Supply chain management, while surprisingly complex, has a few simple and obviously desirable goals at its core. These are to move more volume using fewer assets, and achieving better customer service with lower inventory.

The panoply of policy processes affecting the information and communications technology (ICT) industry have been met with approval, as well as pockets of concern and confusion. ITWeb summarises the initiatives and their potential impact.

Online advertising is an industry that`s ripened over the past two years, with new strategies and business models allowing for greater control over media campaigns. ITWeb takes a closer look at the South African market.

The idea that knowledge is a resource, an asset that should be leveraged for maximum productivity and competitive advantage, is widely accepted. However, it seems that this is easier said than done.

Community projects count among the growing investment of local IT companies. Some of them contribute substantially to closing the much-maligned digital divide. How are companies involved, and what - besides feel-good marketing - do they get out of it?

While the JET system has underscored the value of automated trading, it will soon go the way of the trading floor it replaced, which means it`s time for the JSE, its members and the investing community to move on.

The modern contact centre is packed with technology, but the people on the end of the line, be it a telephone or Internet connection, determine how successful company communications are.

Sybase SA has released Sybase Enterprise Portal 2.0, a portal environment that addresses the requirements of e-businesses.

Vodacom is upgrading its Web access control system, Webcon, which was custom-built for the company two years ago by MGX Software Development.

Internet service provider Data Pro has announced a hosting statistics module to allow the company to automate research statistics on behalf of its clients.

The E-Commerce Green Paper in its fourth and final theme asks stakeholders to propose ways in which the technology can improve the socio-economic circumstances of South Africans, and offers a cursory glance at e-government.

A survey conducted by Datamonitor on behalf of a number of companies, including PeopleSoft, has found that insurance firms may be unaware of the benefits of packaged IT solutions.

The Unit, a Midrand-based computer training company, says it is focusing on providing its students with practical training in Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) certification programmes.