The data warehouse environment comprises marketing databases, call systems, customer service, GSM network statistical data, invoicing systems, collections and retrievals and all logistics information.

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All four of the new systems include full hardware redundancy, redundant storage and network connections and allow for live operating system upgrades, Sun said.

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FlashLinq-enabled televisions, laptops, in-car infotainment systems, etc. could all be used to create a discoverable network of interactive goodness, but of course, it's hard to say how much success Qualcomm will have in a world already loaded down with connectivity options.

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That all changed a few years ago when, in a demonstration of its network mapping software, Trampoline Systems distilled the reams of data to a clickable form and uploaded the resulting database to enronexplorer.com.

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Securing a small business' computer systems--which might involve all sorts of gorpy stuff like firewalls, application Web network scanners, access controls and database encryption--can run into the tens of thousands of dollars, says Litan.

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