enterprise - News, Features, and Slideshows

News

• Do iPad 2, iOS 4.3 make enough gains for enterprise?

  Charles Edge, author of Enterprise iPhone and iPad Administrator's Guide and director of technology at IT consultancy 318, was talking to a CIO as Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the iPad 2 today.

• Meyer Cookware signs Pronto in ERP deal

  The Australian division of global cookware manufacturer, Meyer Cookware, has signed a six-figure deal with ERP developer, Pronto Software, to implement Pronto-Xi across the enterprise.

• Cisco releases video collaboration tools

  With an eye on business collaboration and communication, Cisco has released a range of new video production products aimed at enterprise customers.

• New Google Apps tools aim to bridge collaboration divide

  Google has released three new tools as part of its Google Apps suite, designed to increase collaboration in the enterprise.

• Cloud Computing in 2011: 3 Trends Changing Business Adoption

  The business benefits of a cloud computing model have been well stated. You cut costs by switching to more flexible on-demand IT resources that can better handle the ebb and flow technology needs at a company.

• Proving the value of IT - Part one

  Value. It's a powerful word at the best of times. It can mean cheap and simple or large and complex -- and everything in between -- and all meanings are positive, depending on your point of view. When the word 'value' comes up in focus groups, brand managers are wont to smile wryly and consider their job done. Happy days.

• YOURasp CTO gives top cloud tips

  Being flexible and looking at a variety of options is important for CIOs looking to move their data to the cloud.

• Smaller deployments are best for iPhones

  Apple's pitch on iPhone 3G is that it's as well suited to enterprise use as a BlackBerry. The core technology is certainly there, with an ActiveSync (Microsoft Exchange Server) mail client, AJAX-capable browser, Cisco-compatible VPN, and Office and PDF mail attachment viewers. iPhone's UI revolutionised the mobile industry with scalable text and graphics, a display surface capable of responding to multifinger gestures, and an on-screen keyboard that works without a stylus.
  So iPhone has the essential enterprise ingredients. The question is, does Apple's recipe fit the enterprise better than alternatives? Having worked with iPhone since last June, the honest answer is yes and no. iPhone is an unqualified hit among users. No one will complain about being migrated from whatever they're carrying now to an iPhone 3G. Employees and contractors will trample each other for a shot at an iPhone, unwittingly exposing themselves to better reachability and collaboration. For Mac users, it's practically pointless to carry anything else.
  iPhone is a smart way to keep workers in touch while they're travelling because it's an unparalleled lifestyle accessory. Anyone who owns one will always have it with them, talking, texting, surfing, listening to music, and watching videos. Enterprises shouldn't brush this aside as a consideration. A mobile device is of limited use if its user can't wait to be without it.
  Apple invested the bulk of its initial effort in the design and implementation of iPhone to make the device irresistible to users. Mission accomplished. Phase two made the device an easy sell to developers. I'm still waiting for phase three, which makes iPhone enterprise-friendly for configuration, equipping, deployment, and management in substantial numbers. Right now, the best I can say is that an enterprise deployment of iPhone can be done, but not as easily, flexibly, or securely as for a BlackBerry or Windows Mobile device.

• PHP set for enterprise growth: Zend CEO

  PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor) is moving beyond hobbyist and academic realms and into the enterprise, the CEO of Zend Technologies said during a keynote presentation at the recent 2008 Zend/PHP Conference in Santa Clara, California.

• 10th birthday sees Google covering many bases

  As Google enters its second decade of existence with no apparent rivals for the search-king throne, industry observers warn that the company's biggest enemy may be itself.

• Developers satisfied with Apple’s enterprise work

  Apple's focus over the last year or so has been largely on the iPhone, leaving Mac developers who work in the enterprise market to pretty much fend for themselves. And that seems to be just fine for companies in a newly launched Mac enterprise group and even other Mac developers.

• Many businesses now using Macs: survey

  Nearly 80% of businesses polled by research firm the Yankee Group have Macs in-house, nearly double the number that said they had users running Mac OS X two years ago.

• Group to promote Macs in the enterprise formed

  A consortium of five companies has announced the creation of the Enterprise Desktop Alliance (EDA). The aim of the group is to promote the deployment of Macs in the enterprise. The five founding companies — Centrify, LANrev, Atempo, GroupLogic, and Parallels — are all focused on integrating the Mac operating system and infrastructure with Windows and PC-based network infrastructure for large companies.

• Better Mac management tools bring benefits

  As a senior technical support analyst at educational publisher Harcourt, Randy Rowles is happy that he gets to manage the company's 1,000 or so Macintosh systems — perhaps he's even a little smug, as Mac afficionados can be, about how the stability and ease of use of the systems makes his job so easy.

• Apple continues to ignore business customers

  For consumers, the Macintosh’s hip quotient is being hammered home with one of the largest and most memorable advertising campaigns in Apple’s history. But the enterprise isn’t getting any of that attention.