You've probably heard about Section 409A, the new federal deferred compensation law that went into effect January 1, 2005. you also probably know something about how it applies to stock options and severance arrangements. But what additional questions should you ask?

Minimizing Intellectual Property Risk is Key for the Technology Start-UP
Submitted by St. Paul Travelers

There is a certain excitement attached to launching a new business particularly for those with a technology start-up. Finding capital investors, renting office space and creating marketing materials are all a part of the process. However, as with any new venture, there are risks to be aware of such as those involving intellectual property rights which include trademark protection, copyright infringement, and trade secrets. Following are some tips to help businesses minimize intellectual property risks.

The Open Enterprise: Mandate for Success
Submitted by Novell

The transformation is under way as organizations race to catch the future with more-agile, flexible and effective business networks.

Global business is in the middle of a revolution. An intensively competitive economy is driving corporations to become more flexible, efficient and responsive to shifting market dynamics. To hold their own, companies have to adapt quickly to change, contain constantly rising costs and still deliver the high-quality products, services and support their customers demand.

M&A - A Primer
Submitted by Silicon Valley Bank and SVB Alliant

While the IPO market has improved since 2001, the vast majority of exits for startup technology companies involve acquisitions. The bar for going public has been raised due to Sarbanes-Oxley and other public company expenses and many executives indicate that being a public company senior executive has become less fun. In addition, with many OEMs considering their supplier bases, it is often difficult for startups to gain traction with top-tier customers, regardless of how good their technology is. As a result, the level of technology M&A deals will likely continue to accelerate over the next several years. This article provides a brief overview of the M&A process and related terminology.

Partnering in a Global Market
Submitted by IBM

China’s economy is hot. So is India’s. As daily headlines tout the importance of these burgeoning markets, companies worldwide are busy planning how to sell their goods and services into these mass markets.

A vital component of the economic clout of these countries, sometimes overlooked by the headlines, is their emergence as high-tech centers. The IT industry in China is growing at an annual rate of 25 percent, and in India at a robust 36 percent. And these two countries are not alone among emerging economies with a high-tech bent. Israel and Brazil are flourishing technology centers. In Israel, now ranked second in the world for growth in innovation, IT is the driving force behind venture capital investment, bringing the median amount invested per deal to
$5 million last year. Brazil has more than 2,000 independent software vendors and a $9 billion IT
industry.

"Interoperability," NOT "Interchangeability"
Submitted by Microsoft

In today's highly dynamic information technology (IT) marketplace, business and other organizations routinely deploy heterogeneous IT networks consisting of hardware and software from multiple vendors. In such an environment, interoperability is a technical and business imperative. It is also a desired goal for government in the context of both public policy (promotion of a healthy, competitive, and innovative IT-ecosystem) and in the government software procurement process.