Oracle

Data centers share energy tips

Judi Hasson — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 15:48:24 -0400

Leaders in charge of big data centers including the U.S. Postal Service, Yahoo, Oracle and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory will convene in Silicon Valley this week to present case studies documenting their experiences with technologies and practices for improving energy efficiency. The topics will include wireless sensor networks for managing air flow in data centers, modular cooling systems that reduce heat spots around densely packed servers, and high-efficiency power transformers. The goal, say the organizers, will be to offer real world data and experiences to help other organizations figure out out to save energy and become more efficient. It's also an opportunity for companies to promote technology that will allow organizations to continue expanding their data centers.

To read more:
- see this InfoWorld.com article

The 10 most annoying habits of tech firms

Thu, 29 May 2008 06:59:58 -0400

PC World conducted an informal survey of its readers to find the most annoying practices and policies of technology companies. The results included complaints about the software sunset policies of Intuit and Microsoft; rebate run arounds from Buy.com and Office Depot; the practice by Gateway, HP and Sony of "stuffing new systems with trialware, adware, junkware'' and other marketing gimmicks; and the decisions by Intuit, McAfee and Symantec to include software that "nags you to buy or upgrade.''

To read the entire list:
- check out this InfoWorld.com article

For more tech stories from the Fierce CIO network:
> Cisco leans toward open source. Article
> SAP and Oracle unlikely to settle out-of-court. Article
> Solar power for your mobile gadget. Article

SAP don’t see an out-of-court settlement with Oracle

Paul Mah — Tue, 27 May 2008 03:43:54 -0400

Werner Brandt, the chief financial officer of business software maker SAP, told German Sunday weekly Euro am Sonntag that he does not believe an out-of-court settlement with Oracle is likely at the moment. Oracle filed suit against SAP in 2007, alleging SAP of accessing and stealing software products and other confidential materials that Oracle developed specifically for its customers. Brandt noted that while the possibility has never been ruled out, there are no talks at the moment that are "over and above the regular court proceedings." Despite the legal proceedings, SAP is positive in its outlook, with an adjusted operating margin of 35 percent in the mid-term expected.

For more on what SAP's CFO has to say:
- check out InformationWeek article

Former Cisco engineers readies 'firewall killer'

Paul Mah — Tue, 20 May 2008 06:10:48 -0400

On the premise that traditional firewalls no longer are adequate, five formal Cisco engineers have co-founded a start-up called Rohati Systems to offer more fine-grained control to network resources on a per-user basis. The company will mark its debut with a network-based entitlement control device designed to limit access to applications on the network. It works by checking whether users should be allowed access based on user credentials such as Kerberos, VPN SSL, or Microsoft's NTML. Initial configuration is done by putting the device in monitor mode on the network, where it builds a policy that managers can fine-tune later. The appliance competes with entitlement software from the likes of CA, Oracle, and IBM's Tivoli Software. Currently in beta, it is expected to ship in July.

For more on this device:
- check out this Network World article

Secure your IT job

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 07:59:56 -0400

In these chaotic economic times, it's important for an IT professional to do his job. It's also important to think about job security and to position yourself properly when your employer starts tightening its belt. An article in CIO Magazine offers a series of tips on how IT executives can fortify their positions as pressure overflows to cut costs.

Here are a few of them:

Update and expand your skills, especially those in Windows administration.
Learn about network administration because there is always a demand for maintenance and troubleshooting for routers, hubs and switches.
Have database management skills, including Oracle database and Microsoft SQO administration.
Make sure you have wireless networking management skills.

In other words, it's no longer good enough to have just the basic skills. You must keep building your resume even as you excel at your current job.

For more on enhancing your resume:
- Check out this CIO Magazine article

ALSO NOTED: Users of Oracle-acquired products fear forced migration; 17,000 U.S. jobs cut in January;

Fri, 01 Feb 2008 06:59:50 -0500

> SAP hopes for 1000 SaaS customers by the end of the year. Article
> Intel and Micron announce world's fastest NAND Flash. Article
> 17,000 U.S. jobs cut in January. Article
> Users of Oracle-acquired products fear forced migration. Article
> 10 confessions of a Circuit City FireDog tech. Article

And Finally... A comic strip saluting IT heroes. Article

Oracle grabs BEA for $8.5 billion

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 06:59:59 -0500

The end is finally in sight in Oracle's dogged quest for BEA Systems. The pending deal calls for Oracle to pay $8.5 billion, a 14 percent increase over its first offer, which put the companies in a tussle over how much BEA is worth. Oracle will pay $19.375 per share for BEA, higher than the $17 per share it offered in October but lower than the $21 per share BEA had previously demanded. "It's a fair price. It's a good deal for Oracle. It's a good deal for BEA," Trip Chowdhry, analyst at Global Equities Research, told Reuters. The stock market may be softening these days, but here's a case of a tech win in tough times.

For more on the BEA deal:
- See this eWeek article

More Oracle patches on the way

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 06:59:58 -0500

What did CIOs do before the patch? It's certainly being used a lot to fix system security flaws these days. This week alone, Oracle released 26 fixes across its product line in its latest critical patch update--nine of which repair flaws that are remotely exploitable. In October 2007, Oracle fixed a total of 51 vulnerabilities with critical patch update. We expect to see plenty more patches this year as hackers become more creative and new products arrive on the market that tempt them to attack.

For more on Oracle's security woes:
- Check out this InfoWorld article

ALSO NOTED: Oracle (finally) buys BEA Systems for $8.5 billion; Mac tablet becomes a reality;

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 06:59:51 -0500

> Mac tablet becomes a reality. Article
> Oracle (finally) buys BEA Systems for $8.5 billion. Article
> HP shows off new printers at MacWorld. Article
> Check out Google's new D.C. digs--color me jealous. Photos

And Finally... Apple announces the world's thinnest laptop case. Parody

ALSO NOTED: Oracle unleashes 27 patches; Could a falling dollar hurt the tech industry?;

Fri, 11 Jan 2008 06:59:51 -0500

> Rackable takes a gamble on Barcelona. Article
> Toshiba shows off Cell-based laptop. Article
> Oracle unleashes 27 patches. Article
> Hands-on: Microsoft's Origami Experience 2.0. Article
> Could a falling dollar hurt the tech industry? Article

And Finally... Are gadget blogs bad for the environment? Article