunes for enterprise applications.

GXS Positioned in Visionary Quadrant in Product Information Management Magic Quadrant (GXS)

GAITHERSBURG, Md. — January 18, 2006 — GXS, a leading provider of business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce solutions, today announced that it has been positioned in the Visionary quadrant in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for Product Information Management 20051, recently published by Gartner, Inc., a leading worldwide research and advisory firm. GXS was placed in the quadrant based on its ability to execute and vision in product information management (PIM). According to Gartner, no leader will emerge in the PIM market prior to 2007.

Salesforce.com launches AppExchange (CNET)

Salesforce.com on Tuesday announced the launch of AppExchange, an online marketplace for hosted business software applications.

Content Creation, Publishing at Heart of Apple's iLife '06 (Gartner)

The updates to Apple Computer's iLife suite will enable users to easily create and publish digital content. Content providers must not ignore the important opportunities that Apple's efforts represent.

Blogwatch 1/11/06 (Line56)

This week's featured post makes some interesting predictions for 2006

Produktdaten im Griff: Katalogverwaltung mit PIMs (contentmanager.de)

Elektronische Kataloge sind heutzutage neben dem klassischen Print-Katalog Alltag für mittelständische Unternehmen. Denn die Kunden erwarten, dass Ihr Lieferant e-ready ist. Hinter diesem Schlagwort verbirgt sich die Fähigkeit des Lieferanten, seine Produktkataloge
in elektronischer Form zur Verfügung zu stellen, sei es als CD-ROM, PDF-Katalog, Online-Shop oder im BMECat-Format zur Verwendung auf elektronischen Marktplätzen oder Inhouse-Katalogen.

Durch diese verschiedenen Anforderungen werden die Unternehmen jedoch vor große Probleme gestellt, die die Kosten für die Katalogerstellung explodieren lassen und die Verwaltung umfassender Produktdatenmengen stellt sie zusätzlich vor große Herausforderungen. Zur Lösung dieser Probleme werden so genannte PIM-Systeme (Product Information Management System)
eingesetzt.

Google Announcement Sets Stage for Video Marketplace in 2006 (Gartner)

Google announced a video marketplace that leverages search to help consumers find and download content from major TV networks, the NBA and consumer content creators -- and in some cases move that content to their iPods.

Sage buys Verus for £184m in cash deal (FT)

Sage, the UK’s largest listed software company, on Monday said it would expand its US business beyond accounting products with the acquisition of payment processor Verus Financial Management.

Information Fabric: Enterprise Data Virtualization (Forrester/BEA)

Enterprises are facing the growing challenges of using disparate sources of data managed by di.erent applications, including problems with data integration, security, performance, availability, and quality. Business users want fast, real-time, and reliable information to make business decisions, while IT wants to lower costs, minimize complexity, and improve operational e.ciency. New technology is emerging that Forrester has coined "information fabric," a term de.ned as a virtualized data layer that integrates heterogeneous data and content repositories in real time. This technology is provided via middleware components that deliver quality information — "the truth" — when and where it’s needed. Products from several major vendors like BEA Systems, IBM, and Oracle — as well as others from small innovators like Tangosol — are evolving to provide information fabric, but today custom integration is required to weave them together. The potential bene.ts of this technology are so great that enterprises
should develop a strategy to leverage information fabric technology as it becomes more widely available.

Big Returns (Line56)

Here's our coverage of the beginning of the IRS portal revolution, going back to 2002

CES blog: Everyone loves a good tech war (FT)

The early-1980s Betamax Wars are back with the ongoing struggle between the DVD formats. Sony is leading the Blu-ray charge, Toshiba leads the HD DVD army - and the Consumer Electronics Show is the latest theatre of operations.

Gates unveils new range of media players (FT)

Video, whether in high definition or transferred to a hand-held device, took centre stage as Bill Gates delivered the opening address at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

PHP Content Management Vendor Turns Five (NewsForge)

Adam Sackey writes "Anyone who says Open Source can't work as a business model has another success story to counter their claim as this month the PHP Content Management vendor Simian Systems turns 5 years old. Simian are the makers of the PHP CMS called Sitellite, which offers a more business and enterprise-oriented solution than many other Open Source PHP-based systems.

Polaris, Interwoven tie up for content management solutions (DQ Channels)

Polaris will work as an SI for Interwoven products and has trained resources on all products

Polaris Software Lab has entered into a partnership with Interwoven Inc to integrate Interwoven's advanced content management solutions with its products to provide enhanced customer experience to its clients. Interwoven provides enterprise content management solutions for businesses to solve critical challenges across departments, enterprises, or industries. Polaris is a global solutions specialist with a dedicated focus on the banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI) vertical.

Software 2006: Changes Ahead (Red Herring)

While software as a service and open source gain more traction in 2006, large software companies will have to adapt and change