The March 11 earthquake in Japan could dampen business for SAP, Oracle, Adobe and Salesforce.com in the world’s third largest economy, according to FBR Capital Markets.

The tragic earthquake and tsunami in northern Japan and its nuclear reactor crisis present a “near-term disruption” for a handful of software companies that are exposed to the Asia-Pacific region, analysts at the financial analyst firm said in a note to clients.

“We note that many Japanese companies have fiscal years that end in March, so there is the risk that budgets may not see the usual year-end flush.” …

A series of massive earthquakes hit Japan at 5.45 GMT today, causing widespread devastation in the form of landslides, floods and even a 4-metre high tsunami. If you have family and friends in Japan, and want to keep track of everything that is happening, here are a few ways to do so:

Google’s Person Finder
The search giant launched “Person Finder: 2011 Japan Earthquake” shortly after the earthquake hit. The Web-based app allows you to look for a person by searching his name, and, should there not be a result, let you create a new record for a missing person. The service is available in both Japanese and English, and should be very handy for those trying to locate a loved one.

Live blogs
Many news outlets are live-blogging the catastrophe on the fly, including BBC News, Reuters, and The Guardian. Accompanying the live blogs are interactive maps, videos, and pictures. You can also contribute by submitting information on the unfolding disaster.

YouTube
Arabic news network Al-Jazeera is providing live coverage over on their channel.

Twitter
Twitter is an excellent place to hear what people on the ground are saying. Virtually all trending topics right now are about the disaster, including #prayforjapan and #tsunami. Searching for “Japan earthquake” on Twitter also yielded numerous results.

If you have any other ways of tracking the earthquake, do share them in the comments below. Our thoughts and prayers are with the people affected by the disaster.