IBM Closes Out 2006 With a Strong Fourth Quarter
by Timothy Prickett Morgan

IBM may have started out 2006 with some bumps and bruises as various hardware, software, and services products were a bit stuck in the mud. But as the year progressed and Big Blue tweaked these businesses--and IT departments rushed to spend down their budgets for the year--the company was able to ramp up its sales, ending the year with a strong fourth quarter. Revenues in the fourth quarter were up 7.5 percent, to $26.3 billion, with earnings up 11.1 percent to $3.5 billion. READ MORE >

Top Mainframe Stories from Around the Web

(GovernmentComputerNews) Five or maybe ten years ago, the concern about higher energy costs registered somewhere between slim and none. But now we are repeatedly hearing that energy costs, particularly those related to running data centers, are affecting the economic growth of companies and the nation, too. The expressions on the faces of CEOs, and even the politicians, are as serious as a heart attack. READ MORE >

(ComputerWorld) Here's a story about two paths up the same mountain. Both lead to migration from a mainframe computer. Although the scenery and the amount of time that was taken differed on each journey, the experience seems to have worked out well for both organizations. READ MORE >

(IT Jungle) The number of women holding professional positions in the IT industry declined from 42 percent of the workforce in 1996 to 32.4 percent in 2004. What does that say about this business? Wait--before you answer that--you should also know there has been no noticeable progress in the number of women in professional or management ranks. OK. Now form your opinion. After that, read this story. READ MORE >

(zJournal) Blind faith. Without database activity logging, that's about all you have to go on if your database is Web accessible. Your audit logs should point to trouble, but they aren't going to finger the culprit. When your database gets compromised, and the questions start getting tough, what will your answer be? READ MORE >

Chats, Webinars, Seminars, Shows, and Other Happenings

See our full calendar of events at
http://www.itjungle.com/big/big-calendar.html

January 31 -- Webinar -- Tips for making your enterprise portal successful with IBM WebSphere Portal Enable for z/OS, Version 6.0, are featured during this session. Discover how the mission-critical capabilities of the z/OS platform can be used to support your strategic business. This presentation is aimed at a technically savvy audience. The event begins at 11 a.m. EST. LEARN MORE >

February 5-9 -- San Francisco - The RSA Conference rolls out more than 220 sessions and 19 educational tracks with a focus on security. Keynote addresses include perspectives from the executives of top companies and an expo area featuring more than 300 vendors add to this highly respected event. LEARN MORE >

February 11-16, 2007 -- Tampa, Florida - SHARE User Events offer technical training tailored for enterprise-class IT professionals. The focus is on real-world solutions that meet business challenges. This event is an opportunity to influence future product development and preview current and future solutions from IBM and other leading technology providers. LEARN MORE >

Febraruy 21 -- Webinar - Before developers can enhance and integrate a complex portfolio of mainframe applications in a service oriented architecture, they need to understand the business assets that are invested in them. This session, which begins at 11 a.m. EST, includes material for both a technical and business audience. LEARN MORE >

March 6 -- Tampa, Florida - This technical briefing, WebSphere Live for SOA, is a one-day forum that emphasizes and explains why service oriented architecture (SOA) is a key differentiator for the success of companies of all sizes across all industries. It is aimed at a technical audience. LEARN MORE >

March 8 -- Southfield, Michigan - This technical briefing, WebSphere Live for SOA, is a one-day forum that emphasizes and explains why service oriented architecture (SOA) is a key differentiator for the success of companies of all sizes across all industries. It is aimed at a technical audience. LEARN MORE >

April 23-27 -- Orlando, Florida - IBM system management products are the highlight of the Automated Operations Technical Council conference, where sessions are presented by representatives from IBM software development teams and their customers. The focus is on the mainframe environment, but extends out into the enterprise. The AOTC is a closed conference, with attendance by invitation only. Contact your IBM field representative for more details and an opportunity to attend. LEARN MORE >

May 6-10 -- San Jose, California - The International DB2 Users Group conference, known as IDUG 2007 North America, offers training and education on topics that include including DB2 for Linux, Unix, Windows; DB2 for z/OS; Informix; Java; Websphere; and XML. LEARN MORE >