Northrop Grumman Unit Counts on Census 2000 Win

December 19, 1996

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Survival of the Fittest

Internet World fuels cutthroat competition

By Shannon Henry, Staff Writer

Amid the frenzy at Internet World, someone entered MCI Communications Corp.'s meeting room at the six-city-block long Javits Center in New York and stole the laptop of John Scarborough, the company's Internet strategist. Hardware only costs money, but MCI's Internet secrets are priceless.

John Scarborough, MCI's Internet strategist

Although last week's disappearance is still a mystery, Scarborough and his colleagues suspect industrial espionage. The theft illustrates the theme of the largest Internet conference ever and of the Internet business as a whole: cutthroat competition.

The buzz at Internet World Dec. 9-13, which was attended by 50,000 people, was that everything is moving so fast that only the fittest can survive. Companies predicted one another's demise. The roar of paranoia could be heard on the massive exhibit floor as vendors called passers-by by their badge names to lure them into hearing a spiel. Exhibitors scanned attendees' badges, recording, presumably, a person's life history. The Internet hype is big, but the reality is bigger.

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Sysorex Shops Systems Unit

The systems integrator has retained Boles & Co. to identify potential buyers

By Tania Anderson, Staff Writer

The company has retained Boles & Co., an investment banking firm in Middleburg, Va., to help find a buyer, according to Carleton Jones, president of Sysorex Information Systems.

"The company is looking for a strategic partner to merge with," said a company executive who did not want to be identified. "We have seen interest from all corners of the globe."

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Privacy Software Muddles Online Marketing Strategies

Data shields may help consumers, but hurt online advertisers

By Neil Munro, Staff Writer

Privacy-shielding software may soon let World Wide Web surfers charge companies for the use of their personal data, raising new problems for online advertisers and smaller companies, say Internet industry officials.

The new technology will pressure online advertisers to develop innovative marketing schemes capable of bypassing the privacy shields, which will most likely be used by the wealthiest consumers, said Gary Arlen, president of Arlen Communications Inc., Bethesda, Md.

Northrop Grumman Unit Counts on Census 2000 Win

The division's leader envisions revenues doubling in seven years

By Nick Wakeman, Staff Writer

Northrop Grumman's Data Systems & Services Division wants to parlay its experience in processing income tax forms into a job counting heads for the Census Bureau.

Technology the company developed for the Internal Revenue Service is a cornerstone of Herb Anderson's vision of doubling revenues in the next seven years.