Hewlett-Packard announced that it will collaborate with SAP on research aimed at improving the efficiency of HP systems running SAP software–or software components, as the case may be. HP Labs developed technology to help DreamWorks, the studio that created the "Shrek" movies, scale its rendering capabilities by moving the necessary computing resources off-site to HP Labs. Rendering for "Shrek 2" required a data center with 500 HP servers connected to the DreamWorks studio. By putting the computing resources off-site and optimizing use, DreamWorks was able to draw on computing resources during crunch time and shutter the systems during off times.

Because running several virtual servers on one physical machine can be tricky for administrators, data storage and security provider Symantec introduced a new server designed to work in clusters and supply native support to data centers running VMware’s trendy virtual-server software. Veritas Cluster Server 5.0 for VMware ESX automates remote failover for disaster recovery and provides management of clustered virtual and physical servers, a company spokesperson said. It runs on Windows, Linux and Unix platforms.

Dell is upgrading its line of two-way servers and workstations to make them ready for quad-core processors, the centerpiece of a number of hardware announcements the OEM is making around the extension of its hardware portfolio. Dell, which in October unveiled its first Opteron-based servers, is among the first OEMs to offer servers that are quad-core ready. Customers can now order the PowerEdge 1950, 2900, 2950 and SC1430 servers, and the 1955 rack server, which will be delivered once Intel makes its upcoming quad-core Xeons available. That is expected to happen this month.

As Microsoft prepares to launch its next-generation Vista operating system in late November, industry watchers are predicting that the product’s onboard security features will help further commoditize the already crowded antivirus applications business. Hoping to find new avenues for expanding their companies as Vista emerges and antivirus technologies become available from an ever-growing number of software providers, market leaders Symantec and McAfee are turning toward professional security services to help drive their future expansion.

A shortage of information technology graduates from Western universities is leading companies to call on developing countries to meet research demand, Microsoft chairman Bill Gates said on Tuesday. After the break-up of the Soviet Union, Russia’s internationally renowned education system became a cheap talent pool for the West. Now dozens of Russian language Web sites offer computer programming jobs in the United States, alongside visa support and language training.

Police in Chile arrested four suspected computer hackers for allegedly belonging to a group accused of breaking into thousands of government Web sites around the globe, including NASA’s. The "Byond" team has been under investigation for eight months with the cooperation of authorities in the United States, Israel and several South American countries, police chief Gerardo Raventos said. He said the group infiltrated more than 8,000 sites, including that of the U.S. space agency. "These people did not act seeking money, but just for fun," Raventos said. The four were arrested Monday in the capital of Santiago and the nearby cities of San Bernardo and Rancagua. Prosecutor Mario Schilling said they could be charged with "electronic sabotage" and face prison terms of up to five years.

We continue our series of interviews with Lotus Business Partners. This is the second part of our interview with Marek Szymanski and Scott Tomlinson of DLI.tools. Marek’s the Product Development Director and Scott’s their Marketing and Alliances Director. In this in-depth interview, Scott and Marek take us through their DocLogic product and help us understand how they approach the development of an intuitive user interface for Domino applications.

Read this DominoPower article.

An important part of software quality is the process of testing and validating the software. The purpose of this article is to introduce concepts about, and provide general best practices in the field of, test management. Test management is the practice of organizing and controlling the process and artifacts required for the testing effort. The article discusses how IBM Rational ClearQuest, IBM Rational ClearCase, and IBM Rational Requisite Pro can improve your testing.

Malware writers have used a Wikipedia article and special storage features to attempt to plant malicious code on unsuspecting users’ systems, the online encyclopedia’s organizers have confirmed. The incident took advantage of Wikipedia’s policy of openness, which allows anyone to create and modify articles. The attackers created a Wikipedia page that promised a Windows security update for a supposedly new version of the Lovesan/W32.Blaster worm, and pointed to an external site with the seemingly authentic domain wikipedia-download.org. Wikipedia editors quickly identified and deleted the article.

Business leaders have warned that India’s information technology industry is heading towards a severe shortage of highly-skilled manpower. They say India will not be able to achieve its targeted growth rates if the issue is not tackled immediately. Young engineers and college graduates lack necessary skills, a conference in the city of Hyderabad was told.