Technology News: ECT News Exclusives

The Linux Desktop Will Have Its Day: Q&A With Canonical Founder Mark Shuttleworth
March 05, 2010

Canonical founder and CEO Mark Shuttleworth, developer of the Ubuntu open source operating system, announced in December that he was stepping aside to develop cloud product design and curry new partners. He named Chief Operating Officer Jane Silber to take his place as CEO. Several weeks ago, Silber announced the hiring of open source industry veteran Matt Asay to fill her old job as COO.

Next-Gen Collaboration: Q&A With Avaya President of Global Services Chris Formant
March 01, 2010

With last summer's launch of Avaya Aura and the purchase of Nortel Enterprise Solutions and Nortel Government Solutions in December, Avaya has placed itself squarely in the No. 1 spot for the global enterprise telephony and unified communications, audio conferencing, enterprise messaging and contact center/ACD spaces.

Rethinking the Fortifications: Q&A With Heartland CIO Steven Elefant
February 01, 2010

Following a breach of its computer systems a year ago, Heartland Payment System, one of the five largest payment card processors in the United States, came under considerable pressure to strengthen its IT security, and it's been embroiled in several lawsuits because of the breach.

Startup, Know Thyself: Q&A With Sierra Ventures Managing Director Tim Guleri
January 29, 2010

In this business climate, the road to striking a venture capital deal is difficult for both funder and fundee. Small startups with big ideas obviously have a harder time finding VC firms willing to take a chance on them, but those VC firms themselves are under added pressure to make the correct decisions regarding where to put their limited resources.

FOSS Feats and Follies: Q&A With Red Hat Fedora Project Leader Paul Frields
January 22, 2010

Red Hat Linux and the Fedora Project developers will soon introduce core technological improvements to provide better desktop environments and video driver support in the upcoming release of both the commercial and the free open source operating systems later this year.

The Web's Next Layer of Innovation: Q&A With Creative Commons CEO Joi Ito
January 15, 2010

Web surfers, whether hardcore business professionals or amateur Web site creators, frequently find images online either through search engines or Web page browsing. However, in most cases, these images are not free to use. Maybe the photographer who created the image would be open to selling rights for a small fee; perhaps he or she only wants attribution but no pay.

Civilization's High Stakes Cyber-Struggle: Q&A With Gen. Wesley Clark (ret.)
December 02, 2009

The conflicts in the Middle East and Afghanistan, to name the most prominent hot spots in the world today, are taking their toll on human life and limb. However, the escalating cyberconflict among nations is far more dangerous, argues retired general Wesley Clark, who spoke with TechNewsWorld in an exclusive interview.

Cloud Security's Silver Lining: Q&A With ISF President Howard Schmidt
November 18, 2009

The Information Security Forum may bill itself as the world's leading independent authority on IT security, but the companies and agencies that its members work for are finding themselves more dependent than ever on its computer security expertise. Current trends that are expanding access to networks for companies and consumers are also providing more potential opportunities for IT's "bad guys."

Privacy in the Public Cloud: Q&A With Terremark Exec Jason Lochhead
October 12, 2009

When Amazon began offering cheap pay-as-you-go access to computing resources in the cloud to the public, it broke new ground. Independent developers, small businesses and individual departments of large businesses leaped at the chance to work on projects while keeping infrastructure costs down.

FOSS vs. the Winged Monkeys: Q&A With Open Source for America's Chris Lundberg
August 21, 2009

Chris Lundberg has worked for years to drive the availability of technology to the masses. He has managed teams developing software for the Library of Congress, worked with the U.S. Navy to develop satellite communications software and consulted for Accenture in developing telecom Internet solutions.

Cracks in the US Cybersecurity Walls: Q&A With NetWitness CEO Amit Yoran
August 14, 2009

Cybersecurity is a shambles in the U.S., but nobody seems able to do anything about it, and things appear to be going from bad to worse. NetWitness CEO Amit Yoran, who served as cybersecurity chief during the George W. Bush administration, discussed U.S. cybersecurity with TechNewsWorld in an exclusive interview.

Rough Times for Angels: Q&A With MarketStar Chairman Alan E. Hall
August 13, 2009

You might say that entrepreneur Alan E. Hall lives in two business worlds. Don't complain to him how challenging it is to grow a business in today's fragile economy. He knows those struggles firsthand as a business owner. He also knows how next-to-impossible it is for startup business owners to find financial backers. Hall is a player in the venture capital sector as well.

Managing Content Instead of Data: Q&A With SpringCM CEO Dan Carmel
August 03, 2009

There are always niche vendors developing new applications around functionality that doesn't quite fit into a defined software category. When the analyst community takes note -- and then decides to give the category a name -- a bona fide trend is established. That is happening to SpringCM, a SaaS provider that helps companies manage their processes around content rather than data.

Efficiency Through Outsourced Marketing: Q&A With Quaero Founder Naras Eechambadi
July 27, 2009

It may seem that CSG Systems, a provider of customer interaction and billing management software, acquired marketing company Quaero in the nick of time. The deal was announced at the end of the year -- just as it was becoming painfully clear that the recession was likely to be much deeper than initially feared.

Wielding the Technology Sword: Q&A With Overstock.com CEO Patrick Byrne
July 24, 2009

Overstock.com is a retail site that sells products in just about any consumer category, from clothes to electronics to home goods to furniture. Not surprisingly, it hid a major skid last fall when the U.S. economy went into seizure. "We were growing 27 percent through the first part of the year," CEO Patrick Byrne told the E-Commerce Times.

It's All About Nurturing Leads: Q&A With Manticore CEO Jeff Erramouspe
July 20, 2009

This is the marketing resource management world: There are the enterprise-oriented types of platforms that can handle robust applications. Their downside is that they require consultants to manage their difficult implementations and dedicated personnel for their ongoing use. Then there are the lower-end tools that give users relatively limited functionality -- but are easy to implement and operate.