Corporate quarters: The cuts continue
While few US companies announced their quarterly results last week, the gloom continued and, if it is not yet affecting Europe, it is certainly affecting the US operations of European companies
While few US companies announced their quarterly results last week, the gloom continued and, if it is not yet affecting Europe, it is certainly affecting the US operations of European companies
Optus and Nokia, QSI and Sun, IT&e and Advent One, as well as Reckon and Southmark make the news
West Australian smart card specialist ERG has chalked up its fourth European contract in the space of a month in the form of a $A6 million deal in Norway. At the same time, the company has gone live with a $A1.5 million pilot for a transport ticketing system in South Wales
Technology developed by Australian company Computershare is to be used by global broking company Garban-Intercapital as the basis of an electronic platform for interactive trading and the confirmation of interest rate swaps. The deal, which involves licence and development fees, is valued at $A19 million
Catuity, the Australian developer of software for customer loyalty programs that is listed on both the ASX and NASDAQ, has chalked up a number of solid orders from large North American corporations to add to the relationship it entered with Visa USA last June. Catuity is aiming to cash in on status -- still -- as the only certified supplier of loyalty programs for the smartVisa card
Big changes will be in force at the Australia and New Zealand operation of Internet player Yahoo! in April when the company's regional operations are shifted Down Under
Telstra has achieved something of a coup in recruiting former IBM managing director David Thodey to become group managing director of its OnAir group, where he will replace Dick Simpson who has been appointed president of the telco's newly formed international operation
IBM veteran Phil Bullock has been appointed managing director of IBM Australia and New Zealand following David Thodey's resignation in order to join Telstra
Peg Technology has added some muscle to its activities in the US by appointing a president of US operations and adding a US lawyer to its board
Four directors, including former Liberal Party identity Dr John Hewson, have jumped from CBD Online, a listed company that was formed in 1999 to create building-specific Web sites for commercial properties in the CBDs of the world's major cities
Listed Web development and content company Software Communication Group (Sofcom) has terminated agreements with a number of overseas developers in order to seal a distribution agreement with Australian financial services provider Online Trading Systems
As it busily makes the transition from modem manufacturer to broadband carrier, NetComm has signed up for the supply of bandwidth services from Victorian carrier Uecomm for use in a pilot project on the north side of Sydney.
Open Telecommunications has won a multi-million dollar contract for its openCI management solution from US fibre optic network operator Williams Communications. Williams will deploy openCI software across its entire North American network, as well as on points of presence in Europe and Asia that interconnect with the North American network
NetMap, Ideas, Iocom and Krone make headlines
While economists this week found some heartening signs of an upturn in the US marketplace, the IT industry continued to suffer. Hewlett-Packard's CEO Carly Fiorina illustrated the mood with comments she made while launching a range of new mobile computing products at the CeBIT trade show in Hanover. "It is like navigating through a thick fog," she said.