Renee Boucher Ferguson

Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd. prides itself on being different, forward-thinking and fun. But in its airline maintenance and engineering division, fun is the last adjective on the list. More important is the task of making sure the right parts make it to the right place, on time and working perfectly. Virgin Atlantic, based in London, […]

IBM this week will announce a shift in its strategy for small and midsize businesses that includes more IBM-developed solution sets and an upgrade to the companys Express Portfolio offerings for SMBs. The change also looks to provide more tools for partners developing software under the Built on IBM Express certification. The rationale behind the […]

i2 Technologies is moving into the next phase of its supply chain management software with the announcement this week of its Collaborative Material Management module—the third installment of the companys Collaborative Supply Execution suite. The first two CSE modules, Consolidated Procurement and Supply Collaboration/ Lean Replenishment, were announced in one-week intervals. Although many of the […]

SAP AG is looking to integrate its NetWeaver tool set into a more cohesive environment where business and IT users can more easily create composite applications. Tools that were traditionally separate are going to become part of a single environment geared toward developers and business analysts, which SAP refers to as business process experts. By […]

IT trade association CompTIA, or the Computing Technology Industry Association, is taking on RFID. The nonprofit consortium on Oct. 31 will release the beta version of its first RFID exam, aimed at IT professionals looking for a baseline certification. CompTIAs certification is geared toward IT workers with between six and 24 months of experience working […]

Salesforce.com, the current darling of the On Demand world, announced Friday the appointment of former PeopleSoft Inc. CEO Craig Conway to its board of directors, effective immediately. Conways term will expire in 2008. Anyone who followed with fascination (and disbelief) the raucous 18-month takeover battle between Oracle Corp. and PeopleSoft is aware of Conways departure […]

With the goal of enhancing its call center application development capabilities, Microsoft announced Thursday a technology acquisition from Unveil Technologies. The terms of the deal were undisclosed, but Microsoft Corp. in addition to the technology buy, it also plans to retain key developers from Unveil Technologies Inc. The Unveil engineers will become part of Microsofts […]

Business process management software developer Metastorm announced Wednesday its intent to merge with CommerceQuest Inc., which also provides BPM software, along with integration capabilities. The terms of the deal are undisclosed. The combination of the two companies makes sense in that Metastorm Inc.s software allows users to model, automate and manage business processes that require […]

Catching up on its January acquisition of PeopleSoft Corp., Oracle Corp. announced Wednesday major upgrades to the Supply Chain Management, Supplier Relationship Management and Financial Management modules within PeopleSoft Enterprise 8.9. The 8.9 version marks the first major release of the Enterprise product line since December 2003—and since Oracles acquisition of PeopleSoft. “Its been about […]

i2 Technologies is releasing another piece of its next generation supply chain management suite. The company announced Tuesday its namesake Supply Collaboration/Lean Replenishment module designed to help companies better manage supplier interactions. Supply Collaboration/Lean Replenishment is the second such SCM release i2 Technologies Inc. has made this year—with one more planned to follow. The three […]

Business Objects announced Tuesday that it plans to acquire Infommersion Inc., a privately held company that develops information visualization and presentation software. Business Objects S.A., with dual headquarters in San Jose, Calif., and Paris, France, develops business intelligence software. The acquisition of Infommersion, based in San Diego, will be an all-cash transaction amounting to about […]

As SAP AG confronts an increasingly powerful and resourceful foe in Oracle Corp., more than ever the company is looking to its users and partners to help it maintain its footing in enterprise software. At its TechEd user conference in Boston last week, SAP announced its Enterprise Services Community Process, a developers forum focused on […]