• Dimension Data completes acquisition of BlueFire, Netforce

  Systems integrator, Dimension Data, has reassured staff at Cloud and hosting services companies BlueFire and Netforce that it will be business as usual following its final shareholding acquisition for an undisclosed sum.

• QR National goes to tender ahead of public float

  Coal and freight business QR National is moving from hosted internet functions to managed services following its separation from Queensland Rail.

• GlaxoSmithKline deal highlights overseas launch by Microsoft

  Microsoft officially launched its Business Productivity Online Suite outside of the US on Monday, headlined by a deal with GlaxoSmithKline as its first major customer for the hosted communications software suite.

• Financial crisis: The tech innovations at risk

  September 2008 will certainly go down as one of the blackest months in Wall Street history. Venerable financial institutions such as Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch, and AIG abruptly vanished or were radically overhauled. Investors lost loads of money -- in some cases, fortunes -- and ordinary taxpayers are now finding themselves funding an industry bailout that could cost a staggering US$700 billion, perhaps even more.

Whitepapers about hosted services

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  No Bull - What Customers Should Expect from Cloud Services

  This paper describes how a cloud Services User achieves the true benefits of cloud services and sends warning messages to the providers, hosting companies and telecommunications firms. It also provides clues on how a customer can gain better value from services offered by the new cloud companies and Hosting businesses.