How to better manage IT vendors and getting more value out of ERP tops the week's agenda.

Six Crucial Mistakes IT Organizations Routinely Make When Managing Vendors
There are a handful of openings that IT organizations routinely create that allow vendors to divide and conquer. Here's how to prevent them.

Unraveling the ERP Conundrum
While most IT organizations report that their organizations get value of their ERP investments, an Accenture survey shows that most customers are not even using half the features of their ERP system largely because they don't have the time or skills to master them.

AMD Rolls Out Six-Core Instanbul Processor for Servers
Even though new server sales are through the floor, AMD and its server vendor partners are rolling up new offerings based on AMD's latest multi-core processor. AMD is also rolling out new Phenom and Althlon processors as well. In the meantime, Hewlett-Packard and IBM are battling it out for top server honors.

Recession Adds to Linux Momentum
The open source operating system was already gaining steam before the recession, but now seems to be benefitting greatly from the recession. But it still has a long way to go before it unseats Windows Server from Microsoft.

NetApp Counters EMC Bid for Data Domain
A proxy war for the rights to acquire data deduplication vendor Data Domain has broken out after EMC tried to outbid NetApp.

Acer Embraces Google Android Operating System for Netbooks
With sales of netbooks rising, companies such as Toshiba and Fujitsu are jumping into the category alongside Acer. Microsoft is even tweaking Windows 7 for netbooks, while Sandisk is readying a solid-state disk for such systems and Intel looks to be a de facto platform for the category even if it has some doubts about the popularity of netbooks. Elsewhere, Intel and Psion settled a netbook trademark dispute.

Dell Readies New Crop of PCs for the Enterprise
Even as sales continue to slide, the former worldwide leader in PCs is looking to regain its crown later this year, but rivals such as Acer are promising thinner, lighter systems at a time when brand loyalty for notebooks is rapidly evaporating.

Green IT Poised to Go Mainstream
With IT organizations now responsible for the electric bill in the data center, a new survey from Symantec finds Green IT is gaining momentum as IT organization start to embrace more energy efficient products. HP, meanwhile, is hoping Green IT will also extend all the way out to the printer.