SA`s B2B marketplace has been characterised by failed ventures, the inability of most players to deliver on the anticipated reductions in transaction costs, wide-scale integration issues and unsatisfactory service levels. Yet a surprising amount of optimism still prevails in this space.

SA users and vendors alike agree that when it comes to business intelligence, it`s business benefits and not brands that make the difference between market leaders and market followers.

Software quality is a many-splendoured thing. Although the toughest job is often reserved for testers, and the biggest stick reserved for project managers, ultimately, as always, the buck stops with directors.

Despite the fact that total cost of ownership is the latest industry buzzword, many organisations seem unaware of how many factors come into play when working out the total cost of ownership of any given product.

SA has the skills base, the advantage of low costs thanks to a weak currency, good tertiary education, world-class developers and applications with the potential for global adoption. So why is the country not a software development hub?

Depending on whom you talk to, software patents can either wreck the local economy or be a boon to developers here and abroad. But many agree patents are inevitable if SA doesn`t pick a side soon.

ROI is a term vendors used to throw about with gay abandon while delivering sales pitches to prospective clients. But since the IT stock slide, getting a measurable return out of new IT investments is a necessity rather than an added bonus.

Data warehousing does not have a good reputation as too many companies have been burnt by badly planned installations. However, a new wave of business value-directed implementations may reverse this trend and restore faith in the data warehouse.

While many sectors are starting to see the benefits of getting involved in corporate social investment (CSI) initiatives, the IT industry is still battling to bridge the CSI perception gap.

The rural masses will soon have access to telecommunication services, if all goes according to plan and pots of money are poured into SA`s poorest areas.

South African couch potatoes are witnessing the slow birth of interactive television.

Paying for a service that you hope you`ll never need doesn`t make a lot of sense in business terms, but counting the costs of not having a disaster recovery plan in place is opening companies` eyes to the strategic and financial benefits of having a plan.

The new Electronic Communications and Transactions law changes many things, among them the rules for digital signatures. At the heart of e-signatures lies digital certificates, where the industry is remarkably positive about the law and the changes it will bring.