Spotlight

Apple is one profitable company. The firm announced recently that during the fourth quarter (its fiscal first quarter), it generated a whopping $46.33 billion in revenue and a profit of $13.06 billion. The company’s revenue figure nearly doubled the sales it posted in the same period back in 2010, and its profit was more than double the figure in the prior year. All that has helped Apple grow its cash coffers to nearly $100 billion. Apple’s success is a far cry from its sad state of affairs back in the 1990s. At that time, co-founder Steve Jobs had to step in to fix things, and there was a point when industry observers weren’t sure if Apple’s doors would be padlocked or not. But through hard work, tough choices, and some really neat ideas, Steve Jobs was able to turn things around at Apple. Now, the company is the world’s largest, and its profitability is soaring. How has Apple achieved such profitability? Here’s a look.

If the 2000 decade was about automation for the IT services channel, the current decade could well be about social media. At least that's what former Autotask CEO and industry visionary Bob Godgart believes. Here's why

CASE STUDY: Mazda North American Operations terabytes of data had become a roadblock for the organization's progress. Here's how IT solution provider Sidepath got Mazda rolling again with some help from Dell Compellent.

When the stock is issued at some point in the near future, Facebook--with an expected post-IPO valuation about $100 billion--would represent the largest stock market debut for a U.S. company in nearly four years.

Facebook is girding for an IPO filing Feb. 1, setting it up for more intense competition with online ad and search giant Google in 2012.

Research In Motion, at long last, has a new CEO in Thorsten Heins. The two men he replaces, Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie, led the company through its most difficult times, and according to most investors, did nothing to help the firm weather the storm. Whether or not Heins will be able to change that, however, remains to be seen. If the "Bold Team" is any indication, the answer is probably no. The fact is, Heins sounds like more of the same at RIM, saying that although changes need to be made, he doesn’t believe anything drastic must be done. What’s worse, Heins says that he believes his company’s current mobile strategy is working, and will continue to work, in the coming years. Unfortunately for Heins, he’s just plain wrong. RIM is in deep trouble right now. And the more Heins talks, the more it might make some of the company’s supporters believe he doesn’t have what it takes to make the right moves to save RIM. Here’s a look at why Research In Motion’s new CEO Thorsten Heins won’t be able to fix his ailing mobile company.

Overall anticipated demand for hardware and software investments reached a record high in both public and private sectors.

A recent survey conducted by the IT employment experts at Dice found that in 2011, IT wages increased by a little over 2 percent. However, that tepid growth wasn’t ironclad for everyone. Professionals with 11 years or more experience were able to get bigger raises and Dice found that knowledge and proficiency in the following eight technologies garnered six-figure incomes and higher-than average growth last year. According to Alice Hill, managing director of Dice.com, there are a number of factors that have pushed up demand for these skills. “This looks like a push towards enterprise java — with WebSphere, JBoss and WebLogic showing outsized gains,” Hill says. “Not to mention, a continuation of the trends we’ve seen toward tech professionals helping their companies gain more insight into their cost structures, customer behavior and emerging trends. If tech professionals spark companies to win by harnessing their data, that’s when the tech department is no longer seen as a cost center, but a strategic partner in meeting companies’ goals.” Here’s a look at the eight skills that will most likely provide job seekers with a six figure income.

Job hunting has become ever more complex in the age of social media. Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, blogs and ever more ways to stay connected and show off the good (and the bad) of your personal and professional skills have changed the very nature of job hunting and recruitment. The changes aren’t over with, either, and according to one recruitment specialist, the best practices for using social media to further your career have evolved in the last six months. There have been dramatic changes in the social media world, and if job hunters want to get ahead, they have to understand how to take advantage of those changes, said David Perry, co-author of “Guerrilla Marketing For Job Hunters 3.0” and managing director of management consulting firm Perry-Martel International. With a little bit of effort and virtual elbow grease, digital dirt can be cleaned up and the best public image can be presented to recruiters, which Perry said is of utmost importance today since the best jobs don’t get advertised. “This is not hard stuff. It just requires some forethought,” Perry said. Here are Perry’s tips for thriving in today’s job market using social media.

Based on a hybrid system, the iPECS-MG supports complete TDM solutions as well as mixed deployments consisting of both IP and TDM extensions.

Talk about the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) has been everywhere lately. That’s because several major Web sites, including Firefox, Wikipedia, Google, and others, publicly protested the bill. Since then, the lawmakers behind both SOPA and the Protect IP Act (PIPA) have decided to postpone deliberations on modifying them in the hopes of reaching an accord with critics. Even though those bills have been put on hold, there’s a good chance that they will come back in some form or another. Simply put, SOPA is a major issue that could have a profoundly negative impact on the Internet. Here’s a look at why SOPA is such a major issue for anyone who uses the Internet.

Google started out with a simple goal -- to deliver the best search engine in the business -- and since achieving that has expanded into, well, just about everything.. From advertising to mobile operating systems to even desktop operating systems, Google is pushing for a leadership position in each and every market. If that sounds familiar, it’s because Microsoft tried something similar in the 1990s. And although the company was somewhat successful in achieving that goal, it was met with stiff criticism for trying to take over the world. Critics considered Microsoft the “evil empire.” In retrospect, that actually wasn’t the case. And many of the innovations that we enjoy today are thanks to Microsoft’s efforts. But now as Google makes a stronger push into so many markets, could this search giant be bent on world domination? Here’s a look at Google’s march towards even greater power and influence.

Alloy Navigator Express 6 is designed to give businesses the ability to facilitate troubleshooting of hardware and software issues.

Research firm comScore has released new data showing big growth in mobile health information access in the United States.

Whether you are taking the train into your city office, driving to a customer site or visiting a potential client across the country, traveling these days can be a major hassle. From traffic to road construction to airport security, delays and lines are all part of the package. But your smartphone or tablet can lend a hand with a set of useful apps to help you to navigate through unfamiliar airports and cities, avoid police speed traps on the road, find decent restaurants, make reservations, impress that client, and still get back home with your sanity intact. Here’s a look at some of our favorite apps for the air and road.

CIOs increasingly see technologies such as business intelligence, mobility, cloud and social in combination rather than isolation to address business priorities.

Customer Relationship Management technology is spreading past its initial strongholds and experts believe that new opportunities in mobile and social networking will drive even more growth in 2012. Here's a look at where VARs can find the opportunity.

The NSF has launched initiatives designed to better position the United States globally and at home by enhancing international collaborations.

Wikipedia, Google, and a wide variety of other Websites are protesting the SOPA and PIPA legislation, which they claim will result in Internet censorship.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has the next 12 months to prove himself. Or maybe less. Among investors, confidence in Ballmer is slipping. He may not believe that matters much. After all, they’ve been complaining about him for years. But a difficult 2012 for Microsoft could be the final straw that makes for the board replace him with someone new. Ballmer has a little time to make things right and. a host of products are coming this year to help him achieve his goal of turning Microsoft around and cementing its position as the dominant company in the industry again. On his to-do list, Ballmer must get Windows 8-based tablets on store shelves, prove his Nokia deal makes sense, and deliver improvements to his company’s cloud solutions to take on Google. It’s do or die time. Here’s what Ballmer must prove if he wants to save his job.