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Nikkei Computer

April 04, 2005 Issue <<Contents>>

FEATURE Agile Information Systems Composite applications become a practical solution - Given the current situation, future changes in the business environment cannot be foreseen. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the information division of each corporation to establish agile systems that can respond to changes in the business climate. It is no easy task to develop such systems, but practical solutions for the development of agile systems that are able to deal with rapid changes have finally emerged. They are supported by “composite applications” and “Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA).” This article reports on the latest trends in composite applications. Part 1: Integrating entire corporate systems in a flexible manner Part 2: Major vendors rush to expand the range of their products

PEOPLE

Interview
- Making the mistake of taking our clients for granted is one of the factors that have contributed to our poor business performance, and we aim to grow again by getting back to our original business principles
Kiyotaka Fujii: President and CEO, SAP Japan Co., Ltd.


Real Feelings Expressed by Top Executives
- We have reformed our business model based on the assumption that IT has increasingly important in gaining the competitive advantage, and we are finding hints for business success from other industry sectors rather than from companies engaged in the same business as we are
Satoru Ogawa: CIO, Coca-Cola (Japan) Company, Limited.

NEWS

Reports

- Nikkei Computer’s questionnaire survey of 100 major IT vendors in Japan shows that 37 of those vendors did not change their accounting standards for the closing of accounts for fiscal 2004

- Ginowan City in Okinawa Prefecture rebuilds its entire system using local vendors

- A survey of some 4,000 companies by the Japan Users Association of Information Systems (JUAS) reveals that corporate users tend to leave decisions on system development budgets to vendors

- The addition of quality assurance skills to the Skill Standards for IT Professionals (ITSS) is postponed

- The Board of Audit of Japan has cut its operating costs to 1/30th of the level in fiscal 2003

- Even in the United States, victims of the unauthorized use of online payment and banking services are not adequately protected

- Parco-City cuts the risk of data leakage by narrowing the scope of the personal information that it collects from customers

- CIOs of American companies have a very hard time protecting customer data

- Plala, an Internet provider in Japan, introduces 1,000 Sun Ray ultra-thin clients, which are manufactured by Sun Microsystems

- The Tokyo Tomin Bank incorporates measures for preventing information leaks into its sales support system by mobile phones

News Flash for Each Industry

- [Finance] Mizuho Financial Group introduces a Web-based personnel information system

- [Service] Konoike Construction has developed a system that can comprehensively analyze foundation and ground subsidence

- [Distribution] Mediceo Holdings integrates its systems for sales, distribution, and accounting

- [Manufacturing] Mazda Motor installs a POS management system for parts inventory control at its dealer outlets

- [e-Japan] The Mie Clinical Trials Support Network, a non-profit organization in Mie Prefecture, carries out the uniform management of information on clinical trials at 69 medical institutions

CASE STUDIES

Close-Up
Merger between the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi and UFJ Bank
Behind-the-scenes details of the system integration

A Computer That Does Not Work / The Close Study of Misjudgment
Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
- The company plans to abandon a SCM system in which it has invested ¥4 billion

The Project
.Commodity, Inc.
- The company has completed a system development project from scratch in only six months

Close-Up
Mastering System Operation
Shionogi & Co., Ltd.
- The company integrates its servers using virtualization software

IT MANAGEMENT

Close-Up
Something Is Wrong with IT Education in Senior High Schools
- The courses offered by senior high schools on PC use are below the level of the courses provided by local private PC schools

Close-Up
Prospects for the Domestic IT Market in 2005
- The IT market in Japan will recover modestly in 2005, growing by 2.3%

Shiro Baba’s “Essays in Idleness” for SEs
- SE managers who are not good at dealing with clients tend to cause four serious problems

Conditions for Becoming a Successful SE
- Be sure to change yourself before encouraging others to take action

TECHNOLOGIES & PRODUCTS

The A to Z of IT Pitfalls
Blade Servers

New Products
Component-based ERP software applications, etc.