1. "Questions Abound on Firing of Microsoft's CIO,"
Computerworld, November 7

Microsoft's firing of CIO Stuart Scott probably isn't the biggest story of the week in terms of widespread effect and staying power, but it definitely got the IT world buzzing. An internal memo announced his termination, but the company didn't say anything publicly until reporters started to ask what was up. Even then, not much was said -- as is often the case with such personnel moves -- other than that Scott violated unspecified corporate policies. Scott seemed perfect for the job when he was hired in July 2005, with an impressive resume and educational background. The lack of comment has led to a lot of speculation and a sort of "public hanging" element to the firing, but that can't be what Microsoft intended, according to consultants who engage in helping companies hire executives. Others suggested that Microsoft look internally to find a replacement.

2. "What Google's Android Means for Apple, Microsoft, Open Source and the Enterprise,"
NetworkWorld, November 8

Google unveiled its highly anticipated mobile strategy on Monday, sparking debate about precisely what that strategy will mean. There seems to be general agreement (with Steve Ballmer one notable exception as he termed the strategy "just a press release") that Google's entry into that arena will have wide-ranging effects. The company announced that it has paired up with T-Mobile, Motorola and Sprint Nextel to create the Open Handset Alliance to push its "Android" open-source mobile platform. That news caught many industry observers off guard as speculation has mounted in recent weeks that the company was set to announce the so-called "Gphone," to compete with Apple's iPhone. After Google's plan -- while still sketchy -- was announced, some analysts predicted it would have a minimal enterprise effect, but others say that's not so that, like the iPhone, once devices are actually released those will wind up being used by employees and therefore trickle into businesses. So, put this one in the "stay-tuned" column.

3. "Microsoft Unveils Enterprise Search Products,"
November 6, CIO.com

Microsoft unveiled Search Server 2008 and Search Server Express 2008, low-cost enterprise search products aimed at what the company sees as a largely untapped market. "We hope it will help enterprise search move from kind of a sleepy town to more of a mainstream market," said Jared Spataro, Microsoft group product manager for enterprise search. The Express edition is available in release candidate form now as a free download (it doesn't get cheaper than that), with the same features as the commercial software, but a single-installation restriction. Both enterprise search products are expected to be out in the first half of next year.