Stephen Lawson

Cisco Systems Inc. is set to offer starting Monday a tool to help small- and medium-sized businesses use Microsoft Corp. customer relationship management (CRM) software in combination with a Cisco Internet protocol (IP) communication system.

Siemens AG is merging its mobile and fixed communications businesses into a single group called Siemens Communications, adapting itself to a changing market in which wireless and wireline technologies increasingly overlap.

A rivalry between the creators of the Netsky and Bagle viruses helped cause a dramatic increase in threats against home and enterprise computers in the first half of this year, but the most serious threat was Download.Ject, a Trojan that exploited a vulnerability in Microsoft Corp.'s Internet Explorer Web browser, according to McAfee Inc.

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) hopes to make progress on the issue of voice over IP (VoIP) regulation by the end of this year, said Chairman Michael Powell. The States-side proceedings could impact Canadian rules.

Nortel Networks Corp. will shift the last of its manufacturing operations to Flextronics Corp. when a deal announced Tuesday is completed next year.

Cisco Systems Inc. president and CEO John Chambers said Thursday he would welcome a partnership with telecommunications equipment maker Nortel Networks Corp.

Symbol Technologies Inc. wants to help secure data and applications on handheld devices via the acquisition of Trio Security Inc., a privately held software vendor in Colorado Springs, Colo., the company announced Thursday.

Cisco Systems Inc. is shaking up its content networking organization. The company on Monday disbanded its Content Networking Business Unit and is moving people and technology from that group into its Multiservice Customer Edge Business Unit (MCEBU), according to company sources.