Latest on IBM: News, Features, Opinions and More  Mobile management morphs
Customers are pushing the limits of the software -- asking it to manage and do many more things than it was originally created to do -- and vendors are happy to oblige. BlackBerry Messenger is expanding to iOS and Android
BlackBerry's free Messenger service is being expanded to work with iOS and Android devices, the company announced today at its BlackBerry Live event. What CSC Is Doing Right (and Wrong) In Its Turnaround Efforts
In the last 15 months, Computer Science Corp. CEO Mike Lawrie has handpicked his executive team and streamlined the CSC product line. This is a good start, but if CSC wants to emulate the turnaround efforts of IBM and Apple, the company should look for a formidable CFO and step up its marketing efforts. What to expect at SAP's Sapphire
SAP's Sapphire conference kicks off next week in Orlando, setting the stage for the company to sell customers on its visions for cloud-based applications, in-memory computing and mobility. Review: HP 3PAR conjures powerful storage magic
HP 3PAR StoreServe 7400 combines high scalability, high performance, and a big bag of tricks for easing storage management BMC set to go private in $6.9 billion deal
BMC has agreed to be acquired by a private investment consortium headed by Bain Capital and Golden Capital, in a deal worth about US$6.9 billion. BMC going private in $6.9 billion deal
BMC has agreed to sell itself to a private investment consortium headed up by Bain Capital and Golden Gate Capital in a deal worth approximately US$6.9 billion. Why Apple Won't Be Around as Long as IBM
IBM is 102 years old. At its height, it was almost a cult, with employees dressing alike, speaking a unique language and earning benefits that took care of them for life. Today's tech companies aren't built to last, as Apple's recent earnings report shows all too well. H-1B reform debate pits tech firms against iT veterans
Many U.S. tech companies are pushing hard this year for an increase in the number of high-skill immigrants allowed into the country, but many veteran IT workers question their motives for wanting to increase the number of visas under the controversial H-1B program. U.K. university replaces aging HP servers with Fujitsu vShape virtualization
University Campus Suffolk (UCS) has begun a project to replace its legacy HP servers with Fujitsu's vShape virtualised infrastructure, allowing it to increase compute capacity in a smaller data centre space. Will fault-tolerant servers improve your virtualized environment?
Companies are turning to fault tolerant servers as a way to improve uptime without experiencing the downtime associated with high availability solutions. But fault tolerant technology may not be right for every enterprise. IBM launches appliance for the 'Internet of things'
Preparing its customers to join the emerging 'Internet of things', IBM has released a new appliance built to manage and route a voluminous amount of machine-to-machine small data messages Gartner: Worldwide CRM revenue grew 12.5 percent in 2012
Global CRM (customer relationship management) revenue grew 12.5 percent last year to US$18 billion, a rate three times that of all enterprise software segments on average, as companies look to acquire more business and serve existing customers better, according to a new Gartner report. Salesforce.com launches Social.com advertising platform
Salesforce.com is taking steps to combine its acquisitions in social media monitoring and social advertising with its core CRM (customer relationship management) software through a new product called Social.com. IBM snatches up UrbanCode for DevOps prowess
Sensing a need among its customers for faster software development, IBM has acquired UrbanCode, a provider of tools suited for the emerging practice of rapid software development called devops. SAP and Oracle winners as software growth slows, IDC says
A growing interest in big data, analytics and cloud computing helped propel a weak software enterprise market last year, according to research from IDC. SAP and Oracle fared the best among the large software vendors. Infor launches version 10x, plans IBM SmartCloud launch for its apps
Infor is hoping a new social collaboration tool, updated middleware and user interfaces, as well as options for cloud-based deployments, will help cement its place as one of the industry's largest ERP (enterprise resource planning) vendors after SAP and Oracle. Wall Street Beat: Tech bellwethers report mixed quarter
Some of the biggest names in IT including IBM, Microsoft, Google and Intel reported quarterly earnings this week, revealing a picture of the tech sector that, while not as gloomy as had been feared, is nevertheless mixed. IBM-Lenovo deal likely to focus on low-end, commodity servers, analyst says
Any deal by IBM to sell parts of its server business to Lenovo is likely to focus on low-end commodity x86 hardware, not higher-end x86 systems such as IBM's PureSystems and iDataPlex servers, an industry analyst said Thursday. IBM's revenue deflated in 2013's first quarter
Unable to close a number of large mainframe and software deals by the end of the quarter, IBM has reported a 5 percent decline in revenue to US$23.4 billion for the first quarter of 2013. Harvard global grid computing project will help create printable solar cells
Harvards Clean Energy Project is conducting a study on millions of potential chemical structures and has identified next-generation organic solar cell material. Give enterprise software a social makeover to attract users
When it comes to developing enterprise applications, organizations are increasingly realizing that user experience is as important as functionality. In response, vendors are taking a more agile approach to building those apps in order to better meet users' needs. IBM to invest $1B in flash memory development
After its buyout of Texas Memory Systems, IBM is now the latest on the vendor bandwagon to push flash into the data centers, saying it will invest a whopping $1 billion into flash research. STORServer enters cloud business
STORServer, a maker of backup appliances, announced private and public cloud backup services.
One-quarter of U.S. patents issued this year will be in mobile, study says
The land rush for mobile patents is so feverish that about one-quarter of all patents issued in the U.S. this year will be mobile-related, according to a study released on Wednesday. Enterprise apps get social
Combining the ad-hoc nature of social media with the more structured world of enterprise apps such as CRM is often the best of both worlds, implementers say. IBM moves toward post-silicon transistor
Exploring methods of computing without silicon, IBM has found a way to make transistors that could be fashioned into virtual circuitry that mimics how the human brain operates. Oracle's storage business falters as market slows in Q4, says Gartner
Oracle suffered the most as growth in the storage market continued to slow during the end of 2012. Hewlett-Packard, Dell and IBM also struggled while EMC emerged as the big winner. Email addiction: Why the enterprise can't break free
The kids may have moved on, but business users love (and hate) their email. Here's why we can't dig out. Wall Street Beat: Markets advance but tech trends stay stable
While U.S. markets have surged lately, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average hitting milestone after milestone in 10 straight days of advances, a relatively modest increase in the value of IT company shares reflects the reality that a rising tide will not lift all boats in the tech sector. IBM launches 'customer experience' practice
IBM has started a new practice to help organizations interact more effectively with their customers through the use of social media and other emerging technologies. IDC: Big data hype still here, but maturity beckons
Few tech industry buzzwords have gotten as vigorous a workout as "big data," but while the hype remains plentiful, it is starting to give way to real-life successes as well as formal ways companies can develop big data strategies, according to a number of IDC analysts. Cloud computing's big debt to NASA
IBM's decision this week to base its cloud services on OpenStack may help establish this open source platform as the standard in enterprises. IBM: Watson will eventually fit on a smartphone, diagnose illness
IBM executives are working with healthcare systems to perfect supercomputer Watson's ability to diagnose and suggest treatments. And by 2020, Watson could fit on a smartphone. Oracle ramping up marketing software battle with Salesforce.com
Oracle has laid in out in detail how it intends to compete with the likes of Salesforce.com in the highly competitive arena for next-generation marketing software. Software firms defend patents in D.C.
Software patents, facing new scrutiny in the U.S., drive innovation and protect huge investments by developers, representatives of software companies said during a Capitol Hill briefing. IBM makes big mobile push with MobileFirst
Forget the ThinkPad, IBM is now all about MobileFirst. Obama, in State of the Union, offers shout-outs to tech
In his State of the Union address Tuesday night, President Barack Obama made a point of drawing attention to three big tech firms: IBM, Apple and Intel. Dell has its work cut out for it
Taking Dell private is a bold move, but won't ensure success. If you can't recognize opportunities and execute properly as a public company, buying yourself shelter from investors only takes you so far. The bigger challenge will be rejiggering the corporate culture and core processes to make more innovation possible. IBM supercomputer takes on new role in health arena
IBM's Watson supercomputer has gone from game show king to doctor's office helper. IBM's mainframe chief eyes mobile, social workloads
The head of IBM's mainframe group is looking to bring mobile and social workloads into the platform in another move that would help the mainframe stay relevant and fend off competition from lower-cost systems. IBM gives cloud storage controls to corporate end users
Lost in all the Watson server news this week from IBM was its release of is a self-service software portal that allows end-users to dynamically provision storage within minutes. With buyout set, Dell needs to lay out PC strategy, analysts say
Dell's buyout deal should give the company renewed business flexibility and stealth but now buyers need to know if Dell will be in the PC market for the long haul. IBM brings Watson technologies to new Power servers for SMBs
IBM's Watson supercomputer outperformed humans in the televised game show "Jeopardy." Now the company is moving some of its underlying technologies from the supercomputer into new entry-level servers. Lotus position: IBM kills the name, but software and founders live on
Thirty-one years ago, Massachusetts-based software developers Mitch Kapor and Jonathan Sachs created a program -- an electronic spreadsheet -- that would change the world. A year later, on Jan. 26, 1983, Lotus Development Corp. released Lotus 1-2-3 for the IBM PC and grossed $53 million in sales. The following year, sales tripled to more than $150 million. At IBM Connect, IT execs talk about betting on enterprise social
Unused intranets. Siloed departmental portals. Excessive email use. IBM bulks up analysis muscle with Star Analytics buy
Adding more performance management muscle to its line of analysis software and services, IBM is acquiring the software assets of Star Analytics. IBM's Watson supercomputer goes to college for extra smarts
Watson, IBM's supercomputer that came to fame besting a Jeopardy champion, is going to college, to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, to hone its skills. BaaS: It's a crowded (and young) market
Back-end as a service offers standard features to drop into your apps, so your developers can spend their time on the most strategic pieces. Speed up mobile app-dev with back-end as a service
Vendors offer code drop-ins that standardize common mobile features, including messaging and payment, so your in-house developers can focus on the functions that are most important to your business. IBM to beef up content management, analytics in Connections enterprise social product
IBM will launch before mid-year several new and improved collaboration and communication products, including a new suite for human resources tasks and a major upgrade of its Connections enterprise social networking product. Mobile apps are a priority in search of a leader
Traditional IT vendors aren't leading with software, and businesses aren't hiring mobile leaders, according an Appcelerator survey IBM boosts full-year profit despite lower revenue
Making the most of a sluggish world economy, IBM managed to increase its net income by 5 percent in 2012, even though revenue shrank by 2 percent. Obama takes forceful stand on climate and tech
In his second inaugural address, President Barack Obama on Monday argued with certainty and forcefulness about the dangers of climate change and the role of technology in fighting it. DARPA, SRC pony up $194M to fund chip research
The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and a consortium of top semiconductor companies are handing out US$194 million to universities for research that addresses the physical limitations of semiconductors and chips. Microsoft's 13 worst missteps of all time
DOS 4.0, Zune, and Windows 8 are but a few of the landmarks among 25 years of failures Redmond-style Windows RT: Bug not a bug?
Microsoft and a respected researcher disagreed this week about whether a bug in Windows RT is actually a security vulnerability that should be patched. Update: SAP ports its Business Suite to HANA
SAP's flagship Business Suite enterprise resource planning (ERP) software can now run on top of the HANA in-memory database, in a move that stands to open new frontiers of competition with the likes of Oracle, IBM and Microsoft. IBM now top patent producer 20 years running
IBM has always been bullish on patents and 2012 proved to be no exception. IBM once again amassed more patents than any other company in a single year, a distinction it has enjoyed for the past 20 years. Mountain Lion mauls other OS X editions for top spot
Five months after its release, Apple's Mountain Lion became the most widely-used version of OS X, a Web measurement firm said Tuesday. Former research analyst charged in IBM insider trading case
U.S. authorities have charged a former research analyst at a financial services firm with insider trading offenses related to the 2009 acquisition of software vendor SPSS by IBM. Why Oracle bought Eloqua, and what it means for the market
Oracle surprised many tech industry observers by announcing Thursday it would pay US$871 million for marketing automation software vendor Eloqua. The move seemed a bit unlikely given the amount of sales and marketing software Oracle already had. IBM plans to buy e-discovery firm StoredIQ
In a move to expand its portfolio of information governance software, IBM is acquiring e-discovery software vendor StoredIQ. Hitachi, EMC and Fujitsu winners as storage market weakens
Growth in the storage market slowed down during the third quarter, but vendors such as Hitachi, EMC and Fujitsu still had a good three months thanks in part to sales of high-end systems. Oracle rolls out new database security package
Oracle is simplifying its security offerings by combining a pair of existing tools into a single package. The scariest software project horror stories of 2012
Sure, plenty of enterprise software projects go just fine and end up giving customers all the things vendors promise: lower operating costs, streamlined operations and happier users. IBM advances silicon nanophotonics
IBM has demonstrated that it is commercially feasible to bake optical circuitry into silicon processors using fabrication techniques, which could set the stage for radically faster and lower-cost computer communications. Android update brings Notes problems that IBM will fix next week
IBM plans to issue fixes early next week for glitches that have hit Notes users who upgraded to the latest version of Google's Android OS. External disk storage shipments surpass 7 exabytes in Q3
IDC today released its Disk Storage Tracker, showing steady growth in external storage systems worldwide for the third quarter. 128TB tape cartridges key to kilometer-size telescope
IBM says that by the time a massive radio telescope array taking up a square kilometer of land is completed in 2026, its tape drive technology will be able to support the generation of 1 petabyte of data per day in search of new galaxies and the origins of the universe. Wall Street Beat: Tech treads water as confidence wanes
News of weak server sales, continuing turmoil at Hewlett-Packard and the ongoing U.S. political impasse over the so-called "fiscal cliff" have not given tech industry watchers much to cheer about this week. In a symbolic shift, IBM's India workforce likely exceeds U.S.
It has been widely expected over the past year or two that IBM's India workforce was on track to exceed its U.S. workforce, if it hadn't exceeded it already. Worldwide server shipments rose in Q3, but revenue fell, Gartner says
Worldwide server shipments went up in the third quarter of 2012, but revenue from those sales dropped due to economic uncertainty in some parts of the world, research firm Gartner said in a study released on Wednesday. LTO-6 tape with up to 6.25TB capacity ships
Tandberg Data, Imation and Fujifilm have announced separately that they are shipping the new LTO-6 tape drive technology offering up to 1.4TB per hour throughput. Supercomputers face growing resilience problems
As supercomputers grow more powerful, they'll also grow more vulnerable to failure, thanks to the increased amount of built-in componentry. A few researchers at the recent SC12 conference, held last week in Salt Lake City, offered possible solutions to this growing problem. Europe looks to ARM chips for supercomputing edge
The European Union is moving to build a high-performance computing industry to challenge U.S. dominance, but it doesn't want to play catch-up. It wants to leapfrog, and it is seeing whether ARM Holdings technology can give it that edge. SC2012: Top500 expects exascale computing by 2020
If the increase in supercomputer speeds continue at their current pace, we will see the first exascale machine by 2020, estimated the maintainers of the Top500 compilation of the world's fastest systems. IBM kills Lotus brand, readies beta of Notes/Domino Social Edition
IBM is planning to release on Dec. 14 a public beta of Notes and Domino 9.0 Social Edition that will no longer use the Lotus brand. White House Tells Tech Sector to Dream Big
The Office of Science and Technology Policy looks to strengthen the tech startup sector and capture the nation's imagination as it seeks ideas from the best and the brightest. Cray bumps IBM from Top500 supercomputer top spot
The U.S. Department of Energy Oak Ridge National Laboratory's newly installed Titan system, a Cray XK7, has been anointed as the world's fastest supercomputer in the newly released 40th edition of the Top500 compilation of the world's fastest supercomputers. Manufacturer sues IBM over SAP project 'disaster'
IBM has been slapped with a multimillion dollar lawsuit by chemical products manufacturer Avantor Performance Materials, which alleges that IBM lied about the suitability of a SAP-based software package it sells in order to win Avantor's business. Microsoft's Cloud Services Mix Leaves Many Vendors in the Dust
IBM became 'Big Blue' because it leased hardware and provided free software, but its collapse divorced the two. The growth of the cloud has caused another marriage, one that brings together software and services. Vendors such as Amazon, Google and especially Microsoft understand this, CIO.com columnist Rob Enderle says, and they are bound to leave those trying to sell a 'cloud solution' in their dust. IBM adds entry-level Storwize V3700 array
IBM announced the Storwize V3700 storage array, which starts at $11,000 and is one of the lowest-priced storage products the company offers. Past is prototype: The evolution of the computer keyboard
Here's how ergonomics, electronics and economics have contributed to the look and feel of the computer keyboard over the years. What will our fingertips type on next? IBM, Epicor could be among potential JDA acquirers
IBM, Epicor and other vendors could be eyeing a purchase of supply-chain software vendor JDA, analysts said Tuesday following a published report that the company was looking for suitors. IBM moving to replace silicon with carbon nanotubes in computer chips
IBM has hit a milestone in its quest to come up with a successor to silicon computer chips. Q&A: Statistician Nate Silver talks big data, sports analysis
New York-based political statistician and author Nate Silver was a special guest speaker at IBM's Information On Demand conference. Big data, algorithms and sports analysis were among the topics of discussion. McAfee Shows Security Flaws of Smartphones (Especially Android Devices)
Smartphone security, or the lack of it, is downright scary. At this week's McAfee Focus event, CIO.com columnist Rob Enderle discovered just how easy it is to hack into someone else's device. Even if you secure corporate phones, employees' personal phones pose a significant risk. IBM refreshes analysis offerings
At IBM's Information On Demand and Business Analytics Forum, being held this week in Las Vegas, the company announced a number of new add-ons and services designed to help organizations analyze their expanding data sets more quickly. Google, tech sector hit by sluggish economy
Google today reported a drop in profit and revenue for the third quarter, an unexpected slip that highlighted its struggle to make money on a growing mobile market. IBM reports sluggish quarter
For its most recent financial quarter, IBM experienced declining revenue and flat income, though it still managed to deliver increased earnings per share. IBM expands PureSystems line for data duties
IBM has expanded its PureSystems line of pre-integrated systems to include new models to handle business analysis and online transaction processing. IBM, AT&T team on cloud services
IBM has teamed with AT&T to offer secure shared cloud services to customers over private networks rather than the public Internet, the companies said Tuesday. IBM drops Power7+ in high-end Unix servers
IBM has started to roll out a new processor for its Power family of servers, a staggered affair that will start with higher-end systems and eventually reach the midrange and low-end boxes. Job ad for student visa stirs debate
Recruiting of Optional Practical Training workers for tech jobs has become controversial because they are not paid prevailing wages. IBM extends incentive programs to service partners
IBM has launched a new set of incentives and aids to help its service partners make better use of the company's cloud services and products. IBM CEO Virginia Rometty elected chairman
IBM announced on Tuesday that its president and CEO, Virginia Rometty, would become chairman starting Oct. 1. Looking for a great job in IT? The cloud is hiring
IT is moving to the cloud -- and so are the jobs. Here's how to cash in on the hot trend in tech hiring Security Arms Race Heats Up, But IT Battles Back Against Attacks
Attackers are increasingly exploiting a combination of connected systems, poor policy enforcement and human error to cause data breaches, but there have been some information security successes: Spam and phishing attacks are down, reported SQL injection vulnerabilities are on the decline and sandboxing technology is making it safer to open documents like PDFs again. Oracle buys SelectMinds to boost capabilities gained from Taleo acquisition
Oracle on Monday said it has agreed to acquire SelectMinds, a maker of "social talent sourcing software," in a bid to flesh out the capabilities it gained through this year's US$1.9 billion acquisition of Taleo.
| Our bloggers on IBM Computing in the commercial age
Weather prediction in the 50s. Missile intercepts of UFOs in the 60s. Electronic messages in the 70s. We learned about it through the commercials.
IBM makes feeble movie about a boy #MadeWithAtoms
Atom manipulation makes for world record. IBM (NYSE:IBM) produces the worst animated movie I've ever seen. Terrible production values, laughable plot, and awful soundtrack. At least it's mercifully short. Two thumbs down. Still, it does at least show what's possible when you manipulate and photograph individual atoms. In IT Blogwatch, bloggers think... and make Heisenberg gags.
Hello, Mr. Chips
Flashback to the early 1970s, when this pilot fish is in the army and working at what the military is calling a "Data Processing Center" -- and it's time to renew the tradition of pulling a prank on the new guy.
The futuristic marriage of machine translation and speech recognition
Speech recognition, executed without mistakes, is the Holy Grail of translation. If we could talk into our smartphones and have vocalized a flawless translation into any language of our choosing, be it Pashtun or Portuguese, the language barrier would no longer exist. But like the Babel Fish in “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” perfect translation is still a thing of fiction.
IBM and AT&T offer cloud mish-mash for fearful firms
IBM (NYSE:IBM) and AT&T (NYSE:T) will get together to offer a cloud IaaS to big enterprises in 2013. The pair claim that it'll be more secure and manageable than other cloudy infrastructures, and should overcome the worries of companies who fear for lack of control or suspect security. In IT Blogwatch, bloggers cut to the chase.
iPhone, Siri and mind control: the future evolution of the smartphone
It would be foolish to underestimate the importance of Apple's iPhone 5's Siri or any other voice-activated intelligent assistant. These solutions are big steps toward new user interfaces: one day your iPhone may be controlled by your mind.
Why Apple's Siri won't be the 'killer feature' for iPhone 5
The iPhone 5 is coming! The iPhone 5 is coming! That’s the story of the day, but within Apple's big reveal tomorrow you’d be wise to lavish a little attention on the iOS voice assistant, Siri -- but not too much, as the focus of this year’s release will be elsewhere.
Mainframes dead? Not on your Nelly! Here's IBM's cloudy, green zEC12...
IBM (NASDAQ:IBM) proudly announces its latest big, blue baby, the zEnterprise EC12 mainframe. Yes, Virginia, it's still totally relevant in today's great green, virtualized, consumerized, cloud-computing paradise -- or so IBM says: You decide! In IT Blogwatch, bloggers help us decide.
IBM moves mainframe into business continuity cloud
The mainframe will soon be just another part of IBM's cloud-based disaster recovery service offering, allowing the enterprise to effectively create a backup data center in the cloud, says IBM distinguished engineer and CTO Richard Cocchiara.
Phew! U.S. regains #1 supercomputer spot in Top500.
There's relief at hand for nationalistic HPC-watchers. The latest Top500 list shows the U.S. back at #1, after trailing various Asian supercomputers. IBM's (NYSE:IBM) latest installation for the mushroom-cloud-computing folks at Lawrence Livermore is to blame, but Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) vows to catch up soon. In IT Blogwatch, bloggers ask if it can run Crysis.
Happy 25th birthday, OS/2; you were great/awful
It's IBM OS/2's 25th birthday. So long, farewell, we hardly knew ye. In IT Blogwatch, bloggers fondly reminisce.
5 reasons why IBM is full of FAIL
 IBM has just published its top five predictions for technology in 2016. And, by golly, what a load of utterly bogus, crazy rubbish they are. "5 in 5"? More like Zero in five. Energy from water? An end to passwords? Mind control? All these and more debunked in The Long View...
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IBM has Hadoop cloud for big, unstructured data
 IBM (NYSE:IBM) has launched its unstructured-data cloud service, based on Hadoop. Called BigInsights, it's essentially MapReduce for Dummies, which is no bad thing. In IT Blogwatch, bloggers welcome their new pachydermic overlords. Your humble blogwatcher curated these bloggy bits for your entertainment. Not to mention: Fight For The Future...
IBM beats Microsoft in market value --- here's how Microsoft can take back the lead
IBM has surpassed Microsoft in market worth, an ironic turn of events considering that Microsoft outsmarted IBM years ago and left the company practically for dead. It's a sign of how Microsoft hasn't been able to adequately adjust to a changing world. Microsoft would do well to examine how IBM turned around its fortunes, and learn some lessons from the company's revival.
Oracle shows super-fast, IBM-killing SPARC T4
 Oracle (NASDAQ:ORCL) has unveiled its T4 processor, as well as its 9,600-thread SuperCluster behemoth. In the run-up to next week's Oracle OpenWorld, Larry Ellison and Mark Hurd are proudly showing off their new stuff. In IT Blogwatch, bloggers ponder the feeds 'n' speeds. Not to mention: Guess the FUNCTION of the THING...
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