On-demand Software

On-demand software news, reviews, and tips, covering Software as a Service (SaaS) and Platform as a Service (PaaS) topics, including Google Apps, Office 365, Salesforce.com, and other hosted software and services.

It's official: Google buys Waze with an eye toward enhancing Maps

Posted June 11, 2013 - 12:38 pm

Google is buying the crowdsourced mapping app developer Waze, in a move geared toward adding more real-time navigation tools to its own Maps software, the company announced Tuesday.
- Quick Read
Japan to hold 'world's first' 4k streaming trial to set-top box

Posted June 11, 2013 - 10:31 am

A major Japanese telecommunications provider will stream 4k video over the Internet to set-top boxes this week, in what it is calling the world's first public test of the technology.
- Quick Read
Marketo rolls out 'customer engagement' tools as Salesforce.com threat looms

Posted June 11, 2013 - 9:17 am

Marketo says it has created tools that put it far ahead of rival marketing automation software vendors by making it much easier to run targeted campaigns, and more effective ones to boot.
- Quick Read
Waze could drive better social tools at Google, experts say

Posted June 10, 2013 - 5:27 pm

Waze's crowdsourced traffic and navigation app is attractive to Google, which is said to be a serious suitor for the app, because of the wealth of mapping data it offers. But Waze's biggest draw may be social, some experts say.
- Quick Read
Expert: Oracle's Fusion Applications still maturing, but offer real value

Posted June 10, 2013 - 4:43 pm

Oracle still has some kinks to work out in its next-generation Fusion Applications and implementing them on-premises remains a daunting task, but customers on older product lines have good things to look forward to if and when they upgrade, according to one veteran of many early Fusion projects.
- Quick Read
3 new LinkedIn features you need to know about

Posted June 10, 2013 - 11:29 am

LinkedIn launches two-step verification, a redesigned 'Who's Viewed Your Profile' and adds the capability to upload photos, video and documents to your status updates. Here's what you need to know about the changes.
- Quick Read
How Microsoft's delayed reorganization is fixing the loyalty gap

Posted June 10, 2013 - 11:17 am

Microsoft's successes, including Azure and Office 365, suggest the company's culture may finally be changing.
- Quick Read
Google Apps deal disallowed by Swedish data regulator

Posted June 10, 2013 - 9:13 am

The Swedish Data Inspection Board has for a second time disallowed an agreement that a local municipality wants to sign with Google regarding the use of its hosted Apps package.
- Quick Read
Google said to be close to buying Waze, developer of crowdsourced map app

Posted June 9, 2013 - 6:29 pm

Google is close to a deal to acquire Waze, maker of the eponymous crowdsourced mapping app, for at least $1 billion, according to the Wall Street Journal and others.
- Quick Read
Larry Page: US government has no access to information on Google servers

Posted June 7, 2013 - 4:59 pm

Google has denied involvement in a U.S. government surveillance program called Prism since news broke Thursday that the National Security Agency has been accessing the servers of some of the largest Internet companies, but now company executives insist they had never heard of the program.
- Quick Read
US intelligence chief defends surveillance programs

Posted June 7, 2013 - 2:34 am

The U.S. government said late Thursday that it is authorized to collect intelligence information of non-U.S. persons located outside the country, in the wake of news reports on the government's surveillance programs.
- Quick Read
Facebook aims to simplify advertising for marketers

Posted June 6, 2013 - 6:25 pm

Facebook is gearing up for a new project to simplify its advertising platform, making it easier for marketers to decide how to place ads across the site.
- Quick Read
CirroScope: Stealthy cloud security startup hatched by ex-Symantec teammates

Posted June 6, 2013 - 4:35 pm

A small team of ex-Symantec security experts has formed a stealthy Silicon Valley start-up called CirroScope that's focused on shielding enterprises from threats stemming from their use of SaaS applications such Box, Salesforce.com and Google Apps.
- Quick Read
Hot cloud products IT pros swear by

Posted June 6, 2013 - 3:32 pm

Spending on cloud services is so far just a fraction of total IT spending -- roughly 3% -- but the market is growing. IT pros explain what they like about their favorite cloud-based security, storage and management services.
- Quick Read
New HTML5 browser app brings Pandora to game consoles and smart TVs

Posted June 6, 2013 - 3:26 pm

Instead of launching native apps for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, Pandora hopes you'll jam to its tunes through the consoles' Web browsers. The streaming music service has just launched a new Pandora Web app, which is accessible through the two game consoles and other set-top boxes with browsers that support HTML5.
- Quick Read
Amazon's RDS database gets SLA, becomes generally available

Posted June 6, 2013 - 6:40 am

After three and a half years in operation, Amazon Web Services' RDS is finally generally available, and users can also get a service-level agreement if they choose to run the database in multiple places.
- Quick Read
Facebook sets Sept. 12 deadline for moving games to local currencies

Posted June 5, 2013 - 9:14 pm

Facebook is phasing out its Credits virtual payment system and will be transitioning all games integrated into the social network to a new local payments API by Sept. 12, the company announced Wednesday.
- Quick Read
Researchers use Wi-Fi and gestures to make a 'smart home'

Posted June 5, 2013 - 3:49 pm

Don't like the song playing on the stereo? Just wave it goodbye, literally.
- Quick Read
Amazon.com sets up portal in India, will only service other retailers

Posted June 5, 2013 - 1:12 am

Amazon.com has set up a website with its brand in India, but will not be selling on the site.
- Quick Read
Google Glass competitors vie for attention as industry grows

Posted June 4, 2013 - 8:37 pm

Plenty of eyes may be focused on Google Glass as the device attracts attention in the field of "augmented reality," but a crop of other players developing their own glasses-like products are also hoping to stand out as the industry matures.
- Quick Read
Exclusive research: IT commits to cloud computing

Posted June 4, 2013 - 12:40 pm

Cloud budgets are rising as IT confronts security and ROI challenges, according to the 2013 Cloud Computing Survey from IDG Enterprise (free download). (Insider: Registration required)
- Quick Read
Salesforce.com aims for next $1 billion business with ExactTarget buy

Posted June 4, 2013 - 11:58 am

Salesforce.com's pending US$2.5 billion purchase of marketing software vendor ExactTarget will help it develop a new $1 billion annual revenue stream and set the company on a clear strategic course for the foreseeable future, according to Salesforce.com CEO Marc Benioff.
- Quick Read
Review

Open Drive turns cloud storage services into one big file sharing network

Posted June 3, 2013 - 8:30 pm

You can keep your Google Drive files private, or you can use it as one huge file sharing network. Many Google Drive users allow public access to their files, which means that if they have a certain type of file that you also need, you can request a copy...if you can find it.
- Quick Read
Twitter says error in 'routine change' caused brief outage

Posted June 3, 2013 - 6:49 pm

Twitter was back in working order on Monday afternoon after experiencing multiple technical issues earlier in the day that caused some users' tweet streams to not update, among other problems.
- Quick Read
Amid riots, Turkish leader calls Twitter a 'curse'

Posted June 3, 2013 - 4:22 pm

As riots erupted in Turkey and protestors and government officials took to social media to fire back and forth online, the country's prime minister called Twitter a "curse."
- Quick Read

Join us:

June is...
IPv6 Month

BY THE NUMBERS: IPv6: The big switch

ANALYSIS: Recent signals point to escalating jitters for IPv4 market

OPINION: A phased approach to IPv6 that's so easy, you'll almost think you're still ignoring it

PRIMER: Getting started with IPv6

HOW-TO: Planning a secure migration to IPv6

On-demand SoftwareWhite Papers & Webcasts

Webcast On Demand

Turbocharge Your Business: Leveraging SaaS to Drive Innovation and Results

White Paper

IBV Study: the Business of Social Business

See more White Papers | Webcasts

Join today!

Get FREE access to premium content, in-depth reviews, practical tips

6 IT hiring tips to weed out the duds
Rule #1: Don't hire out of desperation.
4 free tools to simulate a cloud connection
Linux-based WAN emulation tools worth a look.
15 common IT resume mistakes (and how to avoid them)
Learn how to build a better resume.

content

Ask a Question

On-demand Software

Review

On-demand SoftwareWhite Papers & Webcasts

Join today!

Review

Marketplace

Sponsored Links

The IDG Network