Computing articles from October 2008

Computing archives from October 2008

Treat data like cash and leaks will cease.
October 2, 2008... Byline: John Higgins Treat data like cash and leaks will cease Data breaches indicate firms are not placing adequate value on the information they hold (If some of the headlines from the past year are to be believed, companies...

Living in dial-up internet and call centre hell.
October 2, 2008... Byline: Henry Tucker Living in dial-up internet and call centre hell The simple act of moving house reveals weaknesses in our broadband infrastructure, writes Henry Tucker Having moved house and disconnected my broadband, I feel as...

Agility brings results.
October 2, 2008... Byline: Linda More Agility brings results Companies are increasingly moving away from rigid programming methodologies and adopting more agile approaches that aim to deliver small gains in rapid succession, writes Linda More ...

Another buzzword to muddy the water.
October 2, 2008... Byline: Bob Blakely Another buzzword to muddy the water IT buyers should beware vendors offering governance, risk management and compliance solutions because what they are selling does not exist (Governance, risk management...

Hot Seat.(Interview)(Brief article)
October 2, 2008... Byline: n/a Dylan Roberts is head of ICT at Leeds City Council, where he is responsible for improving services through the use of technology If you were not in IT, what would you be doing? I would be a leadership guru. Which...

As part of our build-up to the Computing Awards for Excellence, which take place at Londoni?1/2s Battersea Park events arena on 5 November, Janie Davies turns the spotlight on the nominations for Community Project of the Year and Innovative Project of the.
October 2, 2008... Byline: Janie Davies As part of our build-up to the Computing Awards for Excellence, which take place at London's Battersea Park events arena on 5 November, Janie Davies turns the spotlight on the nominations for Community Project...

Wanted: a viable model for fibre.
October 2, 2008... Wanted: a viable model for fibre While other European countries are pressing ahead with fibre rollouts, progress in the UK is being held back as the debate over who will foot the bill drags on, writes Dave Bailey (As high-speed...

ITIL tools add lustre to Technicolor helpdesk.(Information Technology Infrastructure Library)
October 2, 2008... Byline: Rosalie Marshall ITIL tools add lustre to Technicolor helpdesk Centralising IT support helped to improve the service to 6,000 users in 58 locations at the film processing firm, writes Rosalie Marshall (Technicolor is a...

Innovation will help broadband prosper.
October 2, 2008... Byline: Computing Innovation will help broadband prosper (It is good to see so many vested interests discussing the prospects for next-generation broadband in the UK (see page 9). The announcement of Ofcom's latest consultation is...

MI6 signs up to Facebook MI6 is using social networking site Facebook to recruit employees. For some years the UK secret service has been attempting to recruit more women and people from ethnic backgrounds with a series of high-profile advertising campaig.
October 2, 2008... MI6 signs up to Facebook MI6 is using social networking site Facebook to recruit employees. For some years the UK secret service has been attempting to recruit more women and people from ethnic backgrounds with a series of high-profile...

Hospital shifts to wireless technology.
October 2, 2008... Hospital shifts to wireless technology Tom Young Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Trust has installed a wireless environment to allow clinical staff to access information while on the move around the hospital. The wireless local...

Vendors in the dock over slow IT security progress.(information technology)
October 2, 2008... Vendors in the dock over slow IT security progress Phil Muncaster Information security professionals cannot keep pace with the changing nature of threats because vendors are holding them back, according to experts at this week's...

SAP customers to face BI disruption.
October 2, 2008... SAP customers to face BI disruption Rosalie Marshall SAP has completed the integration of Business Objects and released more details of its roadmap for the firms' combined sets of business intelligence (BI) tools. John Schwarz,...

GSMA unveils branding for wireless laptops.
October 2, 2008... GSMA unveils branding for wireless laptops Daniel Robinson The GSM Association (GSMA) has launched a scheme to promote cellular networks instead of Wi-Fi for mobile internet access, making it easier for customers to buy devices...

Innovative project of the year.
October 2, 2008... Innovative project of the year Yorkshire Water Services Yorkshire Water is saving [pounds sterling]1m a year in power and chemical reductions, after implementing a system that has revolutionised its water resource allocation plan...

Driving up performance.
October 9, 2008... Byline: Lisa Kelly Driving up performance Lisa Kelly talks to IT chiefs who are using new software development methodologies to modify legacy systems and crank up web performance ( Admiral Group's history is one of meteoric...

Dynamic web development boosts online donations.
October 9, 2008... Byline: Lisa Kelly Fundraising site Justgiving.com has revamped its web site to process more donations using .Net developer skills and has created a service-oriented architecture (SOA) to support rapid international growth. The...

Outsourcing project of the year.
October 9, 2008... Byline: Janie Davies Outsourcing project of the year With less than a month to go until the Computing Awards for Excellence, Janie Davies turns the spotlight on the outsourcing projects and green IT initiatives that made it to the...

Green project of the year.
October 9, 2008... Byline: Janie Davies Green project of the year Gm2 Logistics company Gm2 distributes and delivers more than 600 tonnes of goods a year to customers in the paper manufacturing industry. By introducing virtual servers, the company...

Broadband must be a spending priority.
October 9, 2008... Byline: Dave Bailey Broadband must be a spending priority For the economic health of the nation, the government would do better to bankroll an optical fibre rollout rather than prop up profligate banks (Reading Google evangelist...

Hot Seat.(Interview)(Brief article)
October 9, 2008... Neil Williams is head of IT at Market Harborough Building Society, where he concentrates on long-term IT strategy. He manages five staff What was your first job and how did you get into IT? It was a temporary job doing Basic programming...

Hot tips for virtualisation.
October 9, 2008... Byline: Martin Courtney Hot tips for virtualisation Migrating systems to a virtualised environment can deliver significant efficiency gains and cost savings, but it has to be planned carefully. Martin Courtney explains how IT...

How careerism can warp IT procurement.
October 9, 2008... Byline: Martin Butler How careerism can warp IT procurement Many working in IT put their career interests before those of their employer when weighing up purchasing options (There's no gentle way to say this. Imagine you work for a...

Make the most of cost cutting opportunities.(Brief article)
October 9, 2008... Byline: Alex Sandercock As 'credit crunch' becomes firmly embedded in our business lexicon, IT departments are far from immune from its impact. But those IT departments under pressure to justify their costs can find ways to minimise the...

The powers that Bebo.
October 9, 2008... Byline: Tom Young The powers that Bebo Political parties and public-sector bodies are increasingly turning to Web 2.0 and social networking technologies in a bid to build stronger links with citizens. Tom Young reports ...

Whitehall and Web 2.0 make an odd couple.
October 9, 2008... Whitehall and Web 2.0 make an odd couple (Watching the government grappling with the concept of social media is the online equivalent of dads dancing at a wedding reception: an embarrassment to all. And Whitehall mandarins do not even have...

FSA threatens executives with fines.
October 9, 2008... Byline: Tom Young FSA threatens executives with fines Senior management to be held accountable for security lapses at banks Tom Young Board-level executives found responsible for information security lapses in retail...

Backbytes.
October 9, 2008... It's a jungle out there We have been covering radical career moves into and out of IT and are delighted to include John Wyatt, now head of ICT at Birmingham charity St Basils, who started life as a wildlife ecologist in Kenya. "I spent...

City in pressing need of skilled IT matchmakers.
October 9, 2008... Byline: Angelica Mari City in pressing need of skilled IT matchmakers With the financial services sector plunging ever deeper into an M&A maelstrom, IT leaders are having their systems integration skills and due diligence expertise...

Market turmoil will bring challenges and opportunities.
October 9, 2008... Market turmoil will bring challenges and opportunities Tough economic conditions could mean that senior IT decision-makers will need to revamp their career plans. Heads of IT must be aware that the current belt tightening, accompanied...

How to succeed as an agent of change.
October 16, 2008... Byline: Sharm Manwani How to succeed as an agent of change IT leaders must learn to be more comfortable with uncertainty if they are to become effective drivers of business change, says Sharm Manwani (It is not the most...

We are reaching ITi?1/2s tipping point.
October 16, 2008... Byline: Guy Kewney We are reaching IT's tipping point The credit crunch may force smart bosses to reconsider their approach to organising IT ("I think," said the senior IT support guy for a large high-tech manufacturer, "we...

The long road ahead to IT operations maturity.
October 16, 2008... Byline: Milind Govekar The long road ahead to IT operations maturity Few IT firms have reached the level of trust and service demanded by the business, says Milind Govekar For those IT professionals at work in the field,...

The business of social networking.
October 16, 2008... Byline: Martin Courtney The business of social networking If business is increasingly being conducted via social networking web sites, why aren't more airlines, bars and restaurants going under? (Next month's Gartner Symposium, to...

How to combat the full threat lifecycle.
October 16, 2008... Byline: Patrick Walsh How to combat the full threat lifecycle It is commonly understood that being connected to the internet is a fundamental requirement of modern business. It is also understood that connection brings risks. ...

Enter the dragonsi?1/2 den.
October 16, 2008... Byline: Martin Courtney Enter the dragons' den Getting an innovative IT product off the ground takes cash, commitment and a lot of patience, writes Martin Courtney (Underwater broadband, image classification software,...

IT leader of the year.
October 16, 2008... Byline: David Neal IT leader of the year David Neal highlights the outstanding work of individuals and teams shortlisted in the Computing Awards for Excellence Janet Day, IT director, Berwin Leighton Paisner Day has won many...

IT department of the year.
October 16, 2008... Byline: David Neal IT department of the year The Pensions Regulator The Pensions Regulator's IT department has delivered sustainable cost reductions in tandem with new projects, and has consistently innovated. The firm has...

Weigh up your virtual options.
October 16, 2008... Byline: Daniel Robinson Weigh up your virtual options Daniel Robinson looks at what the big three players in the virtualisation market have to offer enterprise IT managers (Virtualisation is one of the hottest topics...

Coding moves with the times.
October 16, 2008... Coding moves with the times Martin Courtney examines how software development has evolved to better serve the changing needs of business, and speaks to IT leaders who are delivering significant benefits to their organisations by using...

Government IT spend moves up party agenda.
October 16, 2008... Byline: Tom Young Government IT spend moves up party agenda While Labour seems content to throw more money at IT, the two main opposition parties are itching to cut back on funding, says Tom Young (The recent political party...

Government will ignore IT at its peril.
October 16, 2008... Government will ignore IT at its peril (Do politicians actually take the technology sector and the IT profession seriously? Last week, new business secretary Peter Mandelson announced that ministerial responsibility for IT is to be...

What a difference a Day makes.
October 16, 2008... Byline: Angelica Mari What a difference a Day makes Janet Day talks to Angelica Mari about the technological innovations she has driven at international law firm Berwin Leighton Paisner (As the woman in charge of IT,...

The secrets of SAP success.
October 16, 2008... Byline: Rosalie Marshall The secrets of SAP success Implementing SAP's enterprise resource planning software can be complex and problematic, but three users are leading the way. Rosalie Marshall discovers how they did it and...

Military up in arms over payment system failings.
October 16, 2008... Byline: Tom Young Military up in arms over payment system failings Tom Young The armed forces' [pounds sterling]100m Joint Personnel Administration (JPA) programme has failed to meet four of the seven key targets set...

Outsourcers take stock of market turmoil.
October 16, 2008... Byline: Angelica Mari Outsourcers take stock of market turmoil Angelica Mari Outsourcing suppliers with major customers in the financial services sector are reassessing their strategies to prepare for the after-effects of the...

Orchestrating an outsourcing deal.
October 23, 2008... Byline: Jonathon Lane Orchestrating an outsourcing deal A clear business plan backed up by carefully composed terms and conditions is the key to maintaining a harmonious relationship with third-party software developers, writes...

Achieving success is all in the balance.
October 23, 2008... Byline: Martin Atherton Achieving success is all in the balance To succeed in future, developers must blend tried and trusted techniques with cutting-edge methods, says Martin Atherton (Application development remains undeniably...

New dawn rising for Eastern IT.
October 23, 2008... Byline: James Woodhuysen New dawn rising for Eastern IT Successful Asian firms are primed and ready to cash in on the West's financial crisis (More than four years ago, when Legend, a manufacturer of laptop PCs, had yet to ...

Green spend can add up to a profitable future.
October 23, 2008... Byline: Lori Wigle Green spend can add up to a profitable future Environmental concerns and cost cutting measures don't need to be mutually exclusive, says Lorie Wigle With steeper energy prices and the focus on climate change...

Headline.
October 23, 2008... Byline: Angelica Mari Headline Five-line standfirst Byline reports (

Hot Seat.(Brief article)
October 23, 2008... Byline: Dave Neal What was your first job and how did you get into IT? When I finished school I found a job as an IT consultant for a big publishing company. I implemented a new database system for them that was later used to...

Can IT hold on to its innovative thinkers?
October 23, 2008... Byline: Tom Young Can IT hold on to its innovative thinkers? With huge funds beginning to flow into cleantech research, some fear the sector will drain the IT world of its more ambitious and gifted technicians (Ten years ago, Karl...

Best IT strategy.
October 23, 2008... Byline: David Neal Best IT strategy David Neal looks at the IT strategies, employers and student projects shortlisted in our Awards for Excellence Berwin Leighton Paisner A green IT strategy has already produced results at the...

IT employer of the year.
October 23, 2008... IT employer of the year Yorkshire Water The company offers continuous personal development, good terms and conditions and always ensures that staff satisfaction is high. The firm regularly benchmarks its employee rewards packages,...

Councils agree to join secure email network.
October 23, 2008... Byline: Tom Young Councils agree to join secure email network The promise of extra funding and expert advice should ensure most councils meet next April's deadline to join Government Connect. Those that don't will risk being unable to...

Student project of the year.
October 23, 2008... Robin Bourne, University of Portsmouth The university suffered from communication problems and a project was created to bridge the gap by making news and information more accessible. Bourne developed a mobile system named Thesis A- The...

IT holds the keys to business survival.
October 23, 2008... Byline: Computing IT holds the keys to business survival (With the economic crisis showing no signs of ending soon, the only certainty in the next 12 months will be uncertainty. Clearly, financial services firms will be hardest...

HSBC increases IT productivity.
October 23, 2008... Byline: Angelica Mari HSBC increases IT productivity An application portfolio management system has enabled the bank to keep development costs down while freeing up programmers to work on forward-looking projects, writes Angelica Mari...

Ferrari is forced to throttle back on technology costs.
October 23, 2008... Byline: Angelica Mari Ferrari is forced to throttle back on technology costs Angelica Mari in Modena Ferrari is introducing a series of measures to cut the cost of its IT systems as it faces mounting pressure from Formula One's...

Database to help disrupt drugs trade.
October 23, 2008... Byline: Tom Young Database to help disrupt drugs trade Tom Young The Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca) is trialling a database that will hold information on Class-A drug seizures and help track drug supply chains. ...

What is application portfolio management?
October 23, 2008... Byline: Angelica Mari What is application portfolio management? Application portfolio management (APM) systems are used to maintain inventories of software and supporting infrastructure. Such systems were originally introduced in the...

IT overhaul is just the ticket for TheTrainline.(Brief article)
October 23, 2008... Byline: Angelica Mari IT overhaul is just the ticket for TheTrainline Angelica Mari Online ticket provider TheTrainline is implementing service-oriented architecture and virtualisation as part of an overhaul of its core...

HP unveils touch-screen iPaq.
October 23, 2008... Byline: Daniel Robinson HP unveils touch-screen iPaq Daniel Robinson Touch-screen phones are poised to make the crossover from consumers to business buyers as more vendors unveil their latest models. But some experts doubt...

Hardware supplier of the year.
October 30, 2008... Byline: David Neal Hardware supplier of the year David Neal takes a look at the contenders for an award in the hardware, software, networking and IT services categories 3Par 3Par's utility storage products have been widely...

Networking and communications supplier of the year.(List)
October 30, 2008... Byline: David Neal Networking and communications supplier of the year BlackBerry BlackBerry maker Research in Motion continues to innovate in the smartphone market. Several recently launched devices have boosted customer demand,...

Corporates catch convergence wave.
October 30, 2008... Byline: Linda More Chief information officers (CIOs) tell Forrester that unified communications (UC) is a top IT priority, and only 13 per cent of enterprises recently surveyed had no plans for UC. But vendor proliferation, confusion about...

Software supplier of the year.
October 30, 2008... Software supplier of the year Sage Sage has more than three quarters of a million customers in the UK and almost six million around the world. It has been providing customers with business software for 25 years. The firm's...

Hard times increase the need for vigilance.
October 30, 2008... Byline: Rob Rowlingson Hard times increase the need for vigilance The economic downturn will place extra strain on companies' IT security systems, warns Rob Rowlingson As we know, security is a process A- but what sort of...

Are you getting the message across?
October 30, 2008... Byline: Trevor Pullen Are you getting the message across? Successful communication is a vital part of good projects and needs to be thought out Read any project "lessons learned" report and it will say "We should have had better...

E-commerce success is all in the delivery.
October 30, 2008... Byline: Phil Muncaster E-commerce success is all in the delivery Online businesses that earn a reputation for reliable service throughout the transaction process will be the ones best able to ride out the slump (It had to happen...

Hot Seat - Paul Skinner.(Interview)(Brief article)
October 30, 2008... Byline: Paul Skinner Paul Skinner is UK and Ireland practice leader of the ICT underwriting department at Chubb Insurance Company of Europe What does your job entail? Meeting all different types of technology clients A- from global...

City looks to IT for insight.
October 30, 2008... Byline: Gary Wood City looks to IT for insight IT professionals have a critical role to play in helping financial services firms through these troubled times, says Gary Wood (The effects of the credit crunch make it more...

Corporates catch convergence wave.
October 30, 2008... Corporates catch convergence wave Linda More examines the benefits and challenges of moving data, voice and video onto a converged communications platform (The widespread acceptance that data, voice and video will routinely travel...

Are we learning from IT?(information technology)
October 30, 2008... Byline: Martin Courtney Are we learning from IT? IT has a key role to play in education, but new approaches are needed if it is to have more of an impact on learning, writes Martin Courtney (Step into a modern classroom...

Councils miss revised ICS target.(Integrated Children's System)
October 30, 2008... Byline: Rosalie Marshall Councils miss revised ICS target rosalie marshall Fifteen per cent of local authorities in England and Wales missed the revised 30 September deadline for installing an electronic social care record (ESCR)...

What next for the Integrated Childreni?1/2s System?
October 30, 2008... Byline: Rosalie Marshall What next for the Integrated Children's System? (While some councils continue to struggle to establish a fit-for-purpose ESCR, those that hit the deadline are calling for more control over the Integrated...

Current levels of identity theft are inexcusable.
October 30, 2008... Byline: Ian Schenkel Current levels of identity theft are inexcusable Any IT chief worth their salt knows how to combat data theft, so why is it still so common, asks Ian Schenkel With all the noise about the PCI DSS payment...

Take a leaf out of the M&S IT recipe book.
October 30, 2008... Byline: Computing Take a leaf out of the M&S IT recipe book (We had hoped to resist the temptation to use the line: "This is not an IT strategy, this is an M&S IT strategy" when discussing Marks & Spencer's IT transformation programme,...

FireControl system hits delays.
October 30, 2008... Byline: Tom Young FireControl system hits delays Tom Young The government's [pounds sterling]350m programme to provide a new network of control centres for the fire service has run into problems and the first three sites due to go...

Eastern European vendors target UK.(Central and Eastern European Outsourcing Association)
October 30, 2008... Byline: Rosalie Marshall Eastern European vendors target UK Rosalie Marshall Outsourcing providers in Eastern Europe are launching a drive to target companies in the UK. A new body called the Central and Eastern European...