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How to Use Pervasive Business Intelligence to Transform Your Business An emerging core competency of every business is being able to deliver real-time analytical intelligence to those who need it. Advanced technologies such as pervasive business intelligence and active data warehousing can help businesses leverage their portals and Web 2.0 techniques to deliver fresh, timely information to users. Here, Knowledge Center contributors Dave Schrader and Dan Graham offer 10 ways to use pervasive business intelligence to dramatically transform your business. A Shift to Web Apps and 'Windows as a Runtime' Opens New OS Doors However, a powerful pair of trends--driven almost as aggressively by Microsoft as by the rest of the industry--are working to expand the viability not only of Linux but of Mac OS X, Solaris and other platforms yet unknown or uninvented: a shift to Web-based applications and & WaaR,& or Windows as a Runtime. How to Ensure SAAS Providers Are Truly Protecting Your Data From small businesses to large enterprises, 2009 was the year software as a service broke into the mainstream. But the transformation of this once niche segment into a mass-market phenomenon hasn't come easily. One roadblock to greater SAAS adoption has been executives' lack of clarity around best practices for security protocols and data protection. Here, Knowledge Center contributor Jonathan McCormick explains how executives can ensure that SAAS providers are truly protecting their company's data. 10 Scenarios That Could Make Apple License Mac OS X News Analysis: Apple might be a hardware company that turns big profits on computers and gadgets, but that doesn't mean that issues won't arise forcing it to license Mac OS X. Change is constant in the computer industry and even Apple can't say it will never change its mind about retaining exclusive control of the Mac OS platform. Brightcove 4 Supports iPhone, Google Analytics Brightcove Nov. 16 refreshed its online video platform with the launch of Brightcove 4. The platform includes support for native iPhone video application development, Google analytics and other tools to help Websites publish video and make money from the content. Brightcove 4, which includes Brightcove Express for small businesses, signals a maturation of the platform at a time when businesses are making video more of the centerpiece of their messaging than a complementary medium. NetSuite, InsideView Pull Social-Networking Data into Enterprise NetSuite and InsideView have paired to release an application that leverages social networking, including Facebook and Twitter, within both Customer Relationship Management and Enterprise Resource Planning. NetSuite has attempted over the past year to expand from its small and midsize business base into the enterprise, with applications that could potentially challenge SAP or Oracle. How to Achieve Optimal Availability for Microsoft Exchange E-mail is a critical business communications tool in today's world, with users expecting non-stop access to it. It's often challenging for IT administrators to protect their company's Microsoft Exchange environment. But there are steps they can take to achieve optimal Microsoft Exchange availability. As Knowledge Center contributor Tom Reed explains, these steps identify what availability levels should be designated to satisfy Microsoft Exchange service-level agreement commitments with fewer resources and lower costs. How to Improve Business Performance with Software Plus Services These days, new technologies are touted daily as being the ones that will revolutionize the industry. Too often, they fall short. But software plus services is a valuable option for companies that want to save money while improving business performance through the increased collaboration and business intelligence today's technology offers. By outlining four advantages of software plus services, Knowledge Center contributor Cindy Bates explains how customers can use software plus services to customize their IT environment to improve business performance. REVIEW: Firefox 3.6, Google Chrome 4.0 Betas Show Modest Advances Based on tests of new beta versions, neither Firefox 3.6 nor Google Chrome 4.0 will be major steps forward for the browsers. The only significant new feature in the Chrome 4.0 beta is Bookmark Sync. The Firefox 3.6 beta boasts more new features than the Chrome 4.0 beta, but none are groundbreaking. Mozilla Thunderbird 3 Adds New E-Mail Features Mozilla plans on rolling out Thunderbird 3, the newest version of its open-source e-mail application, in mid-November. The organization says it’s made some 2,000 improvements to the program. The larger new features include tabbed e-mail, filtered search and a one-click address book. Thunderbird 3 will be compatible with Windows, Mac OS X and Linux, and is built on the same Gecko 1.9.1 rendering platform as Firefox 3.1. The following slides illustrate some of the application’s most notable improvements. LABS GALLERY: Google Chrome 4.0, Mozilla Firefox 3.6 Betas Up Browser Ante With the recent releases of beta versions of Google Chrome 4.0 and Mozilla Firefox 3.6, the two browsers continue their rapid pace of upgrading to provide more integrated functionality across Web services. Despite the version number, Firefox 3.6 looks to be the more significant upgrade. The Chrome 4.0 beta focuses on underlying capabilities, with only one major new feature (for syncing bookmarks across browsers and users' Google accounts). REVIEW: SeaMonkey Retains Mozilla Look and Feel While Incorporating Firefox 3.5 Performance The free SeaMonkey suite is very similar to the old Mozilla software while keeping the underlying technology up-to-date. The new SeaMonkey 2.0, for example, adds the capabilities of Firefox 3.5's underlying browsing engine while maintaining the old Mozilla look and feel. eWEEK Labs' tests show that SeaMonkey 2.0 takes some getting used to but has some compelling features, especially for organizations that want an all-in-one Internet suite. How to Select the Right Electronic Document Management System Today's businesses succeed or fail as a result of applying the right technology and software. But it's often difficult to find a single all-in-one solution that encompasses everything a business needs to keep track of client information. There is software for each niche a business might need, but sometimes using niche products can lead to problems. Here, Knowledge Center contributor Andrew Bailey explains how to increase efficiency by using an electronic document management system to keep track of all your client information. How to Achieve Regulatory Compliance with Automated E-Mail Archiving The use of e-mail as a business tool has evolved from a matter of simple convenience to one of absolute necessity. Recognizing the dependence on this vital communications tool, many organizations and regulatory bodies have enacted e-mail archiving and retention policies and guidelines for their members or industry. Here, Knowledge Center contributor Ted Green explains how to use automated e-mail archiving in your company to achieve regulatory compliance. SAP Focuses on SMBs, Unconcerned by Oracle's Sun Acquisition SAP reports quarterly revenues that fell by 9 percent thanks to a decrease in spending on business software, but increased adoption of its products by SMBs may help it through economically challenging times. The president of SAP North America suggests that SAP is unconcerned by the seemingly imminent acquisition of Sun Microsystems by Oracle. SAP Cuts Its Full-Year Sales Outlook SAP cuts its sales outlook based on weakness in emerging markets and in Japan, leaving investors wondering where the company will attract new buyers for its high-end software given a client base still keeping costs in check. Google Maps Navigation Bolsters Android 2.0 Launched Oct. 28 as a free Google Maps feature for smartphones that will run the Google Android 2.0 build, Google Maps Navigation is a GPS navigation system that provides turn-by-turn voice guidance. The program uses the phone's Internet connection to fetch users the latest maps and business data. Features include the ability to search without knowing an address, search by voice and search any business along a route. Google envisions Maps Navigation as a differentiator to set Android 2.0-based smartphones apart from Apple's iPhone. There are also traffic, satellite and street views. The details are in this eWEEK slide show. SAP BusinessObjects Explorer Offers Better Search, User Interface SAP will release a new version of its SAP BusinessObjects Explorer platform in November, allowing for accelerated enterprise search and what it says is an improved user interface. The updated version of BusinessObjects Explorer will allow enterprise data sets besides those warehoused by SAP to be ported into the platform for analysis. SAP has launched a number of enterprise platforms and applications in 2009, frequently in collaboration with companies such as Cisco and Hewlett-Packard. How to Recognize True Software-as-a-Service Applications With cloud computing all the rage now, it's no surprise that many software vendors are capitalizing on the momentum by releasing cloud versions of their conventional software products. Delivering software as a service from the cloud has distinct economical and technological advantages. But hosting an application in the cloud doesn't necessarily make it software as a service. Here, Knowledge Center contributor Bob Moul outlines five ways to tell whether or not the software-as-a-service application you need for your business is truly software as a service. White House Site Goes Open Source The Obama administration drops proprietary software driving Whitehouse.gov for the Drupal open-source content management platform. The revamped site was developed by Drupal developers Acquia and General Dynamics Information Technology, Phase2 Technology, Akamai, and Terremark Federal Group.