Careers & Education

Microsoft Corp. and telecommunications provider MCI Inc. announced Tuesday a multi-year partnership to offer software and services that will allow users to call from a PC to almost any phone in the world.

Microsoft Corp. chairman Bill Gates announced Friday a country-wide talent hunt, called Code 4 Bill, among Indian students, that would give the winner the opportunity to work with his Technical Assistants team.

The power sector is not viewed as a sexy industry by most IT professionals. This and many other utilities, however, are planning the types of projects that make IT professionals salivate. And thanks to demographics, a large number of positions will be available in the near future.

The position of IT architect has become increasingly important to the ever-changing IT industry, and is one that established corporations and start-ups are seeking. The job requires network professionals to acquire new skills, and it could provide additional career opportunities.

With two years experience working with radio frequency identification (RFID) technology in a supply chain setting, Erwin Veer is part of an elite group. Veer is the global RFID coordinator for Ahold, the Dutch food retailer that is parent to multiple supermarket chains in the U.S., including Stop & Shop and Giant Food. Ahold, based in Zaandam, the Netherlands, is among the early adopters looking to introduce RFID technology to supply chain processes.

If IT has a lousy reputation at your company, the problem might just be the people who are tasked with managing it. It

Networks keep getting smarter. Every new network management product on the market promises more intelligence and more automation. Vendors always put a happy face on the intelligence increase, asserting it will make life easier for network managers, freeing them up to do more important tasks.

The Canadian high-tech sector appears to be on an even keel, according to a recent survey by Mercer Human Resource Consulting. Pay levels show smooth and stable growth. The result is greater optimism and among IT professionals, Mercer says.