2011: The year in words

"We don't know how the brain works as an information-processing system, and we do need to find out. We hope that our machine will enable significant progress towards achieving this understanding."

Manchester University researcher Steve Furber, detailing a project linking one million ARM processors to mimic the human brain.

August

"Motorola Mobility's total commitment to Android has created a natural fit for our two companies.

"Together, we will create amazing user experiences that supercharge the entire Android ecosystem for the benefit of consumers, partners and developers. I look forward to welcoming Motorolans to our family of Googlers."

Google's Larry Page, having just acquired Motorola Mobility

September

"Oracle has spent the last four years uncovering SAP's massive copyright theft and SAP finally pleaded guilty in federal court to criminal charges for its illegal scheme."

Oracle spokeswoman Deborah Hellinger, in an email, responding to news that SAP subsidiary TomorrowNow pleaded guilty to 12 criminal counts and was ordered to pay a $20 million fine.

Maggie Holland

Maggie has been a journalist since 1999, starting her career as an editorial assistant on then-weekly magazine Computing, before working her way up to senior reporter level. In 2006, just weeks before ITPro was launched, Maggie joined Dennis Publishing as a reporter. Having worked her way up to editor of ITPro, she was appointed group editor of CloudPro and ITPro in April 2012. She became the editorial director and took responsibility for ChannelPro, in 2016.

Her areas of particular interest, aside from cloud, include management and C-level issues, the business value of technology, green and environmental issues and careers to name but a few.