IT companies play defense in a tight economy

MANILA, Philippines - IT companies, it seems, have something to learn about sports. Gene Phifer, managing VP of Gartner, told journalists in a recent media briefing at the sidelines of IBM’s Lotusphere conference, that a lot of companies will “bunker in” considering the severe financial implications...

2009 is the half-century milestone in the use of information technology for business applications, and it’s an opportunity to look back and give a nod of appreciation to those early IT entrepreneurs. In the mid-20th century, the majority of people did not have checking accounts and...

In the world of technology, inventors are hailed as heroes. Yet it is more subtle forms of innovation that typically determine the impact of a technology in the marketplace and on society. Clever engineering, smart business models and favorable economics are the key ingredients of...

President Barack Obama officially announced today that he will nominate Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius as Secretary of Health and Human Services. In this role, Sebelius will oversee a department with wide-ranging responsibilities essential to the American people, including the implementation of the President's vision for...

Companies rely on innovation in industry As Schwarz Pharma Inc. grew, Daniel Lawton envisioned a day when the company might be sold and he'd have to leave Milwaukee. That day came in late 2006, and to Lawton's surprise, he didn't go anywhere. Instead, he and two partners who...

Tracking the value of IT has always been elusive. Hewlett Packard is going through an IT transformation completing a 3-year project that tracks the value of IT initiatives. Chris Murphy, editor of InformationWeek, asks, "Does your company capture the value of what IT delivers, or...

With many of the country's newspapers leading with headlines of the economy shrinking at an alarming rate, Peter Coffee wonders if capital spending isn't the leading indicator of economic health that it once was. The business sector may be spending less on computers now,...

Job seekers attend biotech career fair Friday MADISON, Wis. - One bright spot in the gloomy economic news recently is the success of biotech firms. Many are hiring, even during a tough economic time. The jobs aren't for everyone because they require a science-specific degree or some...

Just call it "Match.com for the Super-Skilled Set." But beginners need not apply, organizers said. Instead, the Badger Career Network Alerts program seeks to connect mostly graduates who are now in mid-career and executive-level positions with companies seeking new management, scientific and professional talent in those...