Stories by: Tom Sullivan

NetSuite has detailed a new effort to let third parties tap its data model as a platform on which to build applications distributed as SaaS (software as a service).

Sometimes the most subtle and accidental applications can open significant holes in an enterprise's security infrastructure. FaceTime Communications is mounting the argument that programs such as instant messaging and Skype will do just that. Granted, it may be something of a self-serving case since FaceTime sells software to block the malware that might penetrate those weak spots, but the argument has some substantial merit to it, according to Peter Christy, principal at Internet Research Group.

Making the latest kick in the application server races, BEA Systems on Monday slid WebLogic 9.0 onto the speedway.

Macromedia on Monday takes the wraps off Studio 8. The new suite includes enhancements to Dreamweaver and Fireworks, and now houses Contribute and FlashPaper, as well.

Integrating open source applications is a task daunting enough to lead some companies toward proprietary products. To that end, a several startups this week revealed plans to offer prebuilt, certified solutions so customers have fewer integration migraines.

The open source community gained another BI option in the form of BIRT 1.0 on Monday, when the Eclipse organization announced general availability of the reporting tool.

Ipdeo on Monday launched XIP 4.0 (Extensible Information Platform) and described it as a "dual-core" EII offering that works with both SQL and the emerging XQuery querying languages.

BI just may be poised to become the next big piece of the open source puzzle.

What started as a cute marketing slogan -- "Just say no to software" -- may turn out to be a self-fulfilling prophecy. The herd of CRM and ERP ASPs is growing stronger not only in services and features but also in number of customers. And as the herd grows stronger, it's fissuring over whether customers are best served by specialized, industry-specific applications or the tools to customize hosted services for their particular needs.

Walking the vertical applications path, NetSuite on Thursday added a new service to its fleet: NetCRM-Services Edition.

Computer Associates International (CA) is looking to breathe new life into a long-quiet database and, in so doing, is gunning to make it perform better than Microsoft's SQL Server and Oracle's 10g.