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The article discusses the factors that information technology (IT) and business organizations should consider when evaluating delivery of any business application via the software-as-a-service (SaaS) model. The factors include the integration tools and support offered by the software vendor and the analysis options provided by the SaaS application. The questions that organizations should ask when evaluating SaaS vendors are presented.

Reports on the growth of open-source technology, and its implications for Linux and other open-source software companies. Fast-growing popularity of Linux and other open-source products; Increase in the number of open-source software projects; Red Hat Chief Executive Officer Matthew Szulik's claim that open source will help establish a shared worldwide computing environment.

Reports on Siebel Systems Inc.'s acquisition of banking software vendor Eontec Ltd. Worth of the deal; Terms of the agreement.

The article reports that U.S.-based Amazon.com Inc. is preparing to release a feature of its Elastic Compute Cloud service that would make cloud applications and services more attractive to business. The so-called elastic block storage has been available since April 2008 in limited beta mode. In the coming weeks, the company will be releasing a persistent storage offering.

The article reports that SAP AG is widening its business intelligence product offerings as it seeks to dispel doubts about how all its newly acquired pieces will work together. SAP also has integrated key software for strategy management, business planning and financial analysis with NetWeaver and the SAN Business Objects BI platform.

The article reports on U.S.-based Microsoft Corp.'s launch of Titan, a true software-as-a-service product. This is the company's first attempt at a multitenant architecture, where customers access a single instance of the application while their data is partitioned into a secure environment. It is also Microsoft's attempt to roll over Salesforce.com.

The article reports that Intuit Inc., a tax preparation and financial software manufacturer, is getting ready to launch lightweight widget-like applications. Chief technical officer Kris Halvorsen is hiring engineers who can develop online applications to augment the company's marque products, including QuickBooks, Quicken, and TurboTax for small businesses and home users, and ProSeries and Lacerte for accountants and tax preparers.

The article reports that Symantec Corp. has launched a consumer identity software that is the core of its Security 2.0 initiative. The program, which will be called the Norton Identity Client, is the initial step in a 12- to 24-month project to tie together services and software, consumers and businesses. The company predicts a $1.1 billion business in online consumer authentication through 2011.

The article reports on the challenges facing software vendor, Oracle Corp., in terms of integrating its packages. Oracle will combine its E-Business Suite with elements of PeopleSoft, JD Edwards and Siebel software as part of its Fusion applications line. Fusion is being designed to run on Java 2 Enterprise Edition-based Web servers including WebSphere and WebLogic.

The article focuses on the history of the anti-computer industry in the U.S. The industry was formed in the mid-1980s when the computer revolution was just starting. Most of the early innovators knew each other or knew of each other. They were competitors but almost everyone was cooperative. And most of them were involved the Antivirus Research Organization.

This article focuses on the computer software industry. It is time to purchase a new technology asset, a new enterprise software application, and new infrastructure systems. Sun Microsystems Inc. is making new moves in open computing with an aggressive open-source strategy. Scott McNealy, who posits that all technology has the shelf life of a banana, argues that the exit-strategy costs often dwarf the barriers to entry and the ongoing operational costs. It's one of the things that gives Sun bragging rights when it comes to its history of open standards-based computing, a strategy that has made it less costly for customers to shift technologies.

This article reports that International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) is cannibalizing its own product line with its acquisition of Gluecode Software Inc., a purveyor of an open-source software stack that competes with part of IBM's WebSphere software. IBM said last week it had acquired Gluecode, a small, privately held company that offers software and services around the open-source Apache Geronimo application server, for an undisclosed sum. The software stack that Gluecode offers includes the free Geronimo application server that theoretically could take business away from IBM's WebSphere commercial application-server software.

Reports that Oracle Corp. has acquired retail software provider Retek Inc. in March 2005. Terms and cost of the acquisition; Background on the acquired company.

Reports developments for company progress of several software companies in the U.S. Sale of a customer-relationship-management software as a service by Salesforce.COM Inc.; Launch of the latest model for mobile-computing market by AMD; Plan of Microsoft Corp. on the implementation of enterprise-resource-planning products.

Reports on Optinuity Inc.'s introduction of software designed to automate manual processes that information technology (IT) departments use to run the systems and networks on which their businesses are built. Documentation, management and execution of IT operations, procedures and scripts by the software called C2O; Design of the C2O on software called SKEmatrix developed to automate scheduled tasks in mainframe batch environments.

Reports on IBM's celebration of the 20th anniversary of Lotus Notes with the emphasis on technologies and capabilities to empower users. Introduction of Notes and Domino 7 featuring a 70 percent improvement in server performance; Debut of the IBM Workplace Collaboration Services which integrates electronic mail, Web-conferencing and content-management applications.

This article reports that Oracle Corp. last week shipped Enterprise Planning and Budgeting, the successor to its aging Financial Analyzer and Sales Analyzer applications. The software will bring Oracle into more direct competition with Cognos Inc. and other suppliers of business-performance-management software. Planning and Budgeting also has new reporting capabilities, presents data in a multidimensional format, and loads data into reports and Excel spreadsheets. Enterprise Planning and Budgeting includes tools to migrate data, reports, personal work, and other items from Financial Analyzer and Sales Analyzer to the new application.

Focuses on Fulcrum Global Partners' use of business continuity software from XOsoft Inc. called WANSyncHa software. Features of the software; Applications; Share of XOsoft in the high-end replication software.

Reports on the status of Microsoft Corp.'s software security updates. Flaws; August security bulletins.

Reports on Oracle's addition of expanded electronic signatures and records capabilities to its Oracle SupplyChain Management 11i.10. Company's efforts to provide better control, information and flexibility for business events.

Reports the announcement by Metro Group that International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) will provide the integration software for the German retailer's rollout of radio-frequency identification systems within its supply chain. IBM's WebSphere middleware.

Reports on results of the PricewaterhouseCoopers, Thomson Venture Economics and the National Venture Capital Association's MoneyTree survey which showed that software companies regained the top spot in venture-capital (VC) funding during the first quarter of 2004. Total VC funding received by software companies; CipherTrust Inc.'s receipt of an expansion-stage investment; Leading software categories in terms of number of deals.

Features the separate predictive analysis software from SPSS and Genalytics. Benefits to businesses; Pricing information.

Reports that Sybase Inc. has assembled a package of database software for collecting and disseminating real-time data.