Dear Reader,

The announcement that Siebel and IBM are collaborating to launch CRMondemand.com is a move into a segment of the CRM space previously occupied almost exclusively by salesforce.com. This development is worthy of note for several reasons.

For now, we will leave aside what it does to the competative dynamics of that market. Much more interesting instead is the clear signal this sends to anyone that has classified utility computing as a trend for the technical staff only. From inception, salesforce.com - and now Siebel/IBM - have presented themselves as a utility computing provider of a key business process. Broadly speaking, we have always agreed and see the progress salesforce.com have made in the enterprise arena as indicative of the sound business value utility computing offers.

This latest venture by two of the more significant CRM and technology vendors clearly caters for delivery of fundamental commercial processes. To core business executives utility computing has consequently moved up a stage in their strategic radar. In contrast, to core technology executives, this development says mainly that a complex infrastructure is increasingly dispensible.

As CA's Colin Bannister is keen to point out in our Q&A this week, it's the management of technology that counts. At it's heart, utility computing is not about new technology - it's about existing resources leveraged in an entirely new way.

Mike Lee
Editor

Utility Computing Report

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Utility Computing: Any port in a storm?
In previous installments we have examined some of the major legal issues facing businesses considering a Utility Computing project (e.g., You Want Employees Along With That (Virtual) Functionality? - 2003/10/08). Here we focus on some of the key issues that arise if one party breaches the contract, or, more seriously, if the contract needs to be terminated. This area, perhaps as no other, highlights the fact that different disputes can produce different outcomes depending upon in which jurisdiction you might find yourself. In a storm, not all ports provide the same shelter. Click here for Full Article
[by Alan Steele-Nicholson and Peter Brudenall, Simmons & Simmons]

Disasters: How prepared is your utility computing provider?
In the wake of a widespread power blackout in the Northeast United States in August and a more contained failure in Europe a few weeks later, companies around the globe are taking a new, closer look at their emergency preparedness. Click here for Full Article
[by Bernadette Hearne, Contributing Editor, Utility Computing]

Managing the Utility Computing Roadmap - Question & Answer with Computer Associates
Like most high tech companies, Computer Associates (CA) have known some dramatic “roller-coaster” moments in the last few years. From a stock-price high of $75/share in 1999 the stock later slumped to $10/share amidst Sam Wyly's failed management coup and an announced SEC investigation. Today, however, things are looking up, with the share price hovering just below $28. An estimated 30,000 people attended CA World in July to hear CEO Sanjay Kumar set out his stall for utility computing. Click here for Full Article
[by Edward Tsang, Senior Strategist, Utility Computing]

You Want Employees Along With That (Virtual) Functionality?
In our recent articles we have zeroed in on some of the major legal pitfalls nestled inside Utility Computing contracts (for instance, Legal challenges and how to handle them - 2003/09/24). One of the recurrent themes has been the comparison of utility computing to outsourcing. Many of the same problems crop up in both sorts of contracts, not the least of which involve employees. Depending upon the wording and structure of the deal, you may find that you are transferring all the rights and duties regarding employees whether you intended to or not. In this article we focus on some of those employment concerns within the European Union. In a future installment, we will compare the situation with the US. Click here for Full Article
[by Alan Steele-Nicholson and Peter Brudenall, Simmons & Simmons]

UtilCompWorld 2004
23 - 24 March 2004 - New York

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Force10 Networks and IBM join forces on Gigabit Ethernet
IBM and Force10 Networks have signed a worldwide partnership agreement where IBM will resell the Force10's E-Series E1200/600 high density Gigabit and 10 Gigabit Ethernet product family. The E-Series is currently in use by IBM to connect hundreds of servers and storage systems in several grid computing projects.
[2003/10/27 UC Newsdesk]

IBM introduces assessment services to simplify corporate computing
IBM has announced its Infrastructure Management Assessment Services that would help corporate users to prepare their IT environments to incorporate emerging capabilities such as automated provisioning, autonomic computing and business systems monitoring.
[2003/10/23 UC Newsdesk]

Vodafone and Oracle partner to offer mobile grid computing
Oracle and Vodafone announced a joint initiative in which they would offer enterprise customers integrated mobility solutions based on Oracle 10g and Vodafone Network Services. Pilot customers in health care, government, utilities and media industries are performing final trials before general availability, currently planned for November 2003.
[2003/10/22 UC Newsdesk]

IBM and Adobe to partner on enterprise document solutions
Adobe Systems Incorporated and IBM announced that the two companies have signed an agreement to develop solutions to help users improve data capture, document generation and delivery across the enterprise. The solutions will help to manage business content in an on-demand environment.
[2003/10/20 UC Newsdesk]

'China Grid' Powered by IBM
IBM and China's Ministry of Education announced they have begun using grid technology to enable universities across the country to collaborate on research, scientific and education projects. This is one of the world's largest implementations of Grid computing - which takes untapped application, data and computing resources from different computing systems and makes them available where and when they're needed, resulting in a single, virtual system.
[2003/10/13 UC Newsdesk]

IBM and Cisco collaborate on autonomic technologies
IBM and Cisco have announced a set of open software technologies designed to increase the end-to-end intelligence and responsiveness of the global IT infrastructure -- representing a major advancement in the development of "self-healing", or "autonomic", computing systems and networks. The companies are also working on a set of proposed technologies and standards creating a common language to detect, log and resolve system problems.
[2003/10/10 UC Newsdesk]

Salesforce.com now speaks Portuguese too
Salesforce.com, a company that deliver CRM software-as-service, has extended its global functionality with the addition of language and currency capabilities in Portuguese. The company has also announced that Inter-Tel, a communications solutions provider, has become salesforce.com's 7,800th customer with a 520 users license.
[2003/10/9 UC Newsdesk]

HP's $500 Million Total Print Management Contracts
HP has announced that more than 625 customers totalling approximately $500 million in service contracts have signed up to date for its Total Print Management (TPM) solution which is a key growth area for its imaging and printing business and one of several HP Adaptive Enterprise solutions.
[2003/10/8 UC Newsdesk]

Platform Computing joins Macrovision's FLEXnet Alliance Program
Macrovision Corporation, a provider of software licensing technologies, has announced that Platform Computing, Digital River, InstallShield, Intraware, Open Channel Solutions, and others have joint its new FLEXnet Alliance Program. FLEXnet is a universal software licensing platform which enable flexible pricing solutions, including usage-based or utility pricing.
[2003/10/7 UC Newsdesk]

Volume 01 Issue 18
Gartner and Forrester: Use of Web services skyrocketing... Virtualising the parts other companies cannot reach... More CRM On-Demand...
Click here read it online! >>

Volume 01 Issue 17
Vertias Q&A: Introducing 'Just in time' for IT resources... Utility Computing: Legal challenges and how to handle them... IBM debuts new grid solutions for banking, financial markets...
Click here read it online! >>

Volume 01 Issue 16
Utility Computing: Finding the Right Project and Picking a Service Provider... A cultural sea change with eyes wide open... Oracle Database 10g -- g for Grid...
Click here read it online! >>

Volume 01 Issue 15
Open Source points the way forward... Utility Computing: are there teeth in those bytes?... Utility Computing Can Help Prevent Further American Power Blackouts...
Click here read it online! >>

Volume 01 Issue 14
What can we learn from the recent blackout in America?... Utility Computing: Overcoming the NMH Syndrome... Extreme Adaptive Enterprise... LEGO On Demand...
Click here read it online! >>