Stories by Jon Brodkin

Google denies its Apps just a Microsoft Office add-on

Google staff don't like the suggestion that their own employees depend mostly on Microsoft Office even as Google Apps makes headway into the enterprise collaboration and e-mail market.

Why does a NAC appliance cost US$25,000, anyway?

Ever wonder why a software license costs as much as it does? If you suspect vendors charge as much as they can get, you wouldn't be far from the truth.

Vendor beware: This CTO knows and will exploit your weaknesses

Everybody wants a bargain. But when it comes to the complex world of IT products, finding a deal or even knowing what something should cost can be tricky. Sixty-two percent of IT buyers say the pricing structures used by enterprise network vendors are "usually confusing" or "very confusing," a new Network World poll finds.

Why TCO is more important than you think

When calculating total cost of ownership, the price you pay vendors for IT products is just the tip of the iceberg.

Upcoming open source companies have grown

One year ago, Network World highlighted 10 open source companies on the rise 10 open source companies on the rise</a> in such diverse fields as storage, VOIP, systems management, virtualization and the use of software to aid disaster relief.

Open-source companies to watch

Open source is making its way into more and more enterprises with cheap, robust alternatives to solutions offered by proprietary software vendors. Read this article to learn about eight open-source companies worth watching in the areas of Web search, server virtualization, data integration, collaboration software and e-mail.

Could deploying Google Apps be a career-limiting move?

Deploying Google Apps could be a "career-limiting move for enterprise architects" if they expect too much from the software-as-a-service collaboration suite and its "rudimentary" feature set, the Burton Group research and consulting firm says in a new report.

System to monitor river, predict environmental impacts

IBM systems will provide constant monitoring of New York's Hudson River with a network of sensors, robotics and computational technology spanning the 315-mile waterway, in a project that could be replicated in other rivers.

Beijing Olympic weather predictions use IBM supercomputer

Weather forecasts for the Beijing Olympic Games will be performed using an IBM supercomputer that can provide hourly forecasts for each square kilometer, making it easier to plan for disruptions to specific events.

IBM software authenticates medicine by tracking RFID tags

A new IBM technology aims to prevent drug counterfeiting by creating electronic certificates of authenticity based on RFID tags, allowing the pharmaceutical companies to track the movements of drugs through every step of the supply chain.

Panelists: Moore's Law meltdown fueling efficiency

It's a popular theory that energy inefficiency in data centers is causing an economic meltdown of Moore's Law. The dramatic increase in computational performance of processors and servers is not being matched by a corresponding rise in energy efficiency, Bruce Taylor of the Uptime Institute consulting group said Tuesday.

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