• 1

  Skill shortages? Not if you pay or train

  Companies in search of workers with the most sought-after IT skills may be better off investing in training programs for current workers than hiring new employees, according to IDC

• Boutique PC seller laughs all the way to the bank on the back of Windows 7

  A boutique system builder has bucked the industry trend of slumping PC sales by continuing to focus on selling Windows 7 machines.

• Microsoft's $300M Nook investment hasn't paid off -- yet

  Microsoft has gotten next to nothing from its $300 million investment in Barnes & Noble, analysts said, but it may reap some rewards as it prepares to ship smaller tablets.

• Wall Street Beat: Market stokes tech IPOs, as Tableau and Marketo debut

  A strong stock market could open the floodgates for more tech IPOs in the wake of Friday's solid debut of Marketo and Tableau, but not all segments of IT may be able to ride the wave.

• Android retains lead over Apple

  Android has remained at the top of the leader board when it comes to smartphones, according to the IDC Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker report.

• Why Microsoft won't charge for Windows Blue - this time

  Sometime soon, Microsoft will tell Windows 8 users whether they will have to pay for the upgrade code-named "Blue," and if so, how much. Analysts don't expect it to charge anything for the update.

• What IBM's x86 exit may mean for rivals

  IBM's reported interest in selling parts of its x86 server business to Lenovo may bring major changes to the global market.

• Opinion: To Surface or not to Surface

  Microsoft needs to make up its mind whether it wants to stay a software company or if it's really serious about being a hardware power as well.

• 12 hybrid security products to watch

  Securing a hybrid cloud is not the same thing as deploying hybrid security products.

• Mac sales tank in 4Q from iMac shortages, cannibalization

  Mac sales plummeted in the fourth quarter of 2012, falling 22% from the same period the year before, with computer sales accounting for a record low percentage of Apple's total revenue of $54.5 billion.

Whitepapers about IDC

• 

  Worst Practices in Predictive Analytics

  Reactive decision-making, while successful in the past, has proven ineffective in recent times. Organisations can no longer wait to make critical choices after an opportunity arises or a problem is uncovered. They must take a more proactive approach to running their businesses by anticipating important changes, events, and trends, and taking action before they occur. Read on.

• 

  IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Managed Print Services 2011 Hardcopy Vendor Analysis

• 

  The Business Value of Large-Scale Server Consolidation