11-10-2004 • VOLUME 7 • NUMBER 38 • £2.60
WWW.ITWEEK.CO.UK
18 ENTERPRISE HP ProLiant
takes 64bit path
27 INTERNET Load testing
saves Big Brother’s money
29 CLIENT Wireless PDAs
link to more Windows apps
CONTENTS
ENTERPRISEWEEK
The latest multifunction printers 17
Where is Sun going with servers? 18
Softek updates Storage Manager 20
INTERNETWEEK
Toolset to improve e-trade sites 23
Are e-traders failing in delivery? 24
CLIENTWEEK
Email suite challenges BlackBerry 29
Multimedia creeps into the office 30
Palm OS set to focus on phones 30
NETWORKWEEK
Smart SSL VPNs ease deployment 33
3Com increases options for VoIP 33
Wireless guardian layers security 34
MANAGEMENTWEEK
Tips for process control systems 39
How to make IT auditing easier 40
Xerox’s CEO plots services path 40
Mergers reshape software
Martin Veitch
NEW WORLD ORDER
he face of enterprise software looks
set to change, as larger vendors last
week revised their strategies and
more mergers loomed – the next could be
victory for Oracle in its PeopleSoft bid.
Obstacles to the PeopleSoft deal are
rapidly falling away. Last week, the EC said
it would complete its antitrust review by 9
November and PeopleSoft director Steven
Goldby said a deal could be wrapped up
quickly if Oracle raised its offer.
After 16 torpid months, in recent weeks
the US Department of Justice said it will not
pursue antitrust objections, the EC indicated it will not oppose the combination, and
PeopleSoft removed its chief executive, Craig
Conway, who was against the deal.
However, Goldby said Oracle’s offers
have been too low. According to Philip Carnelley of analyst Ovum, investors may feel
that Oracle can be persuaded to raise its bid
once again. “PeopleSoft licence sales have
increased. Ultimately, we believe Oracle’s
bid will succeed,” he added.
IT suppliers plot survival routes
Get Big: Oracle, HP,
Symantec, RSA
T
Get Niche: Siebel, SAS,
Xerox, Lawson
Get Bought: Brightmail,
Commerce One, Netegrity
Another suitor could yet step in – perhaps IBM, Microsoft or HP – but Oracle
looks likely to seal the deal early next year.
Such major shifts in power could hurt
some customers but all signs suggest IT
buyers will have to stick with the IT giants
or prepare for changes among suppliers.
Consolidation is also on the cards elsewhere. Computer Associates last week agreed
to buy Netegrity for about $340m; and RSA
Security said that it is in the market for purchases.“I look at us as a potential consolidator,” said chief executive Art Coviello.“We’ve
got a very strong portfolio in identity and
access management so we’d go for consolidation of smaller players in this segment.”
CRM giant Siebel plans to acquire
front-office tools and push into business
intelligence. And Microsoft chief executive
Steve Ballmer reiterated plans for more
acquisitions, while appearing to rule out
reopening talks with former target SAP.
SAP spokesman Bill Wohl confirmed
that talks with Microsoft had ended. While
SAP would consider buying smaller firms,
its main focus would be on developing and
selling its own products. “We’re seeing a
great deal of uncertainty about the future,
and customers want safety,” said Wohl.
However, a minority of companies are
trying to retain their focus. SAS Institute, the
largest private software firm, last week restated its intention to stay clear of the public
markets; while one-time Oracle target Lawson Software hopes to remain an alternative
to bigger enterprise application vendors.
“It’s only the boys in Walldorf [SAP]
that are rubbing their hands with glee about
Oracle-PeopleSoft,” said Art Cooke, SAS
international president.
CA buys Netegrity, p4 Siebel, p8
Lawson, p8 Xerox, p40 Last Word, p42
PDA Flashes
up to 256MB
IT buyers go to court
PalmOne’s Tungsten T5 handheld, due next month, has
256MB of built-in Flash
memory to enable users to
carry more documents and
files.The PDA can also dou XScale ble as a Flash drive for a
chip will PC.The £280 + VAT device
power T5 has a 320x480 colour
screen, a built-in Bluetooth
transceiver and runs Palm OS 5.4.
Palm Tungsten gets Flash, p29
Palm OS, p30 www.palmone.com
ontractual disputes between IT suppliers and customers are increasing,
and the cost of claims has more than doubled in the past three years, IT managers
were warned this month.
“Firms’ risk management procedures
have struggled to keep pace with Britain’s
burgeoning compensation culture,” said
Stephen Wares, UK manager of insurance
specialist Hiscox, speaking at a recent IT
risk management event.
Lawyers advised firms to clarify expectations before signing contracts. Many are
agreeing terms that do not detail what should
David Neal
C
be delivered, or the criteria for judging successful delivery, delegates were told. IT suppliers and customers are likely to expect too
much of each other – and clients’ expectations are especially likely to be too high.
Speakers said buyers must do more to scrutinise proposed contracts
before agreeing deals.
If projects go wrong,
firms could find it hard
to obtain compensation
unless they have been care Ferguson: agree
acceptable risks
Showtime
for storage
Microsoft will give the first UK demonstration of its Data Protection Server at this week’s Storage Expo show.
Running at London’s Olympia from
Wednesday, the show will also feature
presentations by services firms KPMG
and Capgemini on topics such as data
storage and the law.
Veritas will reveal new research on
how firms are implementing disaster
recovery systems. Other corporates,
including finance firms Egg and Abbey,
will offer their experiences.
Products on display will include
Tandberg Data’s StorageLoader VS160
autoloader and 440LTO tape drive,
and Exanet’s fully-integrated networkattached storage (NAS) system.
Security will also be a focus at the
show. Networking specialist Cisco will
host a session taking a holistic look at
storage area network (SAN) security.
LTO, p6 EMC, p10 Comment, p15
SANs, p20 www.storage-expo.com
ful in drawing up contracts, said IT lawyer
George Gardiner. “Courts are much more
technologically aware now and will ask questions of the client such as, ‘Why haven’t you
done more checking?” he added. “If you’ve
done a bad deal it may well be your fault.”
To avoid costly and complicated litigation, both sides need to approach contracts
with a much higher level of understanding,
and set realistic expectations.
Alan Ferguson of project consultancy
AFA said agreeing acceptable levels of risk
increases the chances of projects succeeding, and can avert costly legal action.“Firms
should ask, ‘Does the project have to deliver all the benefits or can we cut the scope?’”
he said.“You have to understand how badly
you can build something, not how well.”
Check the small print, Leader, p12
NEWS INSIDE: MIDDLEWARE Advances, p4 • DSL Trends, p4 • CRM Latest, p8 • VOIP Uptake, p8 • SMARTPHONES Symbian, p8 • THIN CLIENTS Wyse, p10