Dennis Fisher

Hoping to cash in on the trend toward managed security services, startup OneSecure Inc. this week will launch what it is calling the industrys first security management platform. The service grew out of the Denver-based companys belief that existing security tools were too complex and required end users to be experts in TCP/IP, routing and […]

Even if your network is not totally secure, you probably thought you had defenses in all the right places. Think again. The next wave of hacking schemes focuses on a vulnerable and extremely difficult area to defend: Web applications. Such application-level hacks differ from typical brute-force attacks such as distributed denial of service or other […]

Mafiaboy, the canadian teenager accused of launching DDoS attacks against a septet of the Internets most popular sites last year, pleaded guilty last week to 56 of the 66 charges against him—just before his trial was set to start in Montreal. While the action brought to a close one chapter in the distributed-denial-of-service saga of […]

The fact that Lotus Development Corp. is in the middle of yet another restructuring to streamline operations and reduce costs may come as no surprise. But the scope and details of the plan, which may include job cuts, are leading many to conclude that the beginning of the end of independence for the once-powerful company […]

Startup Ardesic Corp. last month unveiled a CRM product designed for online marketplaces. The eMarketMinder platform comprises modules that are hosted by an exchange and deliver standard customer relationship management features, including incident tracking and reporting, workflow, relationship and campaign analysis, and customer support. The modules are built around a central content repository and database. […]

Microsoft Corp. made a serious move into the small-to-midsize business applications space and bolstered its .Net strategy at the same time with its purchase late last month of Great Plains Software Inc. Once the $1.1 billion acquisition is completed later this year, Great Plains will continue to enhance, market and support its existing back-office applications […]

Two online auction companies are looking to enable enterprises to incorporate into their online buying the sophisticated buying strategies that they have long used offline. WayBid Technologies Inc. and Bid.com Inc. are delivering new services that enable public and private auctions and exchanges to give buyers access to a broader range of goods, through unified […]

Al Zollar has been on the job as CEO of Lotus Development Corp. for nearly a year, and the period has been an unusually quiet one for the Cambridge, Mass., company. But as it readies for the annual Lotusphere user conference next month, Lotus is gearing up to launch its long-awaited Raven knowledge management product. […]

The latest rattle in the business-to-business e-marketplace shakeout came last week when Covisint LLC, the flagship exchange for the auto industry, secured investments from both of its major technology providers. Commerce One Inc. announced a deal that gave it not only $1.6 billion in cash from Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Corp. and an […]

Amid the hype surrounding the emergence of ASPs and the benefits of renting applications on an as-needed basis, little has been said about the need for customization. But thats about to change. IT Factory Inc., a provider of collaborative software based on Lotus Development Corp.s Notes and Domino infrastructure, this week will launch an application […]

Companies that are tired of waiting for their suppliers to make the leap to e-business now have several new ways to lend them a helping hand. Two new alliances announced last week aim to make it easier for suppliers to connect directly with their customers and make their catalogs, order-tracking systems and other essential data […]

The road to standards and interoperability within the instant messaging industry has been long, winding and bumpy. And now it appears that road may never end. Where once a single standard was in development, now several separate and sometimes conflicting interoperability initiatives are fighting for attention. This lack of cohesion was on display last week […]