The top technology vendor story for 2014 does not involve a shiny new smartphone nor a new public cloud, but crudely rendered PowerPoint slides.
2014年科技行业的最大新闻不是关于一款闪亮的新智能手机，也不是一个新的公共云服务，而是一堆不加掩饰呈现的PPT幻灯片。
Starting in June, a series of stories started documenting a global intelligence operation last seen on Showtime's 'Homeland.' Those PowerPoint slides, provided by National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden, taught businesses that the convenience of the cloud cuts both ways. By tapping into the pipes exiting data centers belonging to Google Inc., Microsoft Corp. and other tech vendors, the NSA found a 'convenient' way to vacuum vast amounts of data. The NSA's reach was also revealed to extend to cellphone data
从6月份开始，一系列文章开始记述一场全球情报行动，这类行动通常只有在Showtime频道播出的电视剧《国土安全》(Homeland)中才会看到。这些PPT幻灯片由美国国家安全局(NSA)曝光者斯诺登(Edward Snowden)提供，它们向企业显示了云服务的便利性有利也有弊。通过监控谷歌(Google Inc.)和微软(Microsoft Corp.)等科技公司数据中心的数据传输通道，NSA发现了一种“便捷”的途径获得大量数据。有人披露，NSA监控的范围还延伸到了手机数据。
In the wake of the revelations-henceforth called the 'Snowden Effect'- tech vendors have worked to identify and apply security fixes, while assuring clients that their data remains safe. Abroad, businesses and politicians have touted local solutions. But this is just the beginning. Mr. Snowden is said to retain many more documents and it is quite likely that the Snowden Effect will remain the top tech industry story of 2014.
事情曝光后（以下称“斯诺登效应”），科技公司努力确定并使用安全补丁，同时向客户保证他们的数据仍是安全的。在海外，企业和政界人士鼓吹局部解决方案。但这还只是开始而已。据说斯诺登手里还有更多的文件，2014年斯诺登效应将很可能仍旧是科技行业的最大新闻。
Meanwhile tech vendors in 2013 had their hands full operating multi-billion-dollar businesses. While many of the younger companies have achieved success, traditional and legacy vendors have struggled. CIO Journal looks back at the most significant news generated by some of the world's leading tech giants in 2013.
与此同时，2013年科技公司忙于运营规模数十亿美元的业务，分身乏术。很多创办时间更短的公司取得了成功，而传统老牌公司却陷入困境。CIO Journal栏目回顾了2013年一些全球顶级科技巨头制造的重大新闻。
Microsoft: Microsoft announced in August that CEO Steve Ballmer would retire in 12 months. Mr. Ballmer, who took the CEO reins from founder Bill Gates in 2000, is in the midst of transforming Microsoft from a PC-based software maker to a device and services company, with an emphasis on mobile and cloud computing. Mr. Ballmer admitted that evolution was taken too long, setting the stage for his departure. On Dec. 17, John Thompson, Microsoft's board director, said Microsoft would name Mr. Ballmer's replacement - from a pool of 20 people - in 2014.
微软(Microsoft)：微软8月份宣布，首席执行长鲍尔默(Steve Ballmer)将在12个月后退休。鲍尔默2000年接替微软创始人盖茨(Bill Gates)出任首席执行长，他正在努力将微软从一家基于个人电脑的软件生产商转变为一家设备和服务公司，重点是移动和云计算。鲍尔默承认，转型花了太长的时间，这是他离职的原因之一。12月17日，微软董事汤普森(John Thompson)说，2014年微软将从20名人选中任命鲍尔默的继任者。
Google: The company's biggest reveal this year was its strategy to place 'moonshot' bets on game-changing technology efforts, such as driverless cars. The company this year released to limited availability its Google Glass wearable computer. Google also unveiled Project Loon, an audacious effort to build a global network of high-altitude balloons that bring Internet access to people in remote areas. The company is also mounting a significant foray into robotics. Google is also targeting enterprise customers with cloud infrastructure software, which it released to general availability in December.
谷歌(Google)：该公司今年披露的最大一则消息是它计划探索具有划时代意义的科技领域，比如无人驾驶汽车。该公司今年限量推出了谷歌眼镜(Google Glass)可穿戴电脑。谷歌还发布了“Project Loon”，这是一项构建一个全球高空气球网络的大胆计划，使偏远地区的人们也可以上网。该公司还将大举进军机器人学领域。谷歌还面向企业客户推出云基础设施软件，12月份全面推出。
Apple Inc.: For Apple, it was another year, another refresh of its iPhone and iPad. In September, Apple's iPhone 5S received plaudits for its fingerprint scanning technology, which promises to make it easier and more secure for users to log in to their device. Announced in October, the iPad Air is a thinner, lighter but souped-up version of its market-leading tablet computer. The company also lured Burberry CEO Angela Ahrendts to run its retail and online store businesses. But CEO Tim Cook, along with the company's stock price, took some hits for failing to bring the long-rumored Apple TV product to market. However, he hinted that a wearable computer of some sort could be on the horizon. Anyone up for an iWatch?
苹果(Apple Inc.)：对苹果来说，2013年是新的一年，是iPhone和iPad更新换代的又一年。9月份，苹果的iPhone 5S凭借其指纹识别技术获得了好评。指纹识别技术可以使用户更轻松、更安全地登陆设备。10月份，苹果发布了iPad Air，这是其领先市场的平板电脑的最新款，更薄、更轻，但功能更强大。该公司还请来博柏利(Burberry)首席执行长阿伦茨(Angela Ahrendts)负责其零售和网络商店业务。但由于苹果没有推出外界猜测已久的苹果电视(Apple TV)，首席执行长库克(Tim Cook)受到质疑，该公司的股价也受到了一定的打击。不过，库克暗示，可能有望推出一款可穿戴电脑。有人想要一个iWatch吗？
Hewlett-Packard Co.: Hewlett-Packard Co. faced significant challenges in 2013, the second full year in CEO Meg Whitman's multi-year turnaround plan. The company said it would focus on making more competitive servers, storage and networking gear, as well as analytics software. Although H-P is accelerating research and development to boost sales, smaller commodity hardware and cloud software rivals are pressuring the company. Disappointing sales in H-P's enterprise group prompted Ms. Whitman in August to replace division head David Donatelli. In November, H-P posted weaker fourth-quarter sales, the ninth consecutive top-line decline. Ms. Whitman said 2014 would be a 'pivotal year' for H-P.
惠普(Hewlett-Packard Co.)：2013年惠普遭遇了相当大的挑战，这是首席执行长惠特曼(Meg Whitman)推出多年业务扭转计划后的第二个整年。该公司说，它将专注于生产更有竞争力的服务器、存储设备和联网设备，以及分析软件。尽管惠普正在加快研发以便推动销售，但规模较小的商业硬件和云软件竞争对手正向该公司施加压力。惠普企业集团令人失望的销售促使惠特曼今年8月份撤换了部门主管多纳泰利(David Donatelli)。11月份，惠普说第四季度销售收入下滑，这是连续第九个月营收下滑。惠特曼说，2014年对惠普来说将是至关重要的一年。
IBM Corp.: Like H-P, IBM Corp. is shaking up leadership as it struggles in some of its core businesses. Following disappointing third-quarter results in October, CEO Virginia Rometty reassigned James Bramante, the IBM senior vice president who ran growth markets. IBM has missed Wall Street's revenue targets in six of the last seven quarters. IBM also disappointed some customers, some in grand fashion. In August, the premier of the state of Queensland in Australia, Campbell Newman, said he had banned IBM from entering into new contracts with the state until it improved its governance and contracting practices. The company has also been at loggerheads with state officials in Pennsylvania, Indiana and Texas over technology implementations.
国际商业机器公司(IBM Corp.)：与惠普一样，在一些核心业务上举步维艰的IBM也正在重组领导层。今年10月发布了令人失望的第三季度业绩之后，IBM首席执行长罗梅蒂(Virginia Rometty)将负责成长市场的高级副总裁布拉曼特(James Bramante)调职。IBM在过去七个季度中有六个季度都未达到华尔街预计的营收目标。IBM还让一些客户感到失望，有时候是大失所望。今年8月，澳大利亚昆士兰州州长纽曼(Campbell Newman)说，他已经禁止IBM与该州签订新合约，直到IBM改善治理和承包业务为止。IBM还与美国宾夕法尼亚、印第安那和德克萨斯州的官员在技术实施的问题上发生争执。
Dell Inc.: Following a contentious buyout battle with Carl Icahn and other investors, Dell Inc. went private in November to work on its strategic reinvention as a cloud software and services company. The company is helping customers pick and integrate public cloud software from vendors such as Microsoft and Google. To cultivate innovation, the company is investing $300 million over the next several years in startups. Dell said it hopes this effort will generate capital gains for the company, while providing a window into emerging technologies in cloud, security, storage, mobility and analytics.
戴尔(Dell Inc.)：经过了与伊坎(Carl Icahn)和其他投资者颇具争议的私有化之争后，戴尔于今年11月完成了私有化目标，力图实现向一家云软件和服务公司的战略性转变。戴尔正帮主客户挑选并整合来自微软(Microsoft)和谷歌(Google)等供应商的公共云软件。为了促进创新，戴尔将在未来几年向初创公司投资3亿美元。戴尔说，希望这样的举措能够为公司带来资本收益，并打开一扇通往云、安全、存储、移动和分析等方面的新兴科技的窗口。
Oracle Corp.: Oracle CEO Larry Ellison infamously skipped his final keynote at the business software maker's customer conference in September to watch his yacht take the America's Cup. The move overshadowed major announcements the company made at Oracle OpenWorld, including a deal to run Oracle software on Microsoft's Windows Azure cloud service. In an acknowledgment that more software is moving to the cloud, Oracle in June partnered with rival Salesforce.com Inc. to integrate business applications in the cloud. Oracle in December acquired Responsys Inc., a maker of cloud marketing software, for $1.5 billion.
甲骨文(Oracle Corp.)：甲骨文首席执行长埃利森(Larry Ellison)今年9月份为了观看他的游艇参加美洲杯帆船赛(America’s Cup)而取消了在公司客户大会上的终场发言，这个颇受非议的举动给甲骨文在Oracle OpenWorld大会上宣布的重大消息蒙上了阴影，其中包括在微软Windows Azure云服务平台上运行甲骨文软件的协议。在认识到越来越多的软件正在转向云服务之后，甲骨文于今年6月份与竞争对手Salesforce.com Inc.合作，整合了云服务商业应用。甲骨文今年12月份以15亿美元收购了云营销软件生产商Responsys Inc.。
SAP AG: On the whole, it was a relatively quiet year for SAP, the enterprise software maker that is the frequent target of Mr. Ellison's ire. The company made available its HANA in-memory database to run predictive analytics against data housed in SAP's business software. The company also rolled out a cloud version of HANA for businesses. Also significant: SAP said Jim Hagemann Snabe, co-CEO with Bill McDermott, will swap his current role for a position on SAP's supervisory board in May 2014. But SAP also closed out 2013 with some bad news. Avon Products Inc. said it is cancelling a $125 million SAP software system after sales workers in Canada left because it proved too onerous to their routines.
SAP AG：总的来说，今年对SAP AG是平淡的一年，这家企业软件生产商经常成为埃利森愤怒的目标。SAP AG让其HANA内存数据库可以对SAP商业软件内包含的数据进行预测性分析。该公司还面向企业推出了HANA的云服务版本。同样值得注意的是：SAP宣布与孟鼎铭(Bill McDermott)共同担任首席执行长的施杰翰(Jim Hagemann Snabe)将在2014年5月从当前职位调任SAP监督委员会的一个职位。但SAP今年也有一些坏消息。雅芳(Avon Products Inc.)宣布将取消一个1.25亿美元的SAP软件系统，因为雅芳驻加拿大的许多销售人员觉得这个系统对他们的日常工作来说过于繁琐，因而辞去了工作。
Salesforce.com Inc.: Cloud software maker Salesforce.com spent the last seven years buying companies in marketing engagement, social media, and human resources. In June, it paid $2.5 billion for ExactTarget, its biggest acquisition to date. In November, the company revealed how those purchases fit into its Salesforce1 strategy. Its mission is enabling sales workers to collaborate with coworkers to sell products and services, at any time, from any device, through Salesforce.com's cloud platform. In addition to the Oracle deal, Salesforce.com also partnered with H-P to run software on the systems provider's infrastructure.
Salesforce.com Inc.：这家云软件生产商过去七年一直在收购市场营销、社交媒体和人力资源方面的公司。今年6月，该公司斥资25亿美元收购了ExactTarget，这是该公司迄今最大的收购行动。11月，该公司披露了这些收购行动与其Salesforce1战略相融合的情况。其任务是让销售人员能够通过Salesforce.com的云平台与同事协作，在任何时间、通过任何设备销售产品和服务。除了与甲骨文的交易，Salesforce.com还与惠普合作，在后者的基础架构上运行软件。
BlackBerry Ltd.: Perhaps no company has endured a more difficult time in 2013 than BlackBerry Ltd., whose business has stumbled as the iPhone and Android phones have soared. After failing to sell many phones based on its revamped BlackBerry 10 operating system, the company in November abandoned a $4.7 billion plan to go private, choosing to continue as a public company with new leadership. BlackBerry replaced CEO Thorsten Heins, who failed to right the ship after he was promoted from within to turn the company around almost two years ago, with former Sybase Inc. CEO John Chen. On Dec. 20, BlackBerry reported a $4.4 billion third-quarter loss quarter, after which Mr. Chen said 2014 would be an 'investment' year for the company.
黑莓(BlackBerry Ltd.)：或许2013年没有哪个公司的境况比黑莓更糟，黑莓的业务随着iPhone和安卓手机的迅速崛起而步履蹒跚。由于采用改进版黑莓10操作系统的手机销量不佳，该公司今年11月放弃了规模47亿美元的私有化方案，选择在新领导层管理下保持上市公司身份。黑莓撤掉了首席执行长海因斯(Thorsten Heins)，他在近两年前从公司内部晋升这一职位，但未能让公司调整好方向。取代海因斯的是前Sybase Inc.首席执行长John Chen。12月20日，黑莓宣布第三季度亏损44亿美元，之后Chen说，2014年将是黑莓的“投资年”。