VMware and Brocade looks to change the data center computing model, while AMD tries to figure out what to do next.

VMware Serves Up Free Version of HyperVisor
With Microsoft poised to release a free version of its virtualization offering, VMware is looking to fight fire with fire as it positions virtualization as a key enabler for cloud computing. But the impact of Microsoft on VMware's financials is already being felt even if parent company EMC remains strong.

Brocade Makes a $3 Billion Play for Foundry Networks
In what is likely to prove to be a harbinger to come of vendor consolidation in the data center space, thanks in part to the rise of virtualization, Brocade is looking to challenge Cisco and others by building out a portfolio of data center products that encompass servers, storage and networking. How long it will be before other vendors start to fill out their data center portfolios is anybody's guess.

AMD to Focus on Fundamentals in Wake of Ruiz Resignation
With the departure of Hector Ruiz as CEO, AMD says it will focus on core PC and server product lines. In fact, the company also announced that it will not be placing on a bet on a new class of netbook notebooks that are designed to leverage cloud computing services. It's too early to say if that's a bad idea or not just yet, but it's clear that AMD's problems stem from themselves as much as Intel. In contrast, Intel launched a new generation of Centrino mobile processors and cut prices on Xeon processors.

IT Budgets Fall Slightly
As the economy continues to be shaky, a new study finds that large scale IT organizations are starting to trim their sales.

Technical Details of DNS Server Flaw Leak Out
Although hackers in this case may have had good intentions, once again playing with fire shows itself to not be a very good idea now that everybody has to rush to patch their systems.

Amazon Storage Service Disruption Gets Tongues Wagging
A second Amazon storage service outage has people talking about how reliable cloud computing services might be when push comes to shove. But at the end of the day, these services are still probably more reliable than the capabilities that most internal IT organizations could provide themselves. And with a hurricane hitting Texas, you can be sure that a lot of disaster recovery plans won't measure up to the test.

SAP Changes Support Program Model
In a move that has major financial implications for most SAP customers, the company said it is trying to make its support plans simpler to understand.

Yahoo Makes Uneasy Peace with Icahn
The rebel investor agrees to receiving seats on Yahoo's board in return for more influence over how the company is run. How long current Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang will survive this arrangement is now the subject of office betting pools everywhere given the company's latest financials. Elsewhere, Google is supposedly getting ready to make its applications available offline.