FIN) FZC/JOT).-IBM is using the concept of grid computing--many computers linked together to share processing power--to store and retrieve medical images and other records within a group of hospitals. It featured its Grid Medical Archive Solution (GMAS) at the American Telemedicine Association convention this week in Nashville, Tennessee.

GMAS combines IBM System x servers with Intel processors, its System Storage model EXP3000 and support from IBM Global Technology Storage Services. Although that package has been on the market for a while, it now also includes software from IBM partner Bycast Inc., a provider of management software for grid environments.

IBM and Cisco Systems are expected to announce Tuesday a joint emergency services offering aimed at government and corporate customers.

The IBM Management Services for Crisis Response will combine Cisco's networking hardware and IBM's services approach to offer up a range of hardware, software and satellite capabilities as a single service.

(http://money.cnn.com).- Shares of business software maker tumble 5 percent after outlook comes in below expectations.
BMC Software posted a higher quarterly net profit on Thursday on strong gains in new licenses, but its shares fell nearly 5 percent after the company gave a current-quarter outlook one analyst called "disappointing."
Kim Caughey, who helps oversee some $1 billion in assets at Fort Pitt Capital Group, said the outlook was pretty much what analysts expected but was a letdown because the strength in the full year came from the third quarter.
Fortune's Geoffrey Colvin talks with McKesson's top two executives, CEO John Hammergren and CIO Randall Spratt, about securing medical documents.

(www.globalsurfnews.com).- Lake Forest, Calif. – Sole Technology, Inc., parent company of etnies, éS, Emerica, Altamont and ThirtyTwo, announced today the addition of Roian Atwood, Sole Technology’s first Manager of Environmental Affairs to its leadership staff.

The company’s vision and full commitment to corporate responsibility already includes the installation of 616 solar panels, the conversion to water-based cement manufacturing and the launch of a sustainable footwear and apparel collection, the etnies SEED Project. Known for pioneering technological advances in skateboard footwear, Sole Technology has stayed true to its roots while pushing the envelope as a leader of sustainability in the industry.

(www.electronicsweekly.com).- Some of the world's largest mobile phone technology companies have formed alliance to push the handset market to more quickly adopt 3G mobile phone technologies.

NTT DoCoMo, Renesas Technology, Fujitsu, Mitsubishi Electric, Sharp and Sony Ericsson plan to jointly develop a dual-mode 3G handset which will also support current generation GSM/GPRS/EDGE technology.

Last month, EW reported that the mobile phone market was not really exciting chip companies. One aspect of this alliance is that it could re-ignite interest in 3G once again.

(www.industryweek.com).= "IBM's robust patent portfolio in semiconductors, software and service-oriented architecture, along with some IP-heavy acquisitions, helped them outperform top competitors in 2006," said Eric Gillespie, chief operating officer of The Patent Board.
Microsoft Corp. ranked second at 1,470 patents. "Second place Microsoft is clearly on the rise with the highest Science Strength score, which rates the degree to which its patent portfolio is linked to core science," said Gillespie. "In addition, Microsoft posted double digit growth in nearly every category that we analyze, including Industry Impact, Technology Strength, Science Strength, and Research Intensity. From a quantitative perspective, Microsoft had 94% growth in the number of IT patents filed, versus only 30% growth for IBM and 16% growth from third-ranked Hewlett-Packard."