by Andi Gutmans and Zeev Suraski
Many well-respected analysts and academics claim Linux will never become a major industry force, but try telling that to the folks at Seton Hall University, and reactions will likely range from raised eyebrows to quiet bemusement. Why? Because, after extensive analysis and reporting, Seton Hall has overhauled its network and launched itself into the 21st century, using Linux as its primary OS.
Crystal balls, tarot calls and tea leaves may help determine what lies ahead for Embedded Linux. Or, you could see what several industry experts (who have already consulted their psychic friends) have to say about the embedded landscape in the next five years. Read about cool gadgets, the current foundation for success and what challenges still remain for Embedded Linux in the coming years.
Call centers, contact centers, customer interaction centers … What are we talking about? Technological advancements have changed communications and interaction types. The reception of the Web, VoIP and cellular communications has broadened our means of communication and increased our business opportunities. As a result, Internet technology revolutionizes the call center into the next-generation customer interaction center.
Just as financial planners manage monetary assets, so should IT managers manage technological assets. The plan is simple: Identify the corners where inefficiencies and underutilized assets lurk, and form a solution that ultimately results in higher cost-savings. Here are some solid suggestions to get you started.
Software applications are deployed to enable organizations to focus on business issues. They automate organizations’ most mission-critical business processes, such as order entry, supply-chain planning or account management, to support the day-to-day workflow. However, rather than purchasing all of their software from one vendor, companies often chose best-of-breed applications from a variety of manufacturers, often competitors, creating the need to integrate these applications into one seamless infrastructure.
Sam Albert follows IBM as it leaves the standard PC microprocessor chip behind and explores “Microelectronics.”
The Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) found itself in the middle of an application conflagration when new, Oracle-based applications refused to share desktop space with older, internally-developed applications. GTRI considered several options to help the applications learn to coexist, but, eventually, turned to Chicago-Soft's WALLS implementation that allows GTRI to create packages, identify conflicts and insulate executables, simplifying the overall software-deployment process.
The advent of the Web marketplace has forced companies to reevaluate their approach to customer service strategies. Many organizations rely on customer relationship management software to provide a consistent experience for customers at all points of contact with the organization. But, this software does not provide access to back-end applications. A new class of software, control broker technology, could be the answer to bridging the gap.