Baseline Issue March 2008

COVER STORY 

Web Services : It’s a Jungle in Here
Amazon expands into enterprise services and pits itself against IBM, Sun, and maybe even Microsoft and Google.

Amazon?s Mechanical Turk: the 1700s Meet Web 2.0
Amazon?s version of the Hungarian ?invention? involves hiring groups of online users.

Developers, Entrepreneurs Tap into Amazon?s Cloud
Amazon?s EC2 and S3 are aimed squarely at software developers who need basic Web services.


FEATURES

Chasing Away Urban Congestion
As major cities try to eliminate traffic gridlock, Zipcar co-founder Robin Chase proposes her ideal solution.

Social Software?s Culture Clash
Companies are re-evaluating their approaches to technology and embracing Enterprise 2.0 tools.

Turning A Mountain Into A Molehill
The IT executive charged with automating the National Institutes of Health?s massive paper-based records system reflects on the process.


TOPLINE

Battle of the Brands
Megadeals raise questions about how company names are valued.

Search and Deploy
Microsoft, Yahoo and Google are fighting it out on the business-software front.

Errors Aside, Study Finds Electronic Voting Reliable
Direct Recording Electronic Voting systems get thumbs up, despite concerns.

Shell Plans Rich Outsourcing Deal
The European oil behemoth faces opposition to its plan to cut IT jobs.


BASELINE 500

Good Times, Bad Times
The companies that use technology target IT spending to weather tough times.


TECHKNOW

Swimming Upstream
Video puts unprecedented demand for storage and availability on IT infrastructures.


SECURITY

Think Hack
Want to protect your company from security threats? Get inside the enemy?s head.


OPINION

Starting Point: Lawrence M. Walsh
Web 2.0: Choice of the next generation.

Tech Track: Michael Vizard
The perils of not being parallel.

Strominator: David Strom
An inexpensive truth about laptops.