Bearing Point has devoted its entire issue of its Financial Services Technology Journal to digitization, a comprehensive view of integration of business processes using a stack of digitization services. The Bearing Point site is an excellent source of good information, where you can easily create your own customized page for current technology management information. You need to register to gain access. BearingPoint - FS Technology Group

Gartner's Hype Cycle Report for Emerging Technologies, released in August, makes interesting reading. Especially notable for accountants is that XBRL is highlighted as a major new trend. For eBusiness, the "New Web" will have major implications. Gartner's Hype Cycle Special Report for 2005

Edgar Online's Liv Watson has written an excellent white paper "XBRL: The Changing World of Financial Reporting", which is available at the following link. EDGAR Online - FEI Webcast

For two years, Skype has been lurking in the background of technology keeners, searching for mainstream use but not quite making it. During that time, Microsoft's MSN has been growing by offering audio and video services that allow conversations between PC's. The potential of computers to supplement and even replace telephones has been there for some time, and it is through services like Skype that this could occur. Not likely a replacement, though, because cell phones are becoming more like little computers, so it's more of a type of convergence. We're watching what is happening with cell phones and other handhelds. We also need to watch what happens with PC services like Skype and MSN. The Hype over Skype: Can It Go the Distance? - Knowledge@Wharton

With the increase in online fraud, and the trends in information technology to greater use of wireless technologies, including RFID, RSA sees a bright future for encryption. They definitely have a point. RSA Security Sees Hope in Online Fraud

The German government has announced a plan to enhance IT Security, in recognition of the growing number of malicious attacks on systems by hackers, phishing and viruses. It's a worldwide problem, and companies need to recognize it. Combine this with the need to protect private data on systems - there are stories almost daily of significant compromises in this area - and the trheats to IT systems need to be re-evaluated. Many companies simply have not given recognition to the risks they face in the contemporary environment.

On the face of it, e-business in China is booming. Meg Whitman, Chairperson of eBay, has said it's a necessary win. There are limits, however, and in fact, despite the great size of the population, e-business commercial activity in China is small. It's the potential for the future that's grabbing peoples attention.

As more evidence of the spread of wireless, airlines are getting into the act. We can expect this to become the norm over the next few years, making it possible to stay connected in the air. Wi-Fi in the Sky - CFO Magazine - August Issue 2005 - CFO.com

It's axiomatic that a company needs a good website to sell online. There are many elements to a good website, but one of the basics is that it can enable the fast delivery of orders. This requires an online store, fed by an electronic catalogue which in turn is fed by the back-end system that looks after the logistics for materials and services. It follows that e-catalogues are a critical link, and companies that have a good one always have an edge. Witness the success of Sears and Lands End, traditional catalogue operations with highly successful websites. Bangkok's Independent Newspaper

With all the fraud going on in the internet, such as phishing, pharming and so on, people are looking for new authentication techniques. Passwords are not enough. This has been recognized in corporate settings for some time, thus the increase in biometrics, and other stronger techniques. Biometrics don't work for internet sites but there are some alternatives emerging. Life Beyond Passwords - Alarmed - CIO

When Chinese computer maker Lenovo announced earlier this year that it was acquiring the PC division of IBM, a new model for globalization emerged: Combine the world-class management capabilities of an American corporation and the world-class manufacturing capabilities of the largest Chinese computer manufacturer, and you have a truly transnational company. USA Today tech columnist Kevin Maney describes the Lenovo-IBM deal as a major step in the transition from American Century to Chinese Century in this article for Wired Magazine. Wired 13.07: The New Face of IBM

There will likely be a growth in wireless services over the next couple of years. Canada and the US have long been behind the Europe and Asia in the use of cell phones and other wireless devices like the Blackberry for such things as payment systems and location based marketing and other services. Now, however, the networks are being upgraded and the equipment being made available is better. More importantly, numerous organizations, like Google, eBay and Paypal are looking at new services that will likely be attractive to users, if the experience in the rest of the world is any indication. It will be an interesting time for mobile business, with new strategic opportunities. Globetechnology: E-commerce's next challenge

Zigbee is making it big in the field of wireless monitoring of equipment. The trouble is, it's expensive, especially in comparison to RFID. However, the expectation is that it will drop considerably in price over the next few years, and since it's more dynamic than RFID, it's use is expected to grow.Sensors Working Overtime - Technology - CFO.com

Drop shipping is a decades old technique. But it has been popular in e-commerce, because it avoids the need for warehouses. Or does it? As Amazon found out in its early days, there can be fulfillment problems associated with drop shipping, when the supplier can't deliver on time. Also, there's the problem of what to do with returns, which often can't be returned to the supplier. It's still useful, but it's not a panacea.E-Commerce Techniques: Drop Shipping

When Sir Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web, it began as a whimper. It has sure made up for that! When it started, there was something called the internet, but only a few people could actually use it because it required a lot of technical expertise. It was Internet software that Sir Berners-Lee developed, and the creation of the first web browser (Mozilla by Netscape Corp) that made the internet accessible to people generally.The Globe and Mail: The humble beginnings of the World Wide Web