Brian Eaton

A new technology is giving military operatives a morale boost. SAP AG claims that with its latest command and control systems soldiers are assured of continuous contact with their command centre allowing them to carry out their mission effectively.

IBM's purchase of electronic forms solution vendor Victoria, B.C.-based PureEdge Solutions Inc. poses a challenge to the dominant players in this space, an analyst says. The deal, announced yesterday, "pits [IBM] squarely against potential leaders like Adobe and Microsoft," according to Toby Bell, a research director with Stamford, Conn.-based Gartner Inc. "It's a good buy; it's not terribly expensive and it locks out another couple of competitors."

An ambitious classroom technology migration initiative at the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) aims to put students first. By the end of next year, TDSB will bring all computer technology in the classrooms, labs and libraries of its 576 schools onto a standard technology platform that's supportable and sustainable over the long term. More than 10,000 classrooms will benefit from the project.

The Royal Ottawa Hospital will be the first in Canada to deploy a wireless mesh network for telemedicine, accessible from all hospital facilities and grounds, when it opens to patients in December 2006. The Nortel Mobility solution will debut at the hospital's mental health centre and research institute for use by more than 1,000 doctors, researchers and hospital staff to improve efficiency and productivity, and enhance the quality of care delivered.

Canada's Information Communications Technology (ICT) market is doing relatively well. Just how well? Here's the scoop: it's now growing faster than the economy. The ICT sector's growth in the first quarter exceeded that of the overall economy by more than a full percentage point, according to Industry Canada.

WestGrid, one of Canada's most impressive supercomputing projects, just got a big shot in the arm. The $50 million initiative to create a collaborative computing infrastructure that's harnessed by institutions across western Canada now has the backing of IBM Canada.

Ville de Gatineau became the first city in Quebec, and only the second in Canada, to go live with a 311 call centre for non-urgent municipal services Wednesday. (The other city that offers this service is Calgary in Alberta).

Proposed amendments to the Copyright Act, under Bill C-60, may be offering the music industry the "best of both worlds"