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The article presents information on business process management (BPM) computer software. BPM starts with process modeling. Process modeling is a business-driven exercise wherein current and proposed process flows are documented in detail, linked to quantifiable performance metrics, and optimized through simulation analysis. Such optimized models automatically generate the skeleton of the information technology implementation in the process designer of a BPM suite. Process designer is a graphical development tool that incorporates human workflow, application integration, and business rules to develop an executable process solution.

The article discusses the significant role of application support for IT. According to a report, application managers was defined as a person responsible for improving the cost, performance, availability and manageability of applications across their lifecycle. The report also highlightened the critical contribution of application support personnel as a shared IT function supporting multiple lines of business in identifying, troubleshooting and resolving application-related incidents. The section also offers information in connection with application support given by the author.

The article reports on how content-addressed storage (CAS) systems can help information technology managers bring their organizations into compliance with regulatory mandates. CAS is an intelligent repository used to store and preserve compliance-sensitive documents such as medical records, blueprints, invoices and e-mail messages. Each piece of data that is fed into CAS are being stored using identifiers, which ensures that sensitive business content is not altered and that the paper trail is preserved within the context of a paperless environment. It also has the ability to perform high-speed searches through the repository.

The article focuses on clustering and grid computing software in the United States. A new data structure for clustering solutions and deployment of grid computing infrastructure is poised to accelerate sharply in the market. The third-party clustering solution is prevalent among larger companies, 47 percent of companies with more than 10,000 employees reported to have the technology in production. High numbers of grid computing infrastructure is in place and the plan to implement a grid infrastructure is also higher.

The article reports developments related to computer software industry. Sun Microsystems Inc., AMD Corp., and other companies are teaming with the Environmental Protection Agency to cook up an Energy Star rating for the server. Information technology managers will theoretically be better able to plug energy consumption into their ROI equations. The foundation of information lifecycle management is differentiating the many flavors of data at the enterprise and matching each to the proper stripe of storage.

This article presents updates on IT business continuity priorities. Shift business continuity focuses on software, rather than adding more hardware for failover. Another solution is to allocate risk assessment tasks to development and operations organizations. Build in processes is also necessary for graceful degradation of service so that failures in an environment with fragile, tightly integrated applications do not cascade through the entire system. Moreover, improve management of IT configurations, software releases and changes to IT infrastructure, particularly in distributed computing environment.

The article states that using software tools to keep track of technology assets will help with regulatory and licensing compliance and can net some businesses big savings. Only 28% of IT managers use a single management tool to discover, track, secure and manage all the IT hardware and software assets in their organisation. Instead, most respondents profile their IT assets using manual methods, usually by physically checking the location of equipment in the office or logging all new hardware and software as it arrives, and then manually updating spreadsheets. IT asset management is becoming increasingly important due to the need for businesses to meet regulatory compliance. IT asset management software from companies such as Peregrine Systems, BMC, CA, Monactive and Altiris can help organisations track software usage. The IT asset management software also provides tools to control the IT procurement cycle, processing user requests for hardware and software, confirming their entitlement and then tracking the testing, evaluation and release of these products to users. INSETS: Wigan finds out where to cut costs;Case study: Friends Provident uses asset management tool….

The article reports that at the BCS Thought Leadership Debate, the factors responsible for software dependable were discussed. At the event, senior people from information technology (IT) users, suppliers and universities heard that some developers specified software using ambiguous English and vague diagrams, used ill-defined programming languages with known weaknesses, and hoped that testing the resulting mess would lead to a usable product. This often resulted in software that was not dependable. Suggestions were made at the debate about how the industry could improve this situation.

The author of this article presents four problems that he would like to be remedied in Microsoft Corp.'s Windows Vista software. One of the author's long-standing gripes is the way Windows decides what window or application is active. He therefore suggests to the company never to change focus from the window he is working on until he explicitly command Windows to do so. Another problem occurs when a ton of files need to be deleted from a directory. Windows indicates that a file is in use and cannot be deleted. It does not give the specific application that has locked the file, and it does not ask if the user wants to delete it anyway or allow to continue deleting the next file.

The article presents Green Hills Software's Multi toolchain. The product has been integrated with the Eclipse C/C++ Development Tool. The article highlights the key features and benefits offered by the product.

This article reports that Cognos Inc. (CI) will unveil business intelligence software that integrates five products and is designed to work against any data source and simplify deployment. The new Cognos 8 includes query and reporting tools, dashboards, and analysis and event management capabilities that can be assessed through a single Web-based interface. The tool also adds the ability to report against multi-dimensional online analytical processing data. The tool integrates the ReportNet, Metric Manager, PowerPlay, DecisionStream and NoticeCast products of CI.

This article reports that Microsoft Corp. (MC) plans to deliver a new server software infrastructure package for midsize companies, plus role-based business applications that will be tailored to meet the needs of businesses with 50 to 1,000 employees. But the midmarket includes a wide variety of industries with different requirements. Illustrating the challenges that MC faces in trying to package software for such as broad customer base, some users expressed keen interest in the new and upcoming offerings, while others voiced doubts that the products will meet their specific needs.

Provides updates on topics related to information technology and the computer industry. Impact of the growing popularity of open-source private branch exchange software with integrated voice over Internet protocol capabilities; Use of hyperlinks to visually connect data from disparate sources on the network in Mindjet Corp.'s MindManager software; Identification of ActivCard Corp. as among the first single sign-on vendors whose software will work with the Firefox browser.

Provides information on the K-Bus infrastructure software from Entopia Inc. Purpose of the design of the software; Description by Entopia of K-Bus; Claims concerning the product in connection with its construction on a J2EE Web services architecture.