Stories by Len Rust

Take me to your new leader

The IT industry has been tried, tested, torn apart, slaughtered and hung over the past 12 months yet there are still many dangerous paths ahead. To keep on track we will need leadership of a much higher quality than the industry has seen over the past few years. Above all, it will require the ability to admit mistakes, to learn from them and then to move forward quickly.

Companies still slow to adopt B2B purchases

Managers in charge of purchasing for their companies plan to make only 20 per cent of their purchases online by 2002, according to Jupiter Media Metrix, whose findings fly in the face of the widely touted benefits of business-to-business e-commerce

Online video games appeal to guys, mostly

It's what many parents have suspected all along. Online video games are far more popular among young male Internet users than among young females -- and it's a global phenomenon.

Technology spending bucks recessionary fears

Despite the fears of an economic downturn in the US, spending on information technology and networks is not being reduced, according to a study of Global 2000 companies by the Gartner Group

Roadblocks to e-commerce

"We've seen the future of e-commerce . . . and we're nowhere in the picture". At least that's what some 175 insurance executive said when they described their companies' futures in e-commerce for KPMG

Productivity keeps increasing for technology businesses

Business leaders in the PricewaterhouseCoopers Technology Barometer did a mighty job of boosting productivity in 2000, particularly in light of a weakening economy in the fourth quarter. And they are projecting an even bigger increase for this year in a highly challenging environment. How are they doing it?

Thinking about checks and balances

Is it possible to calculate the return on investment on information technology? Perhaps more importantly, should companies even try?
If we were to give out Oscars for IT economists, the person(s) who figures out how to measure IT performance more accurately would be a sure winner. It is a tough role and no one really knows what the "new economy" is currently doing to companies' competitiveness.

Call to arms for Asian companies

The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) warns Asian companies not to put e-commerce on the back burner just because the dot-com craze has subsided. BCG says e-commerce is changing the basis of business competition around the world, and that if Asian companies continue to lag their Western counterparts in adopting it, they put their fundamental competitive advantage at risk.

All this and now the Information Utility

By 2005, the US will have completed its first digital decade -- the 10 years during which consumers will have adopted digital appliances, Internet access, and the services they enable. The big question now is what will life be like when the Internet becomes a mainstream resource, like electricity or water? Forrester Research reckons it has the answer

E-sourcing market evolves rapidly

The e-sourcing market is rapidly evolving and promises a robust opportunity for both software and service vendors, according to IDC, which has forecast that combined e-sourcing/supplier management/e-procurement service revenues will increase to 20 per cent of the total supply chain service market in 2004 -- up from four per cent in 1999

B2B projections remain high despite obstacles

Electronic business-to-business (B2B) sales will reach more than $US5200 billion in 2004 through several different channels, including Internet marketplaces, electronic data interchange (EDI), hybrid EDI/Internet electronic trading networks (ETNs), Internet company-to-company links, extranets and private e-markets, according to Giga Information Group.

Palm's market-leadership is under attack

Shipments of smart handheld devices are on a steep upward climb that will see the worldwide market will grow from 12.9 million units in 2000 to more than 63.4 million by 2004, creating an opportunity worth more than $US26 billion, according to forecasts by IDC. At the same time, the increase in the number of serious players is eroding the share of the current market leader

Post-PC Net platforms offer high hype but low ad opportunities

The post-PC audience that will access the Internet via wireless devices, interactive television and Internet kiosks, will reach critical mass by 2005, although the PC will continue to dominate with a 74 per cent Internet household penetration and 68 per cent Internet individual penetration, according to a report released recently by Jupiter Research.

No longer when or if, Asia/Pacific must be now!

During my recent "Asia busman's holiday" it became obvious to me that there's no longer mention of when or if when talking about IT anymore, because most countries recognise the need to strengthen their positions in the high-tech arena

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