Brian Morrissey

Of the many lessons learned from Sept. 11, an enduring one was the need for disaster planning. From the need for fast emergency exits to vigilant security to redundant IT systems, planning ahead for the worst has gained companies’ attention. One critical area that businesses need to address is the vast amounts of data stored […]

In its latest step to comply with its still-pending federal antitrust settlement, Microsoft Monday readied the release of Windows XP Service Pack 1 (SP1), which will give computer makers and consumers the ability to avoid five key Microsoft middleware programs. SP1 is designed to answer the charges that Microsoft unfairly favors its programs over those […]

In a deal that would begin the long-expected consolidation of the fragmented U.S. cell industry, Cingular Wireless was reportedly nearing a deal to combine with VoiceStream. According to a report in Friday’s Financial Times, the two wireless companies could close a deal as soon as next month, while management structure and certain capital-control issues remain […]

Intuit announced its 2003 version of TurboTax would include a product-activation system, in order to crack down on unauthorized use of the popular tax-preparation software. The product activation will be included in all federal TurboTax software for Windows, will not prevent customers from preparing multiple returns with it for family members. However, when customers pass […]

IT spending, which has suffered from the double whammy of an uncertain economy and corporate belt-tightening, is poised for a slight uptick in 2003, according to a survey released Thursday by investment bank SG Cowen. In a survey of 700 companies and government agencies in North America, SG Cowen found the organization planned of bumping […]

As classes begin across the country, No. 1 computer maker HP said it has recently closed a bevy of million-dollar deals with schools and universities HP bragged the 40 deals, inked with school districts and universities in 22 states and two Canadian provinces, each total over $1 million. Further, the company said two out of […]

A month after IBM struck a $3.5 billion stock-and-cash deal to buy PricewterhouseCoopers’ consulting unit, the reverberations are being felt at Big Blue. On Tuesday, IBM was reportedly preparing to cut 4,000 jobs after the merger goes through, while rival HP will abandon its alliance with PwC now that its part of the IBM fold. […]

As the summer slowly peters out this Labor Day weekend, the IT industry hopes that the fall will bring more than just a change to the leaves: an end to nearly two years of stagnant IT spending. In 1999 and 2000, Giga Information Group tracked IT spending increasing by leaps and bounds, rising almost 20 […]

Looking to bolster its storage offerings, IBM Thursday struck a deal to acquire TrelliSoft, a maker of storage resource management software. The deal to buy the Glen Ellyn, Ill., company will give IBM a storage resource management (SRM) product geared to Java and Web-based storage supporting a variety of platforms, including Windows and open-source alternatives. […]

Microsoft Wednesday disclosed a variety of Windows technical information that the company said would bring it in line with the settlement it reached with the Department of Justice last fall. As it announced earlier this month, the Redmond, Wash., company disclosed 272 internal application programming interfaces (APIs) that would allow competitors to design application that […]

While emphasizing its commitment to Linux, leading open-source proponent Caldera announced Monday it would change its name to The SCO Group, reflecting the company’s Unix line. The Lindon, Utah, company said the name change would build on market awareness of its SCO OpenServer and SCO UnixWare products, and allow it to more easily market its […]

Microsoft buffed up its Web services push with the announcement Monday of a technical preview of its Web Services Software Development Kit (SDK). Microsoft said the SDK would build on its Visual Basic and .Net Framework, giving developers the tools needed to build integrated e-business applications. With the SDK, Microsoft said developers would be able […]