Affiliated Computer Services gets Delta deal
Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines Inc. granted Dallas-based Affiliated
Computer Services Inc. a seven-year, $120 million contract to provide
human resources business process services.
ACS will do some human resource functions for Delta, including
compensation and benefits administration, relocation services,
recruiting, learning, payroll, HR Information Services, and employee
call center services for Delta's North American employees and retirees.
ACS already does paper-based passenger revenue accounting services under
a separate contract with Delta.
Tech firms anticipate ownership changes
As competition continues to increase and companies battle to win new
customers, executives of technology companies are not ruling out a
possible change of ownership in the next decade, reports a survey
conducted by Chicago-based Grant Thornton LLP, the accounting, tax and
business advisory firm.
According to the Grant Thornton Survey of U.S. Business Leaders, 42
percent of technology respondents expect a change in company ownership
in the next 10 years, while only 30 percent of all companies nationally
feel the same. Among those who expect this change, 39 percent believe a
merger is most likely, while 30 percent anticipate a trade sale.
Additional findings from the survey include:
-- Three-quarters (73 percent) report they are optimistic about the
economy's growth in the next six months.
-- Almost all (95 percent) say they are optimistic about the growth of
their own business.
Survey: CIOs see security as job one
Technology executives now see enhancing network security as job one, a
new survey shows.
Thirty-five percent of chief information officers (CIOs) polled by Menlo
Park, Calif.-based Robert Half Technology said improvements to network
security are their highest priority. Operating-system upgrades were the
second-most frequent response, cited by 16 percent of executives.
The national poll includes responses from more than 1,400 CIOs from a
stratified random sample of U.S. companies with 100 or more employees.
Among Dallas and Houston executives, network security was cited as the
highest priority, followed by CRM, database upgrades, and OS upgrades.
Government sites revamped for businesses
The state is launching a one-stop shop online for businesses wanting to
expand or move to Texas and consumers needing government services.
The site will allow businesses to apply for all the licenses and permits
needed to open in Texas. The "Texas Business Portal" simplifies the
state's licensing requirements for business by bringing them to a
central location.
The portals were developed by the Texas Department of Information
Resources and are linked directly to Texas Online (www.texasonline.com),
the state's official Web site.
Small business outlook mixed
According to a recent survey, the outlook for Texas's small-business
economy is positive, but the overall business climate for small business
owners is mixed.
The Texas Small-Business Conditions report is a survey of small business
owners that is designed to give an overview of small-business conditions
in Texas's primary regions. The report was released by the National
Federation of Independent Business/Texas.
About two-thirds of small employers in each of the four Texas regions
surveyed expect economic growth in the next quarter, and hope a
small-business-friendly legislative session will encourage economic
development.
An average of about 37 percent of small employers (employers with one to
250 employees) said government policies make them pessimistic about
Texas's business outlook.
eLinear gains new business
Houston-based security solutions and telephony provider eLinear Inc.
said Thursday it has been awarded $440,000 in new technology solutions
business.
About $320,000 of the total is new business in the energy sector, while
the remaining $120,000 is from infrastructure projects for the Klein
Independent School District.
Got a local news story? Let us know about it. Send your local news
to dan@computeruser.com.
