Computing articles from June 2009

Computing archives from June 2009

Back to the drawing board?(business planning)
June 4, 2009... Byline: Linda More Back to the drawing board? With budgets under severe pressure, many IT leaders are having to re-evaluate their technology blueprints, writes Linda More (The economic maelstrom has prompted many...

Is this the start of something big?(Wolfram Alpha)
June 4, 2009... Byline: Phil Muncaster Is this the start of something big? While a strong whiff of hype hangs over Wolfram Alpha -- the world's first "computational knowledge engine" -- there may be something to it (I am too young to remember...

Producing the very best.(Technology Excellence Awards)
June 11, 2009... Byline: Computing Producing the very best (What do you think are the best IT products released in the UK in the past year? To recognise UK IT talent, the all-new UK IT Industry Awards 2009, hosted by the BCS and Computing, are open for...

Meeting ever-changing needs.(United Nations. Children's Fund)
June 11, 2009... Byline: Lisa Kelly Meeting ever-changing needs Charity Unicef UK has used proven technology to build an IT architecture that can respond quickly to changing fundraising requirements and scale easily to meet spikes in donations....

The frustrations of e-discovery.
June 11, 2009... Byline: Brian Hill The frustrations of e-discovery E-discovery can reduce firms' exposure to legal risks, but implementing it remains a challenge (As escalating volumes and types of information drive swelling e-discovery...

Tough times call for a twin-track approach to IT.(information technology)
June 11, 2009... Byline: Michael McCloskey Tough times call for a twin-track approach to IT IT leaders should be thinking strategically but acting tactically, says Michael McCloskey For commercial companies, keeping afloat and retaining ...

Firms can pay a high price for cost cutting.
June 11, 2009... Byline: Gareth Morgan Firms can pay a high price for cost cutting Even in tough economic times, organisations that start charging for things that were previously taken for granted risk losing customers' trust (Several years ago, I...

Hot Seat : Jonathan Taylor.(Interview)
June 11, 2009... Byline: Computing Jonathan Taylor is IT director at ecologically sustainable design consultancy Cundall, where he manages a team of 10 staff What was your first job and how did you get into IT? I left university in 1994 with a...

Breaking down barriers.
June 11, 2009... Byline: Gareth Morgan Breaking down barriers While issues with e-voting systems for last week's European elections gave accessibility campaigners yet another cause for complaint, there is growing evidence that the needs of people with...

Market forces drive innovation at Axa.
June 11, 2009... Byline: Gareth Morgan Market forces drive innovation at Axa Before taking on a project, the insurance giant's IT team must show it can outperform external providers, as Gareth Morgan reports (Insurance giant Axa shows little sign...

Justice needs joined-up IT.
June 11, 2009... Byline: Tom Young Justice needs joined-up IT One of the most shocking cases of recent times has highlighted serious inefficiencies in the criminal justice system. Tom Young looks at how IT can help to put things right ...

Preparing for a new era of business IT.(information technology)
June 11, 2009... Byline: Angelica Mari Preparing for a new era of business IT Angelica Mari reports from last week's Forrester IT Forum in Berlin where delegates were told how the recession could actually work in IT's favour (IT...

British Gas relies on in-house nous to drive business.
June 11, 2009... Byline: Angelica Mari British Gas relies on in-house nous to drive business The utility giant's decision to bring the day-to-day management of major projects back in-house appears to be paying off, writes Angelica Mari (British...

Delayed prison system gets a second chance.
June 11, 2009... Byline: Tom Young Delayed prison system gets a second chance Tom Young A revised version of a [pounds sterling]513m IT application to monitor offenders as they move through the criminal justice system has been rolled out to its...

Readers pledge aid to Africa.
June 11, 2009... Byline: Computing Readers pledge aid to Africa Computing's 2009 charity appeal has got off to a flying start, with two donors signing up to sponsor telemedicine centres in rural Africa. Software supplier Mass has pledged [pounds...

If at first you doni?1/2t succeed, try, try again.
June 11, 2009... Byline: Computing If at first you don't succeed, try, try again (Here is a question that may go right to the heart of major IT initiatives in government and the private sector: should we assume that all technology projects will...

Former IT partner defends its record.
June 11, 2009... Former IT partner defends its record British Gas parent Centrica last year initiated a [pounds sterling]182m lawsuit against IT supplier Accenture over a billing system that was meant to improve customer service but ultimately led...

Mobile devices are a boon on the beat.
June 11, 2009... Mobile devices are a boon on the beat As of April this year, the 43 police forces in England and Wales had deployed 26,188 mobile PDAs to frontline officers, with a final target of 30,000 due to be completed by March next year. One...

What the IT Capability Maturity Framework aims to achieve.
June 11, 2009... What the IT Capability Maturity Framework aims to achieve The IT Capability Maturity Framework (ITCMF) began in 2007 as a joint venture between the National University of Ireland (below) and Intel, in an attempt to improve IT investment...

Forresteri?1/2s advice on smart cost cutting.(Brief article)
June 11, 2009... Forrester's advice on smart cost cutting "Improve your planning -- IT wastes resources estimating projects that will never be funded instead of doing real work." Margo Visitacion, research vice president "Step up your IT ...

Taking the horror out of SOA.(service-oriented architecture)
June 18, 2009... Byline: Jon Collins Taking the horror out of SOA Widely misunderstood and wilfully abused, the term "service-oriented architecture" fills many IT leaders with dread, but behind the monstrous hype are some frightfully sound principles....

SOA doi?1/2s and doni?1/2ts (Implementing a comprehensive service-oriented architecture (SOA) infrastructure can be a daunting and expensive task. Architects, developers and IT operation specialists face steep learning curves as a lot of application infrastructur.
June 18, 2009... Byline: Massimo Pezzini SOA do's and don'ts (Implementing a comprehensive service-oriented architecture (SOA) infrastructure can be a daunting and expensive task. Architects, developers and IT operation specialists face steep learning...

Let universities cash in on spare capacity.
June 18, 2009... Byline: Fahri Zihni Let universities cash in on spare capacity In these lean times, it is crazy that valuable spare datacentre resources are allowed to go to waste (Information technology is doing funny things to us. Take...

How to succeed as an interim IT manager.
June 18, 2009... Byline: Simon Berry How to succeed as an interim IT manager Working on a short-term contract can be challenging. Simon Berry outlines the qualities needed for true success In uncertain times, working as an interim manager on a...

Five tips on implementing a new IT architecture.
June 18, 2009... n Develop a business architecture based on business capabilities, and use it to facilitate strategic conversations. A capability-based architecture provides the Rosetta Stone for mapping business goals, plans, outcomes and metrics to the IT...

Why it pays to be more social.(using social networks)
June 18, 2009... Byline: Angelica Mari Why it pays to be more social In tough economic times, social networks can help CIOs make the best use of their resources (Since the end of the world as we knew it, we have witnessed a rollercoaster of events...

Why it pays to be more social.
June 18, 2009... Byline: Angelica Mari Why it pays to be more social In tough economic times, collaboration can help CIOs make the best use of their resources (Since the end of the world as we knew it, we have witnessed a rollercoaster of events...

Europe split over best way forward for traffic systems.
June 18, 2009... Byline: Tom Young Europe split over best way forward for traffic systems Countries including the UK are resisting efforts by the European Commission to impose an EU-wide framework for intelligent traffic systems, as Tom Young reports...

Microsoft vs Google: you choose.
June 18, 2009... Byline: Dave Bailey Microsoft vs Google: you choose A string of recent product launches suggests Google and Microsoft have stopped sparring and are now ready to slug it out in the enterprise arena. Dave Bailey reports (The past...

IT key to making business fizz at drinks giant.
June 18, 2009... Byline: Angelica Mari IT key to making business fizz at drinks giant Diageo CIO Brian Franz tells Angelica Mari how he plans to help the company cut costs and boost sales by sharpening his department's commercial instincts ...

IT shakeup is just the ticket for TfL.(Transport for London)
June 18, 2009... Byline: Tom Young IT shakeup is just the ticket for TfL Insourcing projects and scrapping costly PCs has paid off handsomely Tom Young Transport for London (TfL) will complete an IT overhaul by September that has seen 15...

Get on the road to glory.
June 25, 2009... Byline: Computing Get on the road to glory (Entries are already flooding in for the all-new UK IT Industry Awards, hosted by the BCS and Computing. This new awards programme merges the longstanding Computing Awards for Excellence...

The true cost of data collection.
June 25, 2009... Byline: John Pethica The true cost of data collection Firms holding personal data must be open with customers -- and accountable for errors (The fall in the cost of data storage, especially flash memory, has made it practical to...

Outsourcing can save money in the downturn.
June 25, 2009... Byline: Sanjiv Gossain Outsourcing can save money in the downturn Firms must turn outsourcing to their advantage and form close working relationships, says Sanjiv Gossain IT delivery has changed greatly over the past 15 years. When...

How government plans for Digital Britain affect UK IT.
June 25, 2009... Byline: Computing staff How government plans for Digital Britain affect UK IT Computing examines the winners and losers in the government's plan for the future role of technology throughout the UK, and asks IT experts for their...

IT returns to the shop window at House of Fraser.
June 25, 2009... Byline: Angelica Mari IT returns to the shop window at House of Fraser Two years ago, the retailer scrapped the IT director's role. Now, the firm's top technology job has been reinstated, reports Angelica Mari (In 2007, House of...

Reviews show NHS IT did not heed warnings.(National Health Service)
June 25, 2009... Byline: Tom Young Reviews show NHS IT did not heed warnings National Programme for IT suffers from issues detected when it began, writes Tom Young (The publishing of Gateway reviews for the [pounds sterling]12.7bn NHS National...

Unheeded warnings highlight NHS flaws.(National Health Service)
June 25, 2009... Byline: Computing Unheeded warnings highlight NHS flaws (Two weeks ago, under the headline "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again", this column highlighted the importance of managing expectations in major IT projects. With...