Google rolls out SME dashboard

Google released a free dashboard last week for its Local Business Center (LBC) application, which allows small and midsize business owners to drill down into customer traffic patterns, letting them see what sorts of Google queries are most effective in attracting business, says eWeek.

"The LBC is a free tool that enables business owners to control the content of their business listings as they appear in Google Search and Google Maps," says Amer Shahnawaz, software engineer for LBC. "All you have to do is claim your listing in the LBC and go through a quick verification process."

After verification, a business can edit and update its address and hours of operation, and hyperlink from the Google page to the business' own homepage.

IBM has introduced a slew of products and services in support of its Information on Demand portfolio, including a new 'information applications' software unit, reports PC World.

The division will focus on developing industry-specific analytic applications in areas like human capital management and financial performance, according to IBM.

A new application, InfoSphere Clinical Analytics for Healthcare Providers, pulls together and analyses information from various sources, such as lab and billing systems.

Tibco has unveiled a rapid application development platform for cloud computing, called "Silver," which integrates governance into services, and responds to troughs and spikes in demand without human intervention, says SDTimes.

Silver was designed to address gaps in the marketplace for governance, security and portability, said Rourke McNamara, director of product marketing at Tibco.

The platform was built for developing line-of-business applications, "not the next Twitter," he added. A beta will become available on 30 June.