HP scandal dominates

The international world of ICT during the last two weeks was dominated by the HP leak scandal and masked Motorola`s acquisition of Symbol Technologies.

At home, the local ICT space was mainly taken up with the Idion buyout as well as financial results.

* Motorola acquired Symbol Technologies for $3.9 billion.
* HP`s chairman, Patricia Dunn, resigned with immediate effect and not next January as originally expected.
* The buyout of Idion by IS Holdings III, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Thoma Cressey Equity Partners, a US-based private equity fund. The deal is valued at nearly $65 million and will result in the de-listing of Idion on the JSE later this year.

HP`s chairman, Patricia Dunn, resigned with immediate effect and not next January as originally expected.

Paul Booth, MD, Global Research Partners

* Good year-end numbers from EOH, with revenue up nearly 20% and profit up over 60%; and GijimaAst with revenue up nearly 25% and back in the black.
* Excellent interim figures from Cape Empowerment Trust and Dynamic Cables, with revenue and profit up over 100% for both companies.
* Good interim figures from Altech, with revenue up 13% and profit up a little over 10%.
* Mixed interim numbers from Square One, with revenue marginally up but profit up over 300%.
* The very good listing on AltX of Dialogue Group Holdings, a call centre outsourcing company.
* Positive trading updates from Datacentrix, Jasco and Paracon.
* The postponement of number portability in SA until 10 November.
* Saab Grintek acquired the communications division of Thales Advanced Engineering.
* EOH bought Integrate IT.
* GijimaAst acquired Absa`s 30% shareholding in AST Distributed Technology Services.
* MultiChoice SA established a 15% empowerment deal for involving Phuthuma Nathi Investments. MultiChoice owns 100% of MWeb.
* The 27% investment by Mvelaphanda Holdings, Afripalm Consortium and the Sahara Employees Trust Fund in Sahara Holdings.
* The appointments of Robert Gumede as chairman of GijimaAst and Jane Phiri as chairman of ISA.
* The resignation of Hans Smith as chairman of GijimaAst.
* Leaf Wireless acquired distribution and marketing rights for HTC smartphones and PDA phones in southern Africa.

* Good year-end numbers from Botswana Telecommunications, with profit up nearly 18%.
* Good year-end figures from Mauritius Telecom, with profit up nearly 20%.
* The appointment of Mac Allman as CEO of Namibia`s Powercom.

* BenQ Mobile in Germany is expected to file for bankruptcy.
* HP moves into the gaming market with the purchase of Canadian-based Voodoo Computers, a maker of high-end PCs popular with gamers.
* The split of CODASciSys into two companies, Coda and Scisys, and the flotation of the former on London`s AIM.
* The Dutch government sold off its remaining 8% stake in KPN.
* Microsoft snapped-up Israeli technical support product start-up, Gteko.
* Harte-Hanks acquired AberdeenGroup, a technology research organisation.
* EMC acquired Network Intelligence, a security specialist and developer of event logging systems and the VTL Software originally developed by Neartek.
* An IPO filing from Switch & Data, a networking company.
* A good IPO by DivX, a licenser to consumer hardware device manufacturers.
* An excellent IPO by Riverbed Technology, a maker of networking software.
* A good IPO by CommVault Systems, a provider of data management software applications.
* A satisfactory IPO by Shutterfly, a digital photo Web site.

* A possible break-up of ASM International.
* The possible sell-off by Deutsche Telekom of its 49% stake in Polska Telefonica Cyfrowa, Poland`s second largest mobile phone operator.

* According to Gartner, 25% of new business software will be delivered as software as a service by 2011.

* JSE All share index: Up 4.6% (record weekend close)
* Nasdaq: Up 1%
* Top SA share movements: Cape Empowerment Trust (+11.5%), Datatec (+10.9%), Digicore (+8.8%), Dynamic Cables (+35.7%), GijimaAst (+10%), I-Solutions (-12%), Idion (+119.4%), Labat Africa (+9.5%), Spescom (+9.8%) and Stella Vista (38.5%).
* Top international share movements: Advanced Analogic Technologies (-34.5%), Bitstream (+33.1%), Delphax Technologies (-26.1%), Entrada Networks (-50%), Epicus Communications (-37.5%), Exabyte (-26,7%), Forgent Networks (+29.7%), Pegasus Wireless (-40.2%), Silicon Graphics (-28.3%) and SunCom Wireless Holdings (-27.3%).

Datamation has published what it believes to be the five fastest growing IT jobs. They are:
* Network systems and data communications analyst (expected growth rate between 2004 and 2014: 54.6%).
* Computer applications software engineer (48.4%).
* Computer systems software engineer (43%).
* Network and computer systems administrator (38.4%)
* Database administrator (38.2%)