Sidney Hill, Jr., executive editor

Time to turn the page—on the calendar and the economy

In a few days we’ll be starting a new year—and I say good riddance to the old one. I doubt that anyone will ever look back and refer to 2009 as the good old days. The year started with the federal government shelling out billions of dollars to rescue financial institutions deemed “too big to fail.

Use of virtual 3D models and simulation software generates real value

For years, software vendors have waged a war of words over which class of applications should be deemed the "backbone" system for manufacturing enterprises. Enterprise resource planning (ERP) vendors were the first to lay claim to this title, and for good reason. They were the first to bring any real level of software-based automation to the manufacturing realm.

Innovation Insight 2009: Award winners tackle key industry problems

Many of the 11 winners of MBT's annual Innovation Insight awards competition tackle the problem of getting more innovative products to market faster.See what some of the best and brightest are doing.

Finding intelligence: SAP applies search engine principles to new business analytics platform

Enterprise software giant SAP claims its new business intelligence solution makes mining through mountains of corporate data almost as easy as Googling the location of the nearest pizza parlor.

An ERP shootout: NetSuite takes SaaSy approach to competing with SAP

It is probably not a coincidence that NetSuite issued a press release on a specific set of new customer wins a day before ERP market leader SAP opened its North American user conference.

 Serious gaming is becoming a real business tool

Video game aficionados have become a powerful force in the computer industry, with chipmakers constantly striving to create products with the power to make the scenarios simulated in these games ever more realistic. Manufacturers have reaped side benefits from this, as faster, more powerful processors accommodate programs that allow for simulating stress tests on product designs or even seeing ...

 AT&T chairman sees mobile devices driving economic development

The rise of mobile broadband technology will drive a new wave of productivity and economic development similar to that produced by the advent of the Internet. Randall Stephenson, chairman and CEO of AT&T, made that declaration during his keynote address at the annual conference for customers of Sterling Commerce, a supplier of B2B integration solutions, and an AT&T company.

Suddenly, the business world is all a Twitter

For most businesspeople, the line between their work and personal lives has been blurry ever since companies started issuing laptops and cell phones. And now that we're firmly ensconced in the era of Web 2.0, that line is being washed away completely. There's still some debate about the business value of certain Web 2.

Corporate Idol: Popular TV show offers lessons on creating innovative cultures

When Steve Jobs announced health concerns were forcing him to take a six-month leave from his position as CEO of Apple , it raised serious questions about the future of one of the world’s most innovative companies.Three months later, Apple appears to be doing just fine. It has rolled out several new products and its stock price is up more than 30 percent, even as the overall market has declined.Still, close industry observers wonder if Apple can keep ground-breaking products flowing through its development pipeline if Jobs doesn’t come back.“We were never concerned about what would happen to Apple during a six-month leave,” Dan Frommer, senior editor for the high-tech news Web site, Silicon Alley Insider, recently wrote . “The potential for Apple to slip is several months—or years—down the line Steve Jobs taking a leave of absence raises questions about whether Apple truly has an innovative corporate culture.

Supply chains at risk: Lower consumer spending is altering inventory, sourcing strategies

As retailers cut inventories in the face of softening demand, manufacturers are grappling with strategic questions like where to source goods from, and how to rationalize their supplier bases to remain healthy during the downturn and be well-positioned for the next recovery cycle.