Notes from abroad

It's pleasing to experience a bit of serendipity in your work. Months ago, when we were planning our 2006 editorial calendar, we knew that a feature on international IT would be fertile ground for coverage. Deputy Editor William Welsh, who wrote the cover story, decided to focus on transportation systems and the opportunities that U.S. companies are chasing abroad.

Examining another aspect of the global market, Alice Lipowicz took a look at homeland security abroad, and developed our second cover story on biometrics. In it, she investigated security initiatives in several countries, and the cultural aspects that must be considered to select the appropriate biometric technology.

That bit of serendipity I mentioned comes with Roseanne Gerin's profile of Deltek Systems Inc.'s new chairman and new business strategy. An important part of the company's growth plan is ? you guessed it ? international expansion.

Three solid pieces on international IT; two planned, one resulting from our normal course of business following the news, but providentially timed. They illustrate the global reach many companies believe they need to keep growing and winning new business.

Also in this issue, we introduce a new columnist, Richard Knop of BB&T Capital/The Windsor Group. Knop is a well-known mergers and acquisitions specialist and will offer his perspective on issues of the government market as part of our "Market Watch" column.

Worth noting in the State and Local section is Ethan Butterfield's story about IT initiatives in Indiana. A rumble of controversy already can be heard there as the state tries to consolidate operations.