This eWEEK – 12

Over the years, the pace of technology evolution has been increasing exponentially. Every day, I get several dozen pitches (at the very least), extolling the virtues of this new product or that updated service, or some combination thereof.

Its a challenge to keep up—but Im keeping up in terms of what to cover, not what to buy. I often think about the bigger challenge facing IT managers, when real dollars and revenue and customer affinity are hinging on the product they do or dont recommend for purchase.

It would be the height of hubris to say that our eWEEK Excellence Awards program overcomes the challenge facing our readers, but we hope the program mitigates the challenge by pointing to the most innovative yet practical products released in a calendar year in a variety of business disciplines—assisting companies in creating and managing their technology evaluation shortlists.

We list the finalists, winners and—for the first time ever—overall winner in a special report that starts on Page 30. In the special report, we also announce the amount we are donating to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, the recipient once again of contributions based on program proceeds.

Other stories in this weeks issue highlight the rapid pace of change that I referred to earlier. On Page 13, Staff Writer Scott Ferguson takes a look at Hewlett-Packards continued reinvention as it integrates software and services into its hardware legacy. On Page 16, Senior Editor Peter Galli weighs in on Microsofts Windows Vista virtualization flip-flop, and, on Page 17, Wayne Rash—now an eWeek Labs senior analyst—reports from Russia about that countrys software development community moving from an outsourcing to a partnership model.

Speaking of change, youll notice some changes in your next issue of eWeek. As breaking news has moved to eweek.com, the print edition of eWeek has moved to more analysis-based coverage. Starting with the July 9 issue, well continue that evolution with deeper dives into and broader perspectives on the most pressing technology and topics of the day. Well be eager to get your feedback on the changes, as well as your ideas and suggestions for the next version of eWeek.