Jennifer Mears and Denise Dubie

Mandy Andress was working in IT at a university library when she told a user that to help correct a computer problem, she

If there was any doubt about whether Linux is gaining ground in enterprise data centers, this month

Microsoft's role at the show highlights the growing maturity of Linux, analysts say. Rather than helping IT managers decide if Linux fits in their environments, the show now is more geared to where the operating system fits and what open source products best fit on top of it. Talk also will centre on beefing up security for Linux, running Linux in virtualized and grid environments, and enhancing management tools for Linux.

Greater Baltimore Medical Centre had a dilemma. Its IT needs were growing, but its data centre space was not. After months of dead-end negotiations with vendors in an attempt to put multiple applications on fewer, bigger boxes, the non-profit turned in the other direction: It brought in blade servers.

IT budgetscontinue to have a rough go of it, although demand for technology is beginning to pick ...