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Nikkei Computer

August 21, 2006 Issue <<Contents>>

FEATURE 1 Dismantlement of Legacy Batch Processing Systems - Many companies are now facing problems such as their systems’ inability to handle increased data, to improve the speed of business processes, or to reduce IT costs. Having pursued the cause of these problems, an increasing number of these companies have concluded that the problem lies in “legacy batch”, which has been used for more than 20 years without being upgraded or modified. Needless to say, it is not easy to dismantle a legacy batch processing system, which is the very reason of avoiding the task. This article examines how leading companies are tackling this challenge, by analyzing the efforts of JFE Steel, Jaccs, and Suntory, as well as the trends of new products that support the dismantling of legacy batch processing systems. The adverse effects of using the systems without any upgrading or modification have become more apparent Abandoning existing batch processing systems and integrating new systems with online systems - JFE Steel Corporation, JACCS Co., Ltd., and The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Ltd. Efforts to defy common wisdom and convert a batch processing system into an open-source system - Suntory Ltd., KOKUBU & Co., Ltd., and CGC Japan Co., Ltd. A number of new products that support open-source batch processing systems have been launched FEATURE 2 The Number of Options for BI Tools Is Increasing - Business Intelligence (BI) is the ability of a company to categorize, process, and analyze a huge amount of accumulated data for effective decision-making. The market of tools for developing a BI environment has brightened again, thanks to the introduction of low-priced products and suite products. This article thoroughly examines 28 major products, focusing on the following two aspects: (1) how functions differ among products of different prices; (2) in what areas specialized tools are superior to suite tools.

REPORT

Inside

- Seven & I Holdings will develop an electronic money system using Hewlett-Packard servers

- The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has decided to request a budget of ¥1.5 billion to support the development of visualization software


News & Trends

- The competition for the order of the Tokyo Stock Exchange’s next-generation trading system has intensified

- The outline of the standard of implementation of the Japanese version of the SOX law is to be unveiled

- IBM Japan launches Opteron processor-based servers, causing a change in the landscape of market competition

- An increasing number of companies have started to use Wiki, a content management system

- A number of services that enable Internet browsers to realize the same desktop environment as conventional operating systems such as Windows or Mac OS have been launched

- Thirteen independent software vendors (ISVs) in Japan joined forces to expand their business overseas

- Sumitomo Electric Industries has started replacing all of its Linux-based IA servers with servers that run visualization software


News Flash for Each Industry

- Finance: Japan Post has announced that its Postal Saving System will be connected to the “Zengin” Data Telecommunication System

- Distribution: ASKUL will launch a new system for delivery services this September

PEOPLE

Interview
Jim Merritt: President, Dell Japan Inc.

- My goal is to regain customer satisfaction


Real Feelings Expressed by Top Executives
Eiji Hosoya: Director, Chairman, and Representative Executive Officer, Resona Holdings, Inc.

- A CIO is accountable to his or her company’s employees

CASE STUDIES

Investigation of a Noteworthy Project
FamilyMart Co., Ltd.

- The company has established a new IT infrastructure in preparation for future competition


Absolute Solutions for Enhancing IT Strategy
Janssen Pharmaceutical K.K.

- The company has reviewed its access management mechanism in order to meet the requirements under the SOX Act in the U.S.


A Computer That Does Not Work
Microsoft Japan

- The company has failed to renovate the system that runs a showcase website for Microsoft .NET


Novel / Cyber Lawless Area

Third Chapter: Excessive Self-Defense (3)

MANAGEMENT/TECHNOLOGY

Hints for IT Managers
- A problem cannot be solved if you give too much consideration to the position the person who selected a problematic vendor


Risk Management That Brings a Project to Success
- A lack of definition of a deliverable leads to an underestimation of costs


A Practical Project-Management Course for Users
- It is necessary to make effective use of PMO (Project Management Office) in order to increase project management competence


IT Project Recovery Management at the Site
- The second step in recovery: Gain approval for the investigation of a problem


IT Keywords You Should Have Known Long Ago

Aspect-oriented approach