Research

The next big upgrade to your corporate systems department may be something you will use but never see — "cloud computing," the next step in the evolution of SaaS technology. As with SaaS, cloud-computing customers tap into computing resources off-site and hosted by another company.

Public policy-makers and voters need sound, relevant data when making decisions, yet accessing information can be difficult, and often costly. But a national trend to use technology and innovative public and private funding is beginning to change all that.

Arizona's population has ballooned from 2.7 million in 1980 to 6.5 million in 2007. By 2032, the state will have welcomed even more new residents — 4.2 million — for a total of nearly 11 million.

The cover of the New York Times magazine last fall showed an old, disabled speed boat lying on a barren, cracked expanse of earth — which used to be covered with water.

"The in-box culture is dead," says Evan Rosen in his new book, The Culture of Collaboration: Maximizing Time, Talent and Tools to Create Value in the Global Economy.

Collaborative technology is continuing to evolve — fostering innovation, connecting experts and creating relationships, between companies and their customers.

Digital universe. Exabytes. Data fluidity value. Master data management solutions. This is the language of the future of business. As the amount of data companies attain and store grows, so too must the ability to deal effectively with this digital avalanche.

The Phoenix economy "could be worse," says Lee McPheters, director of the JPMorgan Chase Economic Outlook Center at the W. P. Carey School of Business. And that's the good news.

In late 2006, hackers stole information concerning 45.7 million debit and credit cards from the parent company of discount retailers T.J. Maxx and Marshalls.

Studies show family-led companies implement better long-term planning and generally have greater internal organizational commitment than public companies.