CRM News: Enterprise IT

New MacBook, New Cloud, New Leaf
May 16, 2012

Apple computer users might soon have a thinner, lighter version of the MacBook, according to numerous reports. The new design will apparently still bear the "MacBook Pro" name but will more closely resemble an Ultrabook -- thin, light and affordable PC laptops. It will supposedly feature a high-definition screen similar to the ones found on iPhones and iPads.

Federal Cloud Adoption, Part 2: Raining Contracts
May 16, 2012

The U.S. government's pursuit of cloud-based technology has been characterized by a blizzard of policies, directives, technical studies, proposed contract vehicles and conferences. The federal "cloud first" initiative, requiring agencies to give priority consideration to cloud solutions for IT operations, began in December 2012. Now, an idea of how much business is at stake for IT vendors has surfaced -- and it's impressive.

Lenovo Shoots for Sexy With Svelt, Sleek Portables
May 15, 2012

Lenovo on Tuesday announced new Ultrabook ThinkPad laptops based on Intel's latest Ivy Bridge processor. Heading the procession is the upcoming X1 Carbon, which will use premium carbon fiber materials and is aimed head-on at the Apple MacBook Air. The lineup also includes new models in the ThinkPad T, X, L and W series aimed at small businesses, government agencies, educational institutions and large corporations.

Iron-Eating Bacteria: Coming Soon to a Hard Drive Near You?
May 15, 2012

Today's hard drives may be smaller, faster, cheaper and more capacious than their predecessors, but the need for ever-tinier components is making it difficult to keep improving them. Therein lies at least part of the motivation behind biocomputing -- in which microscopic biological molecules are being recruited to play a role -- and recently scientists have identified a fresh new possibility in this area.

Federal Cloud Adoption, Part 1: Lots of Baby Steps
May 15, 2012

The U.S. government is learning quickly that achieving the next big thing in information technology depends upon implementing a huge number of little things. For federal IT managers, that big thing is the cloud. Federal agencies have busily pursued cloud solutions since December 2010, when the government adopted its "Cloud First" policy, requiring agencies to give priority consideration to cloud technologies.

Sapphire Now: It's a Mobile, Social, Cloudy, Collaborative World
May 15, 2012

The Sapphire Now conference kicked off Monday in Orlando, Fla., with 60,000 customers, partners and employees of SAP participating, either at the conference facility or watching it online. The first day of the event offered the usual lineup of celebrity speakers -- corporate and otherwise -- with Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong featured in the morning and SAP Co-CEO Bill McDermott in the afternoon.

Security and the Cloud: The Great Reconciliation
May 14, 2012

It now falls to CIOs not only to rapidly adapt to cloud computing, but also to find the ways to protect their employees and customers as they adopt cloud models, even as security threats grow. This is a serious -- but not insurmountable -- challenge. Cloud computing has clearly sparked the imagination of business leaders, who see it as a powerful new way to be innovative and gain first-mover advantages.

CRM Conference to Showcase the Retail Experience
May 14, 2012

CRM Conference is being held May 29 to 31 at the Chicago Hyatt Regency. This annual event offers a unique agenda for retailers, said Devon Wylie, CEO of CRMC. "It's specifically focused on case studies from topnotch multinational retailers. With this approach, attendees can get actionable learnings they can take home with them."

NAD Finds Oracle's Pants on Fire
May 12, 2012

It pays to advertise, right? Not necessarily, as Oracle found out when it tangled with IBM recently over advertisements in which Oracle claimed its servers were faster and much less expensive than IBM hardware. Unlike Oracle's headline-grabbing Java copyright and patent infringement suit against Google, Big Blue didn't spend big bucks to take on Oracle in court.

Zoho Boosts Its Social Enterprise Creds
May 11, 2012

Zoho has enhanced its menu of offerings by incorporating social media into its customer support features. It has also added a Facebook social media integration point to its flagship application. The changes went live on Thursday, added automatically to the applications. These two developments are modest compared to the company's massive overhaul to its suite at the end of last year.

Cloud Management Keys to Success
May 11, 2012

The debate about the viability of cloud alternatives has given way to a new set of discussions about how to maximize the value of today's rapidly evolving cloud services. This new round of deliberations centers on the right approach to planning, selecting, deploying, administering, and optimizing the performance of cloud-based applications and other resources.

ACTA Runs Out of Gas in Europe
May 08, 2012

Today in international tech news: ACTA is essentially declared dead in Europe. Meanwhile, a journalist from The Guardian live-tweets his arrest in Moscow while covering -- or at least trying to cover -- the inauguration of Vladimir Putin. Elsewhere, Australia contemplates data collection on all Web-connected devices, and Lenovo unveils plans for a massive plant in China.

VMware View 5.1 and the Future of End-User Computing
May 08, 2012

For those familiar with traditional thin-client computing, virtual desktop infrastructure solutions feel virtually like old home week with a couple of notable exceptions. First, rather than depending on dedicated data center-to-desktop hardware resources, VDI leverages server, storage and networking components that are typically part of larger virtualized IT infrastructures.

Getting What You Want From ERP in the Cloud
May 07, 2012

Through the Ariba Network, Cox Enterprises manages multiple ERP systems for an improved e-procurement strategy. The $15 billion communications, media, and automotive services company has moved toward more efficient indirect spend efforts to improve ongoing operations and drive future growth across more than 50,000 employees.

Making Customers the Object of Devotion
May 07, 2012

The proliferation of customer service channels can be both a blessing and a curse. It can be a blessing in that companies now have more ways than ever to address customer needs and resolve customer issues, potentially leading to increased customer satisfaction, loyalty and retention. At the same time, the proliferation of customer service channels can be a curse.

Nokia Investors Claim Fraud Over False Turnaround Promises
May 04, 2012

The chain of troubles plaguing Nokia grew longer this week with news that class-action litigation giant Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd has filed suit against the firm alleging violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The complaint can be summed up thusly: Nokia said its shift to Windows Phone 7 would halt its slide in the smartphone market, but that hasn't happened.

Insidesales.com Aims to Keep Leads on the Front Burner
May 04, 2012

Imagine walking into a department store on a Wednesday morning and spotting a pair of shoes you feel that you must acquire, or life will have no meaning. You excitedly ask the sales rep if you can try on a pair in your size and she says, "Sure, why don't you come back on Friday?" That deflating experience occurs all the time on the Web, said Ken Krogue, president of InsideSales.com.

The Sad 'Wake Up' Saga Just Gets Sadder
May 03, 2012

I'm often blown away by the pathetically misguided marketing campaigns that clearly out-of-touch executives in large corporations green light ... and then shell out millions of dollars to put into motion. But the "Wake Up" flashmob that tumbled out of a clearly expensive bus in Sydney, Australia, had me scratching my head while simultaneously clutching my belly to ease the pain of laughing so hard.