Skip the navigation
Opinion

Solve the Puzzle of Contact ...

By Mark Hall
March 20, 2006 12:00 PM ET

Computerworld - ... management with an online, Wikipedia-like service. In an audience poll at Computerworld's Premier 100 IT Leaders Conference this month, 62% of the 163 respondents said their IT departments are responsible for developing and supporting contact management systems for users in sales and marketing. And in most cases, the poll showed, the monthly cost is more than $50 per end user. What they -- and you -- might consider is Jigsaw Data Corp.'s online contact management service. "Jigsaw is Dun & Bradstreet Reports meets Wikipedia," quips Jim Fowler, CEO of the San Mateo, Calif.-based company. Its namesake service includes a system that gives users 200 points to start with. For each business contact that you add to your personal list from Jigsaw's database of more than 2.5 million people, the system subtracts five points. For every accurate name that you add to the database, you snag 10 points. But if you put in bad information, Jigsaw takes an equal number of points out of your account. Although you can avoid charges by accruing and selling points, Fowler says that few users do so. Most Jigsaw members simply pay $25 per month, or less with corporate discounts. Fowler says Jigsaw has 52,000 members and adds 10,000 new contacts to its database daily. You can sort them by industry, job function, geography and other parameters. You also can import and export data from and to Outlook, Salesforce.com and other applications. Over the course of this year, Fowler says, Jigsaw will be bulking up its corporate profiles to provide detailed competitive information.

Mark Portu, senior vice president of compliance solutions at Open Text Corp.
Mark Portu, senior vice president of compliance solutions at Open Text Corp.
'The Y2k of SOX is over, and now it's ...

...time to manage the process better." That is Mark Portu's advice on complying with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and other regulations. According to Portu, senior vice president of compliance solutions at Open Text Corp. in Waterloo, Ontario, companies need a broader view of compliance that goes beyond point solutions for specific regulations -- one that encompasses all aspects of records management. He claims that Version 3.0 of Open Text's Internal Controls software, due next week, will help users manage documents related to financial, environmental, labor and other regulatory requirements in countries such as the U.S., Canada and European Union member nations. Portu says an average implementation runs about $280,000.

Denise Persson, executive vice president of global markets at Genesys
Denise Persson, executive vice president of global markets at Genesys
'What, me worry?' That could be...

...the corporate slogan of the early 21st century. A Gartner Inc. study released this month



Additional Resources
Forrester Consulting - Optimizing Users and Applications in a Mobile World
WHITE PAPER
Solving application issues over the WAN requires careful consideration. Based on their independent research, Forrester Consulting offers recommendations on how to tackle application performance issues, insufficient bandwidth and the inability to quickly restore users in a disaster.

Read now.

Security KnowledgeVault
WHITE PAPER
Security is not an option. This KnowledgeVault Series offers professional advice how to be proactive in the fight against cybercrimes and multi-layered security threats; how to adopt a holistic approach to protecting and managing data; and how to hire a qualified security assessor. Make security your Number 1 priority.

Read now.

Cut Communications Costs Once and for All
WHITE PAPER
New IP-based communications systems are being deployed by small and midsized businesses at a rapid rate. Learn how these organizations are enabling faster responsiveness, creating better customer experiences, speeding office or mobile interactions, and dramatically reducing existing communications costs.

Read now.

Applications White Papers
Forrester Total Economic Impact (TEI) Case Study - Oracle
In this paper, Forrester Consulting examines the total economic impact and potential return on investment (ROI) realized by three Enterprise organizations as they...
The Hidden Truth About Virtualizing Business-Critical Applications
This IDG whitepaper highlights key findings based on the Quickpoll Survey conducted with more than 300 Enterprise and Commercial IT decision makers worldwide...
Top 10 Myths About Virtualizing Business-Critical Applications
Even though virtualization has brought positive change to enterprise IT over the last decade, some skepticism remains about how valuable virtualization can be...
Enterprise Java Applications on VMware: Unix to Linux Migration Guide
This guide focuses on key considerations for IT Architects who are in the process of migrating Java applications from UNIX to Linux as...
Virtualizing Tier 1 Applications: A Critical Step on the Journey Toward the Private Cloud  
This IDC white paper explains how much of the Enterprise IT community is at a crossroads in extending their journey to the private...
All Applications White Papers
Applications Webcasts
Live Webcast
Banish Poor Application Performance: Eliminate Business Disruptions, Increase End User Productivity
End User Experience, 30-Min Webinar
Wed. Feb. 22nd ~ 11 AM ET

Are you ready to gain the proactive ability to rapidly respond...
Apps QuickStart Series Part 2: Designing and Deploying SQL Server on VMware vSphere
Download this webcast to learn about the design considerations for virtualizing SQL workloads, performance and scalability information and high-availability options, as well as...
Apps QuickStart Series Part 1: Designing and Deploying Exchange 2010 on VMware vSphere
Download this webcast to learn the virtual hardware design considerations for Exchange 2010, deployment using the building block approach, options for high-availability and...
Virtualize Business-Critical Applications with Confidence
Virtualizing business-critical applications has become a key focus for organizations as they move along their virtualization journey. With the launch of VMware vSphere®...
Discover the Benefits of Virtualization for Federal Applications
Want to say goodbye to missed SLAs? VMware can help you virtualize mission-critical applications such as Oracle, MS Exchange and SharePoint to achieve...
Reduce Application Lifecycle Management Costs with VMware ThinApp
Traditional desktop application deployment and management is a time-consuming and costly endeavor for IT. From development to deployment, including help desk support, the...
All Applications Webcasts
Newsletter Sign-Up

Receive the latest news test, reviews and trends on your favorite technology topics

Choose a newsletter
  1. View all newsletters | Privacy Policy
IT Jobs