Computerworld Patrick Thibodeau News

Utility hires outsourcer -- but keeps IT staff

pthibodeau@computerworld.com (Patrick Thibodeau) — Mon, 14 May 2012 10:00:00 GMT

Consumers Energy, a large utility in Michigan, has hired an offshore outsourcing firm to take over some of its IT operations. But instead of cutting its internal IT employees, it is retraining them for new types of work.

IBM is on the path to cut its internal apps by 85%

(Patrick Thibodeaau) — Mon, 07 May 2012 10:00:00 GMT

IBM has reduced its number of internal applications by 70%, but that's not enough for CIO Jeanette Horan.

New IBM retirement program guarantees job through 2013

pthibodeau@computerworld.com (Patrick Thibodeau) — Tue, 01 May 2012 18:00:00 GMT

IBM is offering employees who are nearing retirement -- and may be worried about a layoff -- a one-time voluntary program that would ensure their employment through Dec. 31, 2013.

Fla. university writing new computer science plan, cites 'overwhelming' backlash

pthibodeau@computerworld.com (Patrick Thibodeau) — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 19:39:00 GMT

University of Florida computer science students remain fearful about their department's future, despite the school's decision this week to "set aside" an earlier plan to reorganize the department and cut its budget.

Infosys says it's 'target' of federal probe

pthibodeau@computerworld.com (Patrick Thibodeau) — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 10:59:00 GMT

One of India's largest IT services firm, Infosys, is warning investors that it is facing a government probe over its use of work visas, and it "cannot predict the final outcome."

Florida university plan to 'decimate' computer science draws protest

pthibodeau@computerworld.com (Patrick Thibodeau) — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 10:11:00 GMT

The University of Florida in Gainesville is on the verge of dismantling its computer science department through budget cuts and restructuring, a move that has shocked students.

CS enrollments on the rise, up 10% in 2011-12

pthibodeau@computerworld.com (Patrick Thibodeau) — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 10:00:00 GMT

Interest in computer science continues to grow among undergraduate students, who pushed enrollments up nearly 10% in the 2011-2012 academic year, marking the fourth straight year of increases.

MIT and others launch a tech education revolution

pthibodeau@computerworld.com (Patrick Thibodeau) — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 09:51:00 GMT

MIT and several other schools -- along with start-up Udacity -- have joined the open-education movement, which makes it easier for college students to access tech-related courses online. And it could revolutionize higher education.

Amazon cloud accessed daily by a third of all 'Net users

pthibodeau@computerworld.com (Patrick Thibodeau) — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 01:09:00 GMT

DeepField Networks, a cloud intelligence company operating in semi-stealth mode, offered up some eye-popping findings Wednesday about the breadth of Internet activity Amazon is now responsible for.

SAP co-CEO Bill McDermott explains its five-market focus

(John Gallant and Patrick Thibodeau) — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 16:50:00 GMT

If you think SAP equals ERP, Bill McDermott would like a few minutes to set you straight about the 2012 version of the software giant, which he claims is in the midst of "an intellectual renewal." McDermott has been co-CEO -- along with Jim Hagemann Snabe -- of SAP since 2010 and has helped broaden the company's strategy beyond traditional applications and analytics to the cloud, mobile, Big Data and a bet-the-business focus on real-time computing with the HANA in-memory database at the forefront. Insider (registration required)

In data centers, ease vs. risk in Net-based power management

pthibodeau@computerworld.com (Patrick Thibodeau) — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 10:10:00 GMT

Remote access to data center functions, including server and network operations, are now routine in many facilities. But users still worry about security.

HP offers its view of cloud's future

pthibodeau@computerworld.com (Patrick Thibodeau) — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 10:08:00 GMT

Hewlett-Packard sees cloud computing's Big Bang, which started with the launch of Google Apps and Amazon EC2, coming to en end and a new future about to begin.

Computer science enrollments rise again by 10%

pthibodeau@computerworld.com (Patrick Thibodeau) — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 09:57:00 GMT

Interest in computer science continues to grow among undergrad students, who pushed enrollments up nearly 10% in the 2011-12 academic year. This marks the fourth straight year of increases.

Emerging software tools help boost IT spending projections

pthibodeau@computerworld.com (Patrick Thibodeau) — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 20:19:00 GMT

Overall U.S. tech spending is forecast to grow by 7.1% this year and then by 7.4% in 2012, according to Forrester Research.

Indian IT firms are heading for a fall

pthibodeau@computerworld.com (Patrick Thibodeau) — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 10:11:00 GMT

Three of India's largest IT outsourcing firms are involved in lawsuits that taken together, are a major threat to the Indian IT industry in America.

Tech chief says JOBS Act 'renews faith' in Washington

pthibodeau@computerworld.com (Patrick Thibodeau) — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 23:17:00 GMT

The Jumpstart Our Business Startups had some provision that will directly impact Rally Software, especially if it decides to go public, says CEO Tim Miller.

'Massive' visa fraud alleged in lawsuit against Indian firm

pthibodeau@computerworld.com (Patrick Thibodeau) — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 21:03:00 GMT

A former human resources manager at Larsen & Toubro InfoTech Limited Inc., a leading India-based IT services firm, accused the company of visa fraud in a complaint filed this week in a federal court in New Jersey.

IEEE says L-1 visa not intended for outsourcers

pthibodeau@computerworld.com (Patrick Thibodeau) — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 23:32:00 GMT

This week, the U.S. began accepting H-1B applications for the next fiscal year. But the real battle, for now, is over the L-1 visa and this fight just got bigger

IT investments deliver profits, study finds

pthibodeau@computerworld.com (Patrick Thibodeau) — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 20:58:00 GMT

IT departments can have a big impact on a firm's profits, more than similar spending on R&D and some marketing endeavors, according to a new study.

Forecasting a warming world via thousands of PCs

pthibodeau@computerworld.com (Patrick Thibodeau) — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 10:01:00 GMT

A recently released study that found global temperatures may be rising faster than expected was developed with the help of thousands of PCs.

IT jobs will grow 22% through 2020, says U.S.

pthibodeau@computerworld.com (Patrick Thibodeau) — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 19:11:00 GMT

The Bureau of Labor Statistics says offshoring will hurt the growth of programming jobs in this decade, but the expansion of healthcare IT and mobile networks will increase demand for software developers, support technicians and systems analysts.

Charting H-1B users, as attention shifts to L-1

pthibodeau@computerworld.com (Patrick Thibodeau) — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 10:00:00 GMT

Offshore outsourcing firms rely heavily on H-1B visas, and the chart here provides comprehensive data on the top H-1B users from 2009-2011 -- though it doesn't tell the whole story.

India's IT firms hire U.S. workers as they fight for visas

pthibodeau@computerworld.com (Patrick Thibodeau) — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 21:15:00 GMT

India's IT companies have been lobbying U.S. officials to improve access to work visas by touting the fact that they are hiring more U.S. workers.

White House CIO endures after tough start

pthibodeau@computerworld.com (Patrick Thibodeau) — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 10:00:00 GMT

In Brook Colangelo's first 40 days as CIO of the Executive Office of the President, the White House email system was down 23% of the time while he and his staff put in 80-hour weeks. Insider (registration required

Indian, U.S. firms urge Obama action on visas

pthibodeau@computerworld.com (Patrick Thibodeau) — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 20:05:00 GMT

Some of the largest IT companies in India and the U.S. are complaining to President Obama that it has become increasingly difficult to get work visas for their employees -- and they want him to take action.

Offshoring shrinks number of IT jobs, study says

pthibodeau@computerworld.com (Patrick Thibodeau) — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 10:38:00 GMT

The number of IT jobs at large corporations is decreasing significantly, but the decline could come to an end within 10 years as companies run out of jobs suitable for moving to low-cost countries, a new study says.

Texas sets Vblock as 'preferred' tech

pthibodeau@computerworld.com (Patrick Thibodeau) — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 19:34:00 GMT

The state of Texas has entered into new data center contracts, worth more than $1 billion, to run its massive consolidation project.

White House CIO's first 40 days included 'worst day' ever

pthibodeau@computerworld.com (Patrick Thibodeau) — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 11:03:00 GMT

Upon assuming his role as White House CIO, Brook Colangelo and his staff put in 80 hour weeks, "if not more." And in his first 40 days on the job, the White House email system was down 23% of the time.

'Petting zoos' become IT tools to sell tech

pthibodeau@computerworld.com (Patrick Thibodeau) — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 10:17:00 GMT

Introducing new consumer devices and apps, showing how they work, and getting feedback on them, is leading to the creation of IT 'petting zoos' in a variety of organizations.

With heart and money, Silicon Valley aids undocumented students

pthibodeau@computerworld.com (Patrick Thibodeau) — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 10:04:00 GMT

Some big names in Silicon Valley's tech community are helping a group of talented, young students who are victims of circumstance and politics.

Who's to blame when data centers break?

pthibodeau@computerworld.com (Patrick Thibodeau) — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 10:00:00 GMT

There's always a reason why things break in IT, and the powers that be can usually find someone to blame -- whether that someone is a data center operations staff member, an OEM, a systems integrator or a third-party service provider. Insider (registration required)

Europe outspends U.S. on exascale computing

pthibodeau@computerworld.com (Patrick Thibodeau) — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 10:00:00 GMT

In the global push to fund and build exascale technologies, the U.S. is just getting out of the gate.

IT hiring continues to show gains

pthibodeau@computerworld.com (Patrick Thibodeau) — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 23:05:00 GMT

CIOs plan increased hiring in the second quarter, though not at the pace of the first quarter, according to the results of a new survey.

Anti-offshoring bill scores 77 U.S. House co-sponsors

pthibodeau@computerworld.com (Patrick Thibodeau) — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 21:29:00 GMT

A bill designed to discourage U.S. companies from setting up offshore call centers is gaining bipartisan support in the U.S. House.

Dell: U.S. job growth is in services, not manufacturing

pthibodeau@computerworld.com (Patrick Thibodeau) — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 12:10:00 GMT

Michael Dell, the chairman of the company that bears his name, does not see manufacturing as a big job creator for the U.S. To him, job growth will be in services and adoption of new technologies

L.A. schools use mobile app to report maintenance problems

pthibodeau@computerworld.com (Patrick Thibodeau) — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 17:02:00 GMT

The Los Angeles Unified School District plans to turn many of its 700,000 students into "smart sensors," to help keep the school facilities running smoothly.

Science-and-engineering workforce has stalled in U.S., report says

pthibodeau@computerworld.com (Patrick Thibodeau) — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 10:52:00 GMT

The U.S. has a remarkable track record of innovation. Why, then, isn't the nation's science-and-engineering work force -- the people responsible for much of that innovation -- growing?

Climate change or not, weather hurt tech

pthibodeau@computerworld.com (Patrick Thibodeau) — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 11:22:00 GMT

Scientists expect that climate change will increase the frequency and severity of extreme weather events, and last fall's flooding in Thailand fit the definition of extreme.

Who do you blame when IT breaks?

pthibodeau@computerworld.com (Patrick Thibodeau) — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 12:12:00 GMT

There's always a reason why things break in IT, and the powers-that-be can usually find someone to blame -- be it a data center operations staff member, an OEM, a systems integrator or a third party service provider.

Premier 100 IT Leader profile: Christopher L. Smith

pthibodeau@computerworld.com (Patrick Thibodeau) — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 11:00:00 GMT

This IT leader has moved the USDA from older systems to private and public clouds. Among other things, he shifted 120,000 employees and contractors to Microsoft's email and Office cloud platform.

Europe plans exascale funding above U.S. levels

pthibodeau@computerworld.com (Patrick Thibodeau) — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 10:42:00 GMT

The European Commission plans to double its investment in the push for exascale computing, even as European governments impose austerity measures elsewhere.

Uncle Sam wants iPads, and maybe Androids

pthibodeau@computerworld.com (Patrick Thibodeau) — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 20:01:00 GMT

The U.S. Air Force is planning to buy as many as 18,000 tablet computers to serve as 'electronic flight bags,' that will replace the paper manuals and documents that air crews use today.

Big data helps drive math Ph.D.s to IBM

pthibodeau@computerworld.com (Patrick Thibodeau) — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 20:57:00 GMT

Big data, and the need to analyze the information that's collected from every interface and sensor imaginable, is increasing employer demand for people with backgrounds in statistics and mathematics.

Linux skills in demand, wages up

pthibodeau@computerworld.com (Patrick Thibodeau) — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 11:00:00 GMT

If you work as a Linux developer or system administrator, your pay should be increasing -- and so should your job offers -- according to a new survey of hiring managers.

HP's new x86 servers attack management, power costs

pthibodeau@computerworld.com (Patrick Thibodeau) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 21:04:00 GMT

Hewlett-Packard's new x86 server line generation, announced Monday, aims to wring out as much management overhead as possible through automation and improved energy management.

Obama's H-1B answer in forum may haunt him

pthibodeau@computerworld.com (Patrick Thibodeau) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:51:00 GMT

Until President Barack Obama responded to a question about H-1B visas during an online forum last week, the administration had said little about the controversial program.

India builds a mega data center

pthibodeau@computerworld.com (Patrick Thibodeau) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 12:21:00 GMT

IBM has designed and helped to build a 900,000-square-foot data center in India that it says is the largest in that country in terms of size and power. It's also among the largest in the world.

Engineer's wife 'ferocious' in Obama Q&A on H-1Bs

pthibodeau@computerworld.com (Patrick Thibodeau) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 21:50:00 GMT

The White House is following up on an offer made by President Barack Obama this week to help find a job for an unemployed semiconductor engineer in Texas.

H-1B workers are better paid, more educated, study finds

pthibodeau@computerworld.com (Patrick Thibodeau) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:47:00 GMT

H-1B workers are better educated than U.S. born workers and earn more, according to a new study by an independent research group.

U.S. firms should disclose offshore hiring, says lawmaker

pthibodeau@computerworld.com (Patrick Thibodeau) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 21:37:00 GMT

A newly filed U.S. House bill would require U.S. public companies to disclose how many employees they have in the U.S. and overseas.