Jennifer Mears

Jay Baitler was tired of watching his sales force muddle through a hodgepodge of spreadsheets, databases and paper-based records. The senior vice-president at Staples Inc. knew he needed a software package to tie together the pieces and create a streamlined approach that would boost business.

Vendors are stepping up the network capabilities of their blade servers to make it easier for corporate users to combine the slices of computing power into server clusters designed to handle critical business applications.

Stratus Technologies Inc. next week is expected to improve its line of fault-tolerant, Intel-based servers with the introduction of two boxes designed to give customers higher processing power at lower prices.

Interwoven Inc. on Wednesday announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to merge with knowledge management and collaboration vendor iManage Inc. in a move that underscores the growing importance of collaboration capabilities in content management systems.

IBM Corp. says the latest version of its WebSphere portal will be easier for businesses to install and gives them broader capabilities to collaborate across heterogeneous applications.

While eight-way Intel Corp. boxes running database and transactional applications remain a staple in most large data centers, Dell Inc.'s decision to scrap its high-end line of eight-processor servers last week highlights an evolving trend toward clustering low-end boxes, analysts say.

Content delivery network specialist Mirror Image Internet Inc. is the latest in the industry to secure a patent covering its core technology, which addresses how content is moved across the Internet to improve speed and performance.

Phonetrade.com, a business-to-business trading exchange and catalogue site for mobile phones and accessories, was looking to expand its online presence. The company, owned by Global Business Link AB in Gothenburg, Sweden, wanted to outsource its e-commerce efforts, everything from software downloads and security to transaction processing and hosting.