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.

From hacker pastime to robust enterprise-ready operating system, Linux has matured rapidly over the past couple of years, and while it still has its faults and shortcomings, it is quickly silencing its critics.

Although many installations have yet to deliver measurable value, CRM is here to stay as the increasing diversity of customer interaction channels makes it virtually impossible for companies to manage client expectations without a CRM solution.

Government, organisations and ICT companies are racing to bridge the gap as millions of African children are left behind in the digital revolution, but will Africa`s lack of infrastructure stand in their way?

The real battle in Canadian group DataMirror`s attempted hostile takeover of locally-listed Idion Technology Holdings was for the hearts and minds of minority shareholders, which DataMirror lost.