Global economy
IBM
Intermec
iSeries
Leasing
Printers
Storage
Sun

Global economy

Confidence improves amid signs credit crisis easing
Confidence in the global economy improved for the second consecutive month in May on signs the worst of the credit squeeze may be over, a survey of Bloomberg users on five continents showed. The Bloomberg Professional Confidence Survey collated the responses of 4,574 Bloomberg users on economic conditions in their region and the world. Participants in the poll, conducted from May 5 to May 9, were also asked about the outlook for their currencies, bonds, stocks and interest rates in the next six months. The Bloomberg Professional Global Confidence Index rose to 22.7 from April's 14.5, with respondents becoming less pessimistic in every region. A reading below 50 indicates negative sentiment. The measure fell to as low as 13.1 in March. Those surveyed in Western Europe were the most pessimistic, with their index for the global economy at 19.6 after 13.2 in April. The Asian gauge for confidence in the global economy rose to 21.0 from 11.0, and the index for the region climbed to 37.3 from 33.7. Participants in Brazil were the most optimistic about their economy, with the gauge rising to 86.6 from 75.1. Brazil, the world's largest emerging-market debtor for decades, was raised to investment grade on April 30 by Standard & Poor's as growth in Latin America's biggest economy accelerates and the nation reduces debt.
Visit www.bloomberg.com.
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IBM

IBM set to test the fastest computer in the world
Engineers and technicians at IBM are assembling the final pieces of what they hope will soon become the world's most powerful supercomputer -- one that is capable of running twice as fast as today's fastest machine. The latest version of IBM's Roadrunner supercomputer is a hybrid machine that its builders expect will bust through the lofty petaflop barrier when it's tested this month. The supercomputing world's equivalent of the four-minute mile, the petaflop barrier is a goal that many computer makers are shooting for. The new supercomputer will be used at the U.S. Department of Energy's Los Alamos National Laboratory to work on national security problems, run annual tests of various nuclear weapons systems and predict long-term climate changes, according to John Morrison, leader of the high-performance computing division at Los Alamos. He noted that the system will also be used to study the universe and human genes. IBM says the new machine will need a single week to run a calculation that the fastest supercomputer 10 years ago would have needed 20 years to complete.
Visit www.ibm.com.



IBM to move hundreds of jobs out of Tulsa
Three hundred fifty of the 1,100 IBM positions in the Tulsa area will soon head south to Buenos Aires, Argentina. Reportedly, employees became aware of the news during the last week of April. An IBM spokesperson said that some of the employees will be able to apply for positions at the Houston offices. However, nearly 50 of the Houston positions will also be transferred to Argentina. In a written statement, Jeff Tieszen, an IBM media relations specialist, said "The IBM Tulsa site will continue to operate as a center of excellence for IBM's F&A delivery services. We will do everything we can to re-deploy people into other accounts that receive services from the Tulsa center of excellence." Employees not retained by IBM will receive severance packages.
Visit www.ibm.com.
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Intermec

Intermec PW50 printer brings maximum convenience
Intermec introduces the PW50, a rugged workboard printer that provides a convenient, integrated solution to simplify operations for workers in Direct Store Delivery (DSD), Home Delivery, and Field Service applications. It is designed specifically for use with the innovative Intermec CN3, CN3e and CK61 handheld computers. To maximize productivity, delivery and field service workers require tools that provide comprehensive capabilities in a form that is simple to use and easy to carry. When used in conjunction with a CN3 series handheld computer, the PW50 meets these requirements by providing a single convenient bundle that can easily be transported or installed in a vehicle. Custom holders safely secure the handheld computer in the printer, while allowing for easy removal for scanning or data entry. Additionally, hand straps and shoulder straps are available to simplify the moving of equipment between the truck and the point of delivery.
Visit www.intermec.com.
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iSeries

Case study: Reduce downtime, lessen startup problems while migrating to a new IBM System i
To reduce the amount of downtime incurred during the migration process, and lessen exposure to unexpected startup problems, Adventist Health licensed Upgrade/Migrate While Active, offered by award-winning System i software vendor Vision Solutions.
This robust synchronization and replication engine allowed Adventist Health's new System i 570 to run in parallel with the existing production server. With the two servers sitting side-by-side Vision's technicians accessed the 730 remotely over a secure VPN connection and installed iTera HA. The installation was completed with iTera HA for i5/OS installing itself automatically on the 570. The work was performed during the day while users were still on the system. Once they were synchronized, testing of the new 570 followed with no downtime on the production machine. Without downtime on the production system, 800 gigabytes of data were synchronized to the 570 over the course of three evenings. With both computers synchronized and testing completed, Alcocer logged active users off the old system and onto the new one.
Visit www.visionsolutions.com.
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Leasing

ELFA launches new website
The Equipment Leasing and Finance Association (ELFA) launched an informational website, Equipment Finance 101 (www.equipmentfinance101.org), offering comprehensive resources for end users of equipment finance products and services that comprise the $600 billion equipment finance sector.  ELFA is the premier source for statistics and analyses covering the equipment finance sector, and Equipment Finance 101 provides information businesses and other organizations can use to learn about finance options, including how to select financial products appropriate for their businesses.  Eight out of 10 U.S.-based businesses finance the equipment they acquire versus extending their lines of credit or tying up their cash, according to ELFA.
Visit www.elfaonline.org.
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Printers

Samsung’s new strategy
Samsung’s new strategy makes business printing – for SOHO, medium and large businesses – a major new plank of its growth strategy, while challenging all the major printing incumbents. Samsung has successfully moved from ‘only’ being an OEM manufacturer for a wide range of consumer electronics into a top tier ‘own’ brand in its own right. Given the success Samsung continues to have both in the OEM manufacturing business and in creating its own top-notch whitegoods, consumer electronics, computers, TVs and more – why not make the lucrative printer businesses a new growth area, which Samsung is already a major player in behind the scenes? That’s exactly what Samsung has decided to do, throwing down the competitive gauntlet to all the existing printer companies (and especially the ones it currently OEM’s printers for) by globally releasing a massive 26 new models at a media and dealer partner event in Bali, Indonesia. From the entry level mono laser through to the world’s smallest color laser, all the way through to high end multi-function models for businesses large and small, Samsung is evidently serious about being as successful in printers as a top tier brand as they have become in consumer electronics. 
Visit www.samsung.com.
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Storage

Caringo takes on clustered storage market
Caringo, Inc. announced the release of CAStor 2.2 that improves performance on fast volume recovery and delivers superior performance, scalability and reliability needed to implement a clustered storage infrastructure.  CAStor provides affordable, simple clustered storage software with the scalability, reliability and performance organizations require to reduce costs associated with continued storage growth for content or file-based data.  CAStor clusters are implemented on low-cost, standard server hardware empowering customers with greater flexibility and choice. Unlike clustered NAS or global name space solutions that still must deal with underlying file system issues, CAStor delivers an infinitely vast, flat address space that is perfectly suited for the massive volume of digital content and file-based data generated today.  By virtualizing storage across a cluster of standard, commodity servers, CAStor presents one single-tier storage pool for digital content that scales seamlessly without the need to provision or configure new capacity. Its self-balancing and self-healing cluster design maximizes data availability and minimizes administrative overhead.
Visit www.caringo.com.
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Sun

Class action overtime lawsuit filed against Sun Microsystems
Dani Hoenemier says she worked long days as a technical writer for Sun Microsystems, sometimes spending over 60 hours a week at her computer when the company was preparing a new product release. Sun's technical writers may earn salaries of $100,000 a year, but they don't get overtime pay for the extra hours, according to Hoenemier's attorney, who is challenging the company's practice of treating Hoenemier and about 300 other writers as exempt from state labor laws governing overtime and breaks. In a case that could prove costly for many tech firms, a Santa Clara County judge certified the legal challenge as a class action, which means Hoenemier can pursue her lawsuit on behalf of all salaried technical writers who worked for Sun since 2002. Sun argues in court papers that it follows industry-wide practice in its treatment of technical writers. The company said the writers are well-paid, professional employees who are legally exempt from overtime rules because they are highly skilled, work independently and meet other criteria spelled out in the law. California enacted controversial legislation in 2000 that exempted "computer professionals" such as software developers from rules requiring overtime for working over 40 hours a week or 8 hours a day.
Visit www.sun.com.
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