The word mining evokes images of dark, dangerous tunnels—and deep, deep holes. Think of data mining, and a different set of holes may come to mind—the dark pits into which your data seems to be slowly sinking. And those holes are expected to get even deeper—according to International Data Corp. (IDC), worldwide revenues in the data storage industry will grow to US$53.3 billion this year, up from US$28.4 billion in 1999, as a result of the superabundance of data we keep stuffing into systems. In our feature story, we give you a refreshingly practical account of what data mining has done for four global companies—and what you need in order to get started on your own mining adventure.

Also in this issue, you'll find an excerpt from Oracle Outsourcing President Tim Chou's forthcoming book, Next Generation Outsourcing. When we sat in Chou's office to talk about his book, he spoke with absolute confidence about the benefits of outsourcing and how companies can use it to cut costs, focus IT budget on innovation, and provide far better service to customers and employees. These benefits are so compelling, he says, that given a few hours of face time he could convince any CIO that outsourcing is the ideal solution for many universal IT problems.

This book is Chou's solution to his inability to personally visit every CIO on the planet. Finally, you may have noticed that there's a new picture at the top of this page. The Oracle-red pen has passed to a new editor, and I'm happy and privileged to be here. Below you'll find my e-mail address. I promise that I'll do my best to use this magazine as a vehicle to bring you exactly the information you need, when you need it, as you try to make the best technology decisions for your business.

Margaret Terry Lindquist
margaret.lindquist@oracle.com