Joseph C. Panettieri

I promise not to start this column with gloomy economic news or another dot-com horror story. Instead, Ill focus on an upbeat item. Well, sort of. Like a mortician during a nuclear winter, Uecker & Associates is cleaning up the dot-com mess and laughing all the way to the bank. The San Francisco-based company specializes […]

The new year started off with a bang, but our Partner Index has been a dud in recent weeks because of earnings warnings and continued concern about the slowing economy. Our index fell 7.5 percent for the week ended Feb. 21, as losers beat winners by a 4-to-1 ratio. Merrill Lynch triggered the sell-off when […]

Many high-tech takeovers are negotiated in board rooms or exclusive hotel suites. But Microsoft was willing to make an exception when it came time to corral its most recent acquisition, Great Plains Software. The $1.1 billion stock deal, which is expected to close this spring, was nearly a year in the making. Informal talks between […]

In another lifetime, Bill Coleman probably worked for UPS. Just like the dependable guy in the brown hat, BEA Systems CEO always seems to deliver the goods—especially to his shareholders. With Coleman behind the wheel, BEA has generated record revenue for 20 consecutive quarters. The companys flagship software packages, Tuxedo and WebLogic, drive thousands of […]

Looks like the technology labor shortage could soon become a surplus. Even technology workers in Atlanta, one of the nations fastest-growing cities, cant outrun the economic slowdown. Recent layoffs at Amazon.com, AT&T, Covad, iXL and Lucent have hit Atlanta hard. The city has lost nearly 3,000 high-tech jobs this year, according to industry estimates. Today, […]

When it comes to partnering, PeopleSoft firmly believes that less is more. After lining up too many allies in the mid-1990s, the company now has around 35 close consulting partners—down about 60 percent from a few years ago. “Several years ago, we probably partnered with 90 firms globally,” says Jay Fulcher, executive VP of PeopleSoft […]

Sometimes it pays to invest in your worst enemy. Just ask Sun Microsystems co-founder and chief scientist Bill Joy. Even as he rides Unix to riches, Joy has been known to bet a few bucks on Microsoft. In November, Joy registered to sell nearly 3,000 Microsoft shares worth about $200,000 at the time, according to […]

PeopleSoft CEO Craig Conway knows how to bruise his rivals with combination punches. From a revamped software suite to a new management team, Conway has rebuilt PeopleSoft into a lean, highly profitable e-business contender. Now Conways on the acquisition trail, looking for small companies to round out PeopleSofts product and consulting portfolio. Conway recently discussed […]

Want to find shelter from the chilly economic slowdown? Follow Candles lead. Get on the road and identify good companies that would make great strategic allies—fast. Candle, a systems-management veteran, is branching out into e-biz analysis tools and other Web-related offerings to drive growth. Vice chairman Robert J. LaBants No. 1 priority is to develop […]

Just like other retired executives, former Cabletron chairman and CEO Craig Benson is heading to the golf course. But in this case, he owns the course—and all of the nifty gadgets on it. Sources say Benson is building a plush, fully networked golf course and country club in his home state of New Hampshire. The […]

Think its tough to survive in the Australian Outback? Try keeping your company healthy during the IT spending slowdown. In recent days, many high-tech companies have issued chilly financial forecasts for Q1. But not everyone is in a deep freeze. Computer Associates, EMC, IBM, Oracle and Siebel Systems all announced strong financial results in recent […]

Peek inside Asera Technologies doors, and youll find a very, very tiny clone of Oracle. The Silicon Valley startup is a merry band of Oracle veterans. Company president Rohit DeSouza formerly was group VP for B2B exchanges at Oracle. Aseras other Oracle alumni include: > VP and CTO Anil Nori, formerly an Oracle8 architect > […]