Computing articles from February 2009

Computing archives from February 2009

Big opportunities.
February 5, 2009... Byline: Linda More Big opportunities From cloud computing to hosted e-commerce platforms, Linda More examines the technologies and services that can help small and medium-sized enterprises to punch above their weight (All...

How SMEs can implement IT systems tailored to their needs.
February 5, 2009... Byline: Tim Harmon How SMEs can implement IT systems tailored to their needs Too often, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) do not take responsibility for educating themselves sufficiently about technology, instead putting their...

Slump exacerbates internal threats.
February 5, 2009... Byline: Andrew Jaquith Slump exacerbates internal threats Growing job insecurity is increasing the challenges faced by IT security chiefs (The past few months suggest that few companies will emerge from 2009 unscathed by the...

Should we shoot the business analyst?
February 5, 2009... Byline: Stewart Armstrong Should we shoot the business analyst? The high failure rate of software projects is not solely the fault of analysts, says Stewart Armstrong According to industry figures, about 80 per cent of errors in...

Mobile broadband is not for everyone.
February 5, 2009... Byline: Dave Bailey Mobile broadband is not for everyone While the technology has improved, mobile data is still a luxury many firms can ill afford (A few years ago I was questioning an industry analyst about the early mobile...

Whitehall urged to rethink IT.
February 5, 2009... Byline: Tom Young Whitehall urged to rethink IT tom young (The government is facing growing calls to rethink the way it approaches its large, complex IT projects. The Conservatives last week suggested decentralising public...

Digital Britain plans i?1/2 too little, too late?
February 5, 2009... Byline: Dave Bailey Digital Britain plans -- too little, too late? The government's blueprint for a broadband revolution has been roundly criticised for lacking detail and ambition, writes Dave Bailey (The government's...

Leaving innovation to Lastminute.
February 5, 2009... Byline: Angelica Mari Leaving innovation to Lastminute The rise of mobile computing has inspired the web retailer to create new services for people on the move, reports Angelica Mari (In these troubled economic times, it is easy to...

Visa takes credit for delivering IT value.
February 5, 2009... Byline: Angelica Mari Steve Chambers, CIO of Visa Europe tells Angelica Mari how the card payments firm moved to an entirely new IT platform Visa takes credit for delivering IT value (As the chief information officer (CIO) of...

Support your IT ideas with action.(Brief article)
February 5, 2009... Byline: Computing Support your IT ideas with action (Innovation has become one of the most over-used words in technology, but it remains perhaps the most important one in IT leaders' vocabulary. It is one of those words that...

Playing to your strengths.(online video games store Simply Games)
February 12, 2009... Byline: Lisa Kelly Playing to your strengths Firms with limited inhouse IT resources can still gain a competitive edge through the innovative use of technology, as Lisa Kelly reports (Online video games store Simply Games has,...

IT is still the key to business prosperity.
February 12, 2009... Byline: Luke Claughton IT is still the key to business prosperity Even in the middle of recession, a well-managed IT project can deliver significant business benefits (In these straitened times, it is easy to focus too much on bad...

Hot Seat.(Interview)(Brief article)
February 12, 2009... Byline: Computing Keith Young is group IT director at Standard Life, where he oversees IT development and operational services. He has a team of over 1,000 staff What has been your biggest project to date? Standard Life...

The benefits of living in a digital Britain.
February 12, 2009... Byline: John Higgins The benefits of living in a digital Britain A truly digital Britain would create jobs and wealth -- and ensure life does not grind to a halt at the first sign of snow (Much of the attention surrounding Lord...

Digital Britain means access for all.
February 12, 2009... Byline: Lord Stephen Carter Digital Britain means access for all Lord Stephen Carter explains why the communications and technology sector is vital to our future and outlines his plans for developing the digital economy in the...

E-government strategy makes slow progress.
February 12, 2009... Byline: Tom Young E-government strategy makes slow progress The government came in for a flurry of criticism last week for failing to make headway in improving online services. Tom Young reports (The government's plans to better...

IT sector must act to allay privacy fears.
February 12, 2009... Byline: Computing IT sector must act to allay privacy fears ( One of the London free newspapers last week trumpeted the headline: "Google puts a spy in your pocket". The story was about the search firm's latest application for...

Fashion firm tries on mobile devices.
February 12, 2009... Byline: Angelica Mari Fashion firm tries on mobile devices Angelica mari (Retail group Mosaic Fashions is trialling a series of mobile-based services aimed at boosting sales and improving customer service. Since last autumn,...

IT overhaul delivers Wellcome benefits.
February 12, 2009... Byline: Angelica Mari IT overhaul delivers Wellcome benefits Angelica Mari talks to The Wellcome Trust's Mark Bramwell about his efforts to introduce a more business-minded approach to IT management at the UK's largest charity (...

Career path: Mark Bramwell.(Brief article)(Biography)
February 12, 2009... After finishing a business and finance degree at Sheffield University, Mark Bramwell joined WHSmith via its graduate intake and he climbed through the ranks before becoming the firm's IT development manager. After 16 years, the mounting...

IT gets an image boost.(information technology)(Brief article)
February 12, 2009... A key aspect of Mark Bramwell's plan to change the face of IT at The Wellcome Trust will involve a shift in staff organisation towards a more business-focused approach. By summer, a new role of IT procurement manager will be introduced...

Governmenti?1/2s IT spending is hard to figure out.(information technology)(Brief article)
February 12, 2009... Government's IT spending is hard to figure out Total government spending on IT could be anywhere between [pounds sterling]13bn and [pounds sterling]21bn, but the fragmented nature of the public sector makes it almost impossible to tell,...

Hands-off approach to IT support pays off.
February 12, 2009... Broadcasting services company Television Systems Ltd (TSL) is a company with a strong affinity for technology, helping its clients build state-of-the-art broadcasting facilities. But its relationship with IT is more hands-off -- it outsources...

Mobile service delivers performance boost.
February 12, 2009... All business leaders try to keep a tight rein on costs. But at debt collector Swift Credit Services (SCS) the price of failing to do so is only too apparent. The pressure to keep costs under control is understandably intense. For Richard...

Turning IT advances to your advantage.
February 19, 2009... Byline: Nick Gray Turning IT advances to your advantage New IT initiatives rarely deliver unless they dovetail with overall business strategy (Technology helps businesses address customers' needs, improve operations, and increase...

Digital Britain proposal puts ISPs in a dilemma.
February 19, 2009... Byline: Jude Umeh Digital Britain proposal puts ISPs in a dilemma Growing pressure on ISPs to do more to stop illegal file sharing could backfire on law-abiding users, warns Jude Umeh The core business of most internet service...

Tapping a rich source of IT innovation.
February 19, 2009... Byline: Martin Courtney Tapping a rich source of IT innovation IT departments are brimming with smart ideas -- if only those in management were more inclined to take the time to listen to them (A recent survey of global executives...

Make your resources go further.
February 19, 2009... Byline: Martin Courtney Make your resources go further Smaller organisations are moving fast to make the best of new technology opportunities, writes Martin Courtney (It could be argued that small and medium-sized...

Staff buy-in key to managing risk.
February 19, 2009... Byline: Bryan Glick Staff buy-in key to managing risk Computing's recent web seminar on risk management looked at the organisational and cultural aspects of this increasingly important business discipline. Bryan Glick reports ...

How to unify communication step by step.
February 19, 2009... Byline: Computing How to unify communication step by step Organisations can realise a great many unified communications productivity benefits without the necessity for any major IT overhauls (Unified communications (UC) can have a...

Union refutes claim that airport workers now back ID cards.
February 19, 2009... Byline: Tom Young Union refutes claim that airport workers now back ID cards Tom Young The next stage of the government's controversial identity card plan faces continued opposition from trade unions, despite ministerial claims...

Land Registry opens data in bid to speed up deals.
February 19, 2009... Byline: Tom Young Land Registry opens data in bid to speed up deals Tom Young Land Registry, the government agency that records the buying and selling of land, is opening up its information to businesses to speed up property deals...

Standard Life widens its defences.
February 19, 2009... Byline: Tom Young Standard Life widens its defences Tom Young Standard Life has bought a multimillion-pound off-the-shelf security system from Oracle that will allow customers automatic access to online services if they are logged...

Obama earmarks billions for technology projects.
February 19, 2009... Byline: Tom Young Obama earmarks billions for technology projects Tom Young President Barack Obama's $790bn ([pounds sterling]547bn) economic stimulus plan, which was passed into law last week, contained significant IT elements as...

Government IT more likely to go offshore.
February 19, 2009... Byline: Angelica Mari Government IT more likely to go offshore As public sector IT spending comes under pressure, the cost savings from offshore outsourcing become harder to ignore, despite political concerns and safety fears,...

Would UK IT take to the picket lines?
February 19, 2009... Byline: Computing Would UK IT take to the picket lines? (The use of offshore suppliers for government IT contracts has long been a political hot potato. For private sector IT decision-makers, the use of overseas workers --...

Patently absurd.
February 26, 2009... Byline: Mark Kenrick Patently absurd While developers and firms cry out for clear guidance, regulators appear more confused than ever over how best to protect software-related intellectual property, writes Mark Kenrick (The...

Finding a safe harbour to see out the storm.
February 26, 2009... Byline: Jim Norton Finding a safe harbour to see out the storm Despite the economic turmoil creating massive job uncertainty within many sectors, IT professionals who possess the right skills should be able to weather the storm, says...

Room for manoeuvre.
February 26, 2009... Byline: Peter Scargill Room for manoeuvre Smaller firms must take advantage of all available opportunities to use IT to grow their business -- but recent research has shown that many SMEs could do much more, writes Peter Scargill ...

It pays to think big.(trends in information technology management)
February 26, 2009... Byline: Martin Atherton It pays to think big Small firms with big IT strategies can face today's challenges with confidence if they look to technology to drive change and improve business efficiency, writes Martin Atherton ...

Time for IT servicei?1/2s industrial revolution.
February 26, 2009... Byline: Katy Ring Time for IT service's industrial revolution Service providers that have embraced industrialised service delivery will prosper in the recession (Everyone's main priority over the coming year is to control...

IT projects remain beset by leadership problems.
February 26, 2009... Byline: John McManus IT projects remain beset by leadership problems IT leaders must sharpen up their project management expertise to reduce failures, says John McManus According to research I conducted last year with a colleague,...

Joining the dots for a successful domain.
February 26, 2009... Byline: Phil Muncaster Joining the dots for a successful domain The latest top-level domain bucks the trend by being genuinely interesting for businesses and useful for their customers (Over the past four years I have covered...

Nurses care for new IT.
February 26, 2009... Byline: Tom Young Nurses care for new IT Tom Young finds out how the mobile clinical assistant is revolutionising patient care by decreasing administrative errors and freeing up nurses (One in three NHS trusts are running trials...

Making the case for technology in the NHS Although the case for mobile clinical assistants (MCAs) seems overwhelming with many trials providing positive feedback, achieving a rollout across the NHS has proved difficult. This is partly because healthcare.(National Health Service)
February 26, 2009... Byline: Tom Young Making the case for technology in the NHS Although the case for mobile clinical assistants (MCAs) seems overwhelming with many trials providing positive feedback, achieving a rollout across the NHS has proved...

Mobile sector on the move despite slump.(Industry overview)
February 26, 2009... Byline: Ian Williams Mobile sector on the move despite slump The Mobile World Congress in Barcelona saw the release of technologies that could help business IT strategies Ian Williams Despite the woes created by the credit...

Guardians of the digital age.(Guardian Media Group )
February 26, 2009... Byline: Angelica Mari Guardians of the digital age As print advertisers move to the web, national newspapers have felt the pinch. Angelica Mari looks at how one media group has gone digital (Few industries are being revolutionised...

Mobile innovation sets a trend for IT.(information technology)(Industry overview)(Brief article)
February 26, 2009... Byline: Computing Mobile innovation sets a trend for IT (The world of mobile phones is increasingly showing us the future of the business technology market. Where once mobiles were specifically designed for business users, now the...

TCS staff up in arms over Indian replacement plans.(Tata Consultancy Services)
February 26, 2009... Byline: Angelica Mari TCS staff up in arms over Indian replacement plans Angelica Mari Some 130 former Legal & General (L&G) IT staff transferred to outsourcer Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) are at risk of losing their jobs --...