This week in Technically News: Gartner: 10 Trends for Smarter Government; Middleware Integrates Systems Across Cloud, Internet of Things; Is Limiting Damage the Best Hope for Cybersecurity; Data Center Consolidation Best Practices: Lessons from the Trenches

Today, a unique post from middleware engineer Abukar: a free-form poem to middleware, to applications, to open standards, to connectivity, to the continued evolution of software. Relax and enjoy: "The Application Jazz." Saxophone not included.

Many of the products we use or hear about, from fighter jets to infusion pumps, are powered by software. Software holds the keys to innovation of the next big product by giving it an edge from feature to quality. The line of code or software embedded in a product makes a wonder in the modern world. In an effort to save money for the design, development, and market introduction of products, using open source software not only changes the way organizations innovate, but how they achieve their mission.

Mobile applications, process management, productivity applications, embedded systems, big data, and analytics: These and much other enterprise-class software present across the value chain offer a data driven competitive edge to an enterprise.