Management trends to flourish

The IT spending forecast continues to creep downward, but many industry watchers continue to argue that despite the stall in spending, IT management initiatives will flourish in 2009, reports Network World.

Research firm, Enterprise Management Associates (EMA), laid out what it considers the top IT management trends to watch for in 2009, listing 12 areas it believes will find greater attention in this year.

To start, the firm expects to see configuration management databases evolve into federated systems that will encompass application discovery, provide better metrics and "closely link to related architectures like process automation".

Giant Eagle, a full service grocery store based in the US, has chosen Aruba Networks' AirWave Wireless Management suite to manage its geographically distributed WiFi networks currently running at 400 supermarkets, fuel and convenience stores, warehouses and corporate offices, says TMCnet.

The AirWave Wireless Management suite provides centralised multivendor network management software that centrally manages large, multi-vendor wireless LAN, mesh, and WiMax networks.

Giant Eagle needed a single solution that would support multiple configurations of the same access point hardware models, monitor individual interfaces like 802.11a/b/g radios and access points, support multivendor hardware, and manage migrations from legacy hardware to newer technology without any data loss.

Deutsche Telekom's enterprise customer division, T-Systems, and global consulting, technology and business process outsourcing provider Cognizant, have reached an agreement with Continental Tire to jointly provide application management services to the research and development operations of its divisions in Hanover, Germany, according to SearchAutoParts.

As part of the three-year contract, the partners will replace Continental's current unnamed service provider of more than 10 years. Cognizant will provide the bulk of the services from India.

With all services being covered under a fixed price, Continental will achieve a high level of cost transparency, and save significant administration and maintenance costs of its computer-aided design systems.