In the pipeline

 Status update: I am working on features covering . . .

* self service in the public sector - deadline 23 July

* identity verification in the Uk public sector

* ongoing - data management features and case studies

* the Database - Is IT's forgotten superpower still a 500lb gorilla or is it now becoming a white elephant? With the world going app / cloud / virtualisation crazy some of technology's old guard - the database among them - are beginning to look a little tired, dog-eared and long in the tooth by comparison. Also, with the very biggest enterprise DB players - most notably Oracle - seemingly looking elsewhere beyond that core business for value and growth, is this another sign that the DB has seen its best days as a defining / differentiating technology? The DB, of course, remains a major and essential element of the business IT milieu, but where does it stand in relation to the key strategic and emerging technologies - and what does its future hold? Deadline 22 July.