Outsourcing
Computerworld, 4/25/03: Report: Cost-conscious power utilities will eye selective outsourcing
By THOMAS HOFFMAN
Electric power companies that are under tremendous cost constraints will be more likely to consider selective IT outsourcing projects to help cut operating expenses, according to a recent report issued by Meta Group Inc.
And while it's unlikely U.S. power companies will widely engage in mega outsourcing deals -- where the bulk of IT operations are farmed out to a third party -- continuing credit downgrades and other cost pressures will likely push them to outsource specific IT functions such as application development and help desk activities, said Rick Nicholson, an analyst at the Stamford, Conn.-based research firm.
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Utility Computing
ZDNet, 4/25/03: Why HP might be your next utility company
By David Berlind
In the world of utility computing---where compute power is made available on-demand much the same way we get our electricity---the hyperbole among solutions providers vying for the spotlight has reached critical mass. HP, IBM, Sun and others are offering pay-as-you-go service plans, charging for compute cycles as though they were electricity.
HP is taking an approach that grows out of its wholly owned financial services subsidiary, charging by MIPS (millions of instructions per second-- the basic units of raw processing power) the way a power utility would charge by the kilowatt-hour. Leading the way is Irv Rothman, the president and CEO of HP Financial Services.
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Microsoft
Computerworld, 4/25/03: Microsoft's Windows Server 2003 takes flight
By Rebecca Reid, ITWorldCanada.com
It took three years, 10,000 developers and testers, and 50 million lines of code for Microsoft Corp. to develop Windows Server 2003. Today, the company will unveil the server in what it is calling its largest product launch ever.
The much-anticipated Windows Server 2003 will be kicked off in 173 countries. At the same time, Microsoft is launching Visual Studio .Net 2003 and its 64-bit SQL Server Enterprise Edition.
"In the sense that if you consider it from an architectural perspective, [Windows Server 2003 is] not what you would call a major upgrade," said Peter Pawlak, lead analyst for server applications at Directions on Microsoft, an independent research firm in Kirkland, Wash., that focuses solely on Microsoft.
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Computerworld, 4/25/03: Microsoft fixing patch that can slow Windows XP
By Paul Roberts and Joris Evers, IDG News Service
Microsoft Corp. is revising a security patch for Windows XP systems with Service Pack 1 installed after customers complained that installing the patch slowed their systems down to a crawl.
Microsoft is working on a revised patch for Windows XP Service Pack 1 and will re-issue that patch when it has been completed and fully tested, the software maker said in a revised version of its security bulletin MS03-013 posted late yesterday.
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