IBM's betting big on social technologies and showing the world the benefits of becoming a "social" business.

Written by Bill Rice

Technology is continually evolving, which is why business operations must evolve along with technologies. Not only is IBM trying to be at the leading edge of business technology evolutions, but especially with this current wave of social media and social business technologies, Big Blue intends to be a leading example of how to use these technologies to create new, more efficient, and more transparent ways of doing business. The implications of this current technology and business evolution for every organization could be huge.

If you think it's a fad, don't bet your job or your company on it.

Written by Bill Rice

 If you watched the movie The Social Network, there was a story that was even bigger than the one about Mark Zuckerberg's entrepreneurial success, his jilted partner, his legal problems, and his self-absorbed personality. It was about how the Internet and basic social needs collided head-on and went mainstream. Since the advent of Facebook in 2005, the way humans compete for inclusion and validation in their social circles has been transformed forever.

Where is Web 2.0 headed in the next several years, and what does it mean to the IBM system manager?

Written by Chris Smith

After interviewing a number of experts in the area of Web technologies and trying to get an idea of the direction these technologies might be heading for the purpose of helping the IBM i system manager who wants to modernize, I concluded that the Web is in a state of turmoil. It's Libya in the sky. The concept of Web 2.0 itself is indefinable, so it's hard to tell where this amorphous collection of technologies is headed. If anything emerged from my inquiries, it is 1) cloud computing is here to stay, and 2) Web-enabled mobile devices will be more ubiquitous than PCs.  Other than that, it's Adobe, Microsoft, Apple, and Google wrestling around like a litter of six-week old puppies. Hurry up HTML5, pleeze!

Businesses are utilizing Web technology to further system integration and business interoperability.

Written by Chris Smith

While IBM i computers traditionally have been standalone servers taking care of a company's internal needs, the past five years have seen a jump in the need for interoperability. Whether from mergers and acquisitions, partner mandates for integrated supply chains, or just a greater need for disparate systems to share data, Web services have emerged as a foundation that provides a common highway for disparate systems to work in harmony.

The GS1 Item Alignment initiative via the GDSN now includes foodservice and healthcare and is rapidly advancing worldwide.

Written by Jeff Holzman

This article provides an update on the status of GS1 standards-based Item Alignment via the Global Data Synchronization Network (GDSN). A lot has changed in the last two years. GS1 US has a new CEO, Bob Carpenter, who is devoted to the advancement of GS1's core mission in the United States. I believe that having a senior executive who is fully committed to advancing the standards-based initiatives in the U.S. and improving commerce for GS1 community members is a good structural change. Further, it is my opinion that GS1 has found a quality individual—experienced, hard-working, and well-educated—to fill the organization's most important leadership role. I spent some time speaking with Bob Carpenter, as well as some of his key executives. What I learned is detailed below.

Businesses shouldn't be locking down social networking as a matter of principle. They should be embracing it and squeezing every opportunity out of it on a case-by-case basis.

Written by Steven C. Pitcher

So what really is social networking?

"Social networking" is one of those buzzwords that can mean a lot of different things. Wikipedia, which is an online, collaboration-based encyclopedia (for those who aren't aware or perhaps need a reminder in light of this article), defines a social network as a social structure "made up of individuals (or organizations) called 'nodes,' which are tied (connected) by one or more specific types of interdependency, such as friendship, kinship, common interest, financial exchange, dislike, sexual relationships, or relationships of beliefs, knowledge or prestige."

China set the pace at the Olympics with IPv6 Internet services, but the U.S. is starting to pick up the pace of adoption.

Written by Chris Smith

Internet service providers in the U.S. and network equipment vendors saw a distinct increase in IPv6 activity in 2009, and expectations are that 2010 will witness a steady rise in adoption of the new Internet protocol.

Network bandwidth and usage are only two of many issues to consider before implementing an IP telephony solution.

By Chris Smith

While it's true that toll-call charges, both nationally and internationally, have come down in the past few years, most new phone systems being installed today are not traditional TDM-based, circuit-switched PBX systems, but instead IP voice and data networks.