Chuah, a researcher at the lab of the Accenture consulting firm, is developing new technologies in instant messaging and online commerce aimed at conjoining the physical and virtual worlds as never before.

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"In many parts of the world governments and many industry sectors are rolling out legislature and regulations that are imposing greater obligations on IT departments, " says Simon Harriss of Accenture Consulting.

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Mary A. Tolan spent over two decades consulting for Accenture including heading its multi-billion dollar energy consulting arm.

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