News

• SAP expands reach of app store, looks to improve reviews

  You know you're not in iTunes anymore when the app you're eyeing has a US$1,050 price tag, but SAP is nonetheless expanding its online shopping experience in a bid to entice its customers to purchase enterprise software the way they shop on their smartphones.

• Software licence optimisation critical to enterprise app store success

  Gartner recently predicted that 25% of organizations will have their own app store by 2017, and while app stores can improve flexibility and empower staff, once the floodgates open it can be incredibly difficult for enterprises to manage software licensing, control entitlement and track actual software usage.

• Oracle lands $100 million ERP project covering 34 colleges

  Oracle has won a US$100 million ERP project that will replace legacy systems at 34 colleges in Washington state, in a deal that highlights the continued relevance of its PeopleSoft product as it tries to convince customers to adopt its next-generation Fusion Applications.

• SAP launches ride-sharing app TwoGo

  SAP has expanded its foray into corporate sustainability with the release of a carpooling application called TwoGo.

• North Carolina auditor: 84 state-run IT projects well over budget, schedule

  Scores of IT projects being conducted by North Carolina's government are racking up higher-than-expected costs and going far beyond their planned schedules, a new report by the state's auditor has found.

• Military IT projects wracked with delays, increased costs, GAO finds

  A U.S. government watchdog agency has found that nearly half of 14 large ongoing military IT projects are over budget and more than half are behind schedule.

• Gartner: Global IT spending to rise 4.1 percent to $3.8 trillion in 2013

  Worldwide spending on IT products and services will grow 4.1 percent this year to roughly US$3.8 trillion, according to new forecast figures released by analyst firm Gartner.

• IDC: Big Data hype still here, but maturity beckons

  Few tech industry buzzwords have gotten as vigorous a workout as "Big Data," but while the hype remains plentiful, it is starting to give way to real-life successes as well as formal ways companies can develop big data strategies, according to a number of IDC analysts.

• Schools test 'app store' for learning through Gates-funded project

  Some school administrators are testing a bold idea to integrate the multitude of systems that are used to store student data, giving teachers a single view of how students are performing and allowing them to better deliver the right learning materials.

• Internal document suggests SAP's goal of simplifying licensing will be a tall order

  SAP customers have made it no secret they believe the vendor's software licensing and pricing is far too complex, and a top company leader recently made a public pledge that things are changing for the better. But a recently created internal SAP document obtained by IDG News Service suggests that the company has its work cut out for it.

• What's wrong with agile development: Culture, people top the list

  Agile development projects are succeeding, but when they fail, it's often due to staffing and teamwork issues

• ERP software project woes continue to mount, survey says

  ERP (enterprise resource planning) software project schedule overruns got even worse in 2012, according to newly released data from Panorama Consulting.

• Gartner: BI software spending to hit $17.1 billion by 2016, but pace of growth slowing

  The global market for BI (business intelligence) software will hit US$13.8 billion in 2013, but the pace of growth will be slower than in past years, according to new figures from analyst firm Gartner.

• InfoWorld seeks nominees for top tech leaders

  Awards program honors IT and business pros who demonstrated innovative leadership in the creation, deployment, or management of technology to help their business

• School district weighs options for struggling ERP software project

  An Arizona school district is mulling over whether to continue working on a major software project, upgrade its legacy system or restart from scratch with a different product.