Computing articles from September 2005

Computing archives from September 2005

News - Benefits system slammed. Jobcentre Plus customer management system causes widespread problems.
September 1, 2005... Byline: Sarah Arnott. Benefits claims backlogs created by the Jobcentre Plus customer management system (CMS2) are causing problems for some of society's most vulnerable members. More than 75 per cent of calls into Sheffield's benefits...

News - Nats repairs flaw in flight data software.(National Air Traffic Control Services Ltd.)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Byline: James Watson. National Air Traffic Services (Nats) has identified and repaired the computer flaw that caused widespread flight delays across the UK last week. The organisation has also outlined a replacement schedule for the...

News - Fewer pupils take IT A-level.(survey on the admission of the students in technological studies)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... The number of students taking IT A-levels has dropped 7.3 per cent since last year, according to figures from the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority. This is the third year in a row that fewer school leavers have taken technology...

News - Canary Wharf gets wireless internet. Software for management of deliveries is also upgraded.(Canary Wharf Group PLC)
September 1, 2005... Byline: Daniel Thomas. Canary Wharf is to become Europe's largest wireless internet-enabled business district, with employees able to connect to the web in office reception areas, parks and shops. Wireless networking firm The Cloud has...

News - Ignorance increases online risks for users. Survey shows lack of knowledge about computer viruses and malware.
September 1, 2005... Byline: Daniel Thomas. Lack of knowledge about internet viruses and malicious software is putting computer users at risk from online identity fraud, according to research. Just 16 per cent of the public have heard of key-logging...

News - Metronet staff to use mobile IT.(Metronet Rail)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Byline: Daniel Thomas. Metronet Rail, the publicprivate partnership (PPP) that maintains two-thirds of the London Underground, is to use mobile computers to improve the management of repairs and engineering work. The company is to...

News - Fraud crime unit saves banks [pounds sterling]30m. Three-year-old industry-funded team helps to cut online crime.
September 1, 2005... Byline: James Watson. The Dedicated Cheque and Plastic Fraud Crime Unit (DCPCU) has helped the financial services industry save more than [pounds sterling]30m in the first half of this year, combating a range of offences including online...

News - BT takes the strain for train operator.(British Telecommunications PLC, EWS, contract)
September 1, 2005... Byline: Daniel Thomas. The UK's largest rail operator has awarded BT a multimillion- pound contract to overhaul its voice and data networks. Freight train operator EWS hopes to make significant cost savings through the deal, as well as...

News - Motorola bags back-up deal from O2 Airwave.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Byline: James Brown. O2 Airwave has awarded Motorola a deal worth tens of millions of pounds to provide an always-on back-up facility for Airwave, the UK emergency services communication system. The National Fallback Service (NFS) will...

News - Financial world.(revenue report from information technology companies )(Hewlett-Packard Co., Network Appliance Inc., Salesforce.com Inc.)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... HP reported third-quarter revenue up 10 per cent year on year to $20.8bn ([pounds sterling]11.5bn). Sales in Europe, the Middle East and Africa also grew 10 per cent to $8.2bn ([pounds sterling]4.5bn). But net income of $73m ([pounds...

News - How standardising IT will benefit UK schools. Report points to national framework to help education sector get better deals.(British Education, Communications and Technology Agency)
September 1, 2005... Byline: Sarah Arnott. UK schools need a standardised approach to management information systems (MIS) to get better value for money, according to an education sector development agency. The British Education, Communications and...

News - Telecoms market buoyant.(report on the telecommunications industry )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... The telecoms industry is bouncing back from the post-dot com dip thanks to the continued growth of mobile and broadband take-up, says the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Telecoms revenues across the OECD area have...

News - DWP cuts cost of EDS contract.(United Kingdom. Department of Work and Pensions)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) has re-structured its contracts with services supplier EDS to cut costs and streamline technology provision. Under the terms of the new, simplified contract, DWP will spend about [pounds sterling]250m a...

News - Two Zotob virus arrests made.(Moroccan Farid Essebar, Turk Atilla Ekici)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... The FBI has arrested two men for creating and distributing the Zotob, Mytob and Rbot internet viruses. Moroccan Farid Essebar, 18, and Turk Atilla Ekici, 21, stand accused of writing the Zotob worm which affected more than 100 firms, including...

News - Help for colour-blind surfers.(new software invented by Luke Jefferson)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... University-to-business expert i10 has given an Enterprise Development Award to PhD student Luke Jefferson to extend an application he is developing that helps make web sites easier for colour-blind people to read. His software uses mathematical...

News - Server sales on the up.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Sales of servers grew by 5.6 per cent in the last quarter to $12.2bn ([pounds sterling]6.8bn), according to researcher IDC. Growth centred on volume servers - inexpensive industry-standard models often powered by x86-compatible processors made...

News - Volvo dealerships put new elearning system into gear. Learning in a virtual car showroom cuts down training time and costs.(Caspian Learning, contract)
September 1, 2005... Byline: James Mortleman. Volvo dealerships have adopted an elearning system to train staff using 3D computer games. The 'Knowledge Drive' initiative uses games-based training applications developed by Caspian Learning. The Volvo...

News - NHS trust speeds up records access.(United Kingdom. National Health Service)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Byline: James Brown. A Birmingham NHS trust has overhauled its storage systems to increase capacity and allow staff to access patient records much faster. University Hospital Birmingham NHS Foundation has replaced an ageing legacy...

Enterprise - Compliance slows growth of ecommerce.(survey)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Byline: James Mortleman. Budgetary constraints and compliance issues are hindering businesses' ecommerce development, research shows. Almost half the organisations surveyed by law firm Pinsent Masons say a limited budget is preventing...

Enterprise - Abbey saves time on staff training. Resource management tools improve planning of courses.(Abbey National PLC)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Byline: James Mortleman. Financial services firm Abbey is using a resource management system across its training department to improve efficiency and cut costs. The company has implemented resource and time management tools from...

Enterprise - Supply chain company centralises web data. Gist uses content management to reduce its web site storage costs.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Byline: Miya Knights. Gist, the logistics arm of BOC Group, is using software to standardise data and reduce storage costs across its web sites. The company, which provides supply chain services to customers such as Marks & Spencer,...

Enterprise - Cardiff hits hotspots.(Cardiff International Airport, British Telecommunications PLC, contract)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Cardiff International Airport has installed wireless hotspots from BT, providing broadband internet access for the 1.9 million passengers that pass through the terminal each year. Travellers can access the hotspots in departure and executive...

Enterprise - Google Talk introduced.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Google has unveiled a beta of its Google Talk instant messaging (IM) and voice over IP (VoIP) application. But the software, does not yet offer interoperability with leading IM or VoIP vendors. Most IM is carried over networks provided by AOL,...

Enterprise - Secure Computing buys rival.(CyberGuard Corp.)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Secure Computing has acquired fellow security firm CyberGuard for $295m ([pounds sterling]163m). Both companies have concentrated on the firewall and content monitoring market, and Secure Computing hopes to save money while benefiting from...

Enterprise - Offenders to be registered.(new national database from Police Information Technology Organisation)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... A new national database, the Violent Offender and Sex Offender Register, codenamed ViSOR, has been set up. The system is a merger of offenders registers held by the police and probation services, and was developed and built by the Police...

Enterprise - Intel integrates with Cisco.(Cisco Systems Inc., partnership)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Intel and Cisco have formed an alliance to improve integration of their wireless products. The two companies unveiled their joint Business Class Wireless Suite at the Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco last week. The software prioritises...

Enterprise - IT directors set for a more complex role. Agility and flexibility will be key as survey reveals the likelihood of a shift for IT management.
September 1, 2005... Byline: James Watson. IT directors trying to cope with managing information across complex corporate networks must prepare for an even more complicated future, according to research published this week. Large organisations are...

Questions & Answers - Users want more than a speed race. Computing talks to Intel UK's managing director, Rick Skett, about the chip maker's plans.(Rick Skett)(Interview)
September 1, 2005... Byline: Bryan Glick. Intel continues to be one of the financial stars of the IT industry. In July, the chip giant reported record second-quarter sales of $9.2bn ([pounds sterling]5.1bn), with profits of $2bn ([pounds sterling]1.1bn). But...

Enterprise - Metronet reaches a milestone in tube modernisation programme. Overhauled processes and IT systems will provide better data for decision-making.(new technology at Metronet Rail)
September 1, 2005... Byline: Daniel Thomas. Metronet Rail, the public-private partnership (PPP) that maintains two-thirds of the London Underground, has been working to modernise tube services since its appointment in April 2003. Despite struggling to meet...

BCS - Good governance lies in right standards.(British Computer Society)
September 1, 2005... Byline: Iain Parker. Improving the consistency of IT delivery is a paramount consideration for effective IT governance. Most IT organisations have processes and procedures for how services are delivered both for projects and operations....

Comment - IT is just a part of managing change.(customer relationship management at Jobcentre Plus)(Column)
September 1, 2005... There is every chance that critics will quickly put the problems at Jobcentre Plus, revealed by Computing, into the already-overflowing box marked 'government computer disasters'. But to pigeonhole this situation in such an easy and...

Comment - Don't neglect your most valuable assets. Positive motivation is as important as salary for retaining the most talented employees, says Charles Woodruffe.(Column)
September 1, 2005... 'I love work,' the Victorian author Jerome K. Jerome wrote in Three Men in a Boat. 'I could watch it for hours.' Most of us enjoy the complete focus and concentration on something we really want to do. But how can organisations maximise the...

Networking - Grid computing does a lot of work for charity. Bryan Glick opens this month's networking special with a look at how grids are leaving behind their traditional research background and being adopted for high-profile commercial projects.(Red Nose Day)
September 1, 2005... Grid computing is increasingly moving out of the research and academic environments that first adopted the technology, and becoming an important consideration for corporate IT projects. One of the highest-profile examples of grids being...

Networking - Case Studies. As more organisations consider voice over IP to reduce costs and streamline their network infrastructure, Lisa Kelly speaks to two firms about the benefits convergence has brought them.
September 1, 2005... CASE STUDY - ARUP Cost-cutting investment that led to dynamic use of technology Engineering consultancy Arup has been using voice over IP (VoIP) since the early 1990s, and is rolling out an IP system across the organisation. The...

Networking - Make your network think. Intelligent networks will improve security and compliance, says Martin Fustes.
September 1, 2005... The backbone of any IT infrastructure is the network. It is the one common element across the entire infrastructure, and, as such, has the potential to become much more than a simple conduit for data. Traditionally, networks have simply...

Networking - Complex networks benefit from third-party assistance. Managed service providers are looking to IP-based VPNs for growth, says Cath Everett.(virtual private networks)
September 1, 2005... Companies have been turning to external managed services providers for their networking requirements for at least a decade, but the market is still developing as high demand for IP-based virtual private networks (VPNs) drives growth and...

Services - Diary.
September 1, 2005... Softworld Accounting and Finance 12-13 October NEC, Birmingham Europe's leading software event for the accounting and finance profession brings together more than 70 leading software providers under one roof. Delegates can attend...

BCS Diary Events.
September 1, 2005... BCS Human-computer Interaction Specialist Group 5-9 September. 9am. 'HCI 2005: The Bigger Picture.' Napier University, Edinburgh. Visit: www.hci2005.org SPA Specialist Group 7 September. 6pm for 6.30pm. 'SPA-192: Extreme...

Training - Listings.(Calendar)
September 1, 2005... Information for the courses page should follow our usual format - course category, title of course, venue, date, price, organising company/body, telephone number. Unless the information is presented in this way, we regret that it cannot be...

Careers - Public sector drives demand for IT skills. Large projects and bigger budgets prompt a sellers' market.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Byline: Miya Knights. Large IT projects in the public sector and in financial services are creating a sellers' market for IT skills, according to specialist recruitment consultancy Hays Information Technology. Compliance, large-scale...

Backbytes - Golly, a spot of trolley folly.
September 1, 2005... A few years ago we ran a successful competition to find the dullest web site in the UK, leading us to publicise sites dedicated to such exciting concepts as 'Pylon of the month' and unexplained steps by the side of motorways. Now we find...

News - Europe opens digital debate. UK business supports i2010 principles but has concerns over practicalities.
September 8, 2005... Byline: Sarah Arnott. Industry leaders and politicians from across Europe are meeting this week in London to agree the priorities of the i2010 strategy, for exploiting the digital economy. The i2010 strategy document, published by the...

News - New software licensing for Microsoft users.
September 8, 2005... Byline: Bryan Glick. Microsoft will next week reveal details of its new software licensing programme. The vendor is to update its Software Assurance (SA) scheme, which gives businesses access to new versions of its products via a...

News - Whitehall launches IT security product kitemark.(United Kingdom. Cabinet Office launches an accreditation scheme)(Brief Article)
September 8, 2005... Byline: Daniel Thomas. The government will today (Thursday) launch the UK's first accreditation scheme aimed at ensuring that off-the-shelf IT security products meet basic quality standards. The Cabinet Office's Central Sponsor for...

News - Airlines fall short on e-ticket target. Survey shows technology investment as key to success.
September 8, 2005... Byline: James Watson. Airlines are unlikely to meet the International Air Transport Association's (IATA's) goal of introducing 100 per cent global e-ticketing by 2007. According to an annual survey from specialist airline IT provider...

News - 'Nightmare' tax credits scheme failed claimants.
September 8, 2005... Byline: Sarah Arnott. The design of the Inland Revenue's tax credits scheme has been criticised by MPs for being too complex and for failing to cater to the needs of claimants. A report published today (Thursday) by House of Commons...

News - Businesses unhappy with supply chain systems.
September 8, 2005... Byline: Miya Knights. Businesses are struggling with overly complex and financially inefficient supply chain systems, according to research published this week. Some 26 per cent of the 400 firms in Europe and the US questioned for the...

News - Toyota Motorsport finds right formula. IT spending is reduced following use of systems management tools.
September 8, 2005... Byline: Miya Knights in Cologne. Toyota Motorsport has cut its IT budget from eight to six per cent of the company's total spending in just six months since installing performance management software. The team has competed in motor...

News - Staff smartcard to boost Underground safety.(London Underground )(Tube Lines Ltd., MetroNet, partnership)
September 8, 2005... Byline: Daniel Thomas. London Underground plans to improve safety procedures by making its proposed staff smartcard scheme compatible with systems used by Network Rail. Tube Lines and Metronet Rail, the two public-private partnerships...

News - High-speed net access installed at Hilton hotels.
September 8, 2005... Byline: James Watson. Hilton Hotels has completed a [pounds sterling]2m installation of high-speed internet access in its 12,500 UK guest rooms. The company started internet-enabling its 70 UK hotels in 2003, with specialist technology...

News in brief.
September 8, 2005... Novell announced third-quarter revenue of $290m ([pounds sterling]157m), down from $305m ([pounds sterling]165m) for the corresponding period in 2004. Net income was $2m ([pounds sterling]1.1m), a drop from $24m ([pounds sterling]13m) last...

News - IT recruitment suffers first slip in 18 months. e-Skills survey reveals drop in registered IT vacancies and slowdown in ads.
September 8, 2005... Byline: Daniel Thomas. Recruitment in the IT industry has slowed for the first time in 18 months, according to research from e-Skills UK. Online and print recruitment advertising fell by five per cent during the first three months of...

News - Users desert online banks.
September 8, 2005... Byline: Daniel Thomas. More than half a million UK internet users have stopped banking online because of security fears, according to a survey from Forrester Research. Some 600,000 of the UK's 15 million internet banking customers...

News - Innovation could generate additional profits of [pounds sterling]5.4bn. Gartner identifies 20 IT trends that may boost revenue.
September 8, 2005... Byline: James Brown. Technology could generate $10bn ([pounds sterling]5.4bn) of new profitability for Global 2000 companies by 2015, according to analyst firm Gartner. The Gartner Scenario 2005: IT Leaders' Next Big Decisions report...

News - NHS IT body sets out strategy.(United Kingdom. National Health Service)(Brief Article)
September 8, 2005... Connecting for Health (CfH), the government agency responsible for the [pounds sterling]6bn National Programme for NHS IT, has published its business plan for 2005/6. It includes interim targets for the rollout of services such as electronic...

News - LogicaCMG wins Galileo work.(contract for designing a service center)(Brief Article)
September 8, 2005... IT services company LogicaCMG has been appointed to design a prototype service centre for Europe's EUR3.2bn ([pounds sterling]2.2bn) Galileo satellite navigation system. The service centre will act as an interface for the satellite navigation...

News - Members benefit at Lord's.
September 8, 2005... Marylebone Cricket Club, owner of Lord's cricket ground, is to install a membership system to improve communication with its members and candidates. Vendor Integra will provide its Membership Relationship Management system and a Finance and...

News - Online council services on track.
September 8, 2005... Jim Fitzpatrick, the minister for local egovernment, says all local authorities in England are on course to be 100 per cent e-enabled by the end of the year. 'The programme has overseen a sea change in the electronic enablement of council...

News - Travellers cool on hotspots.
September 8, 2005... A survey of more than 2,000 business travellers has found less than one in five from the UK make use of wireless hotspots in transit and inside transport terminals, despite growing availability. Analyst Gartner says educational, cultural and...

News - Bank signs [pounds sterling]1.2bn outsourcing contracts. ABN Amro aims for significant savings after splitting workload between several suppliers.
September 8, 2005... Byline: James Mortleman. Banking giant ABN Amro has signed a series of global outsourcing contracts worth EUR1.8bn ([pounds sterling]1.2bn) over the next five years. IBM will manage the bank's IT infrastructure under a contract worth...

News - Barclays set to review [pounds sterling]190m desktop deal.
September 8, 2005... Byline: James Watson. High-Street bank Barclays is reviewing a seven-year $350m ([pounds sterling]190m) desktop migration contract signed in 2003 with IT services firm EDS. A Barclays spokesman says that as the bank evolves, it needs...

News - British Nuclear renews IT deal.
September 8, 2005... Byline: Sarah Arnott. British Nuclear Group (BNG) is renewing an IT outsourcing deal with Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC). The contract is worth an estimated [pounds sterling]74m over its five-year lifespan and supersedes BNG's...

News - Backbytes - back_bytes@vnu.co.uk.(humor in information technology industry)
September 8, 2005... AB negative Our exciting story of printer switch boxes prompts some reminiscence from former civil servant Niall Fisher. 'Seven years ago I worked in the civil service, and one day I was asked to go down to the finance office and...

Enterprise - Schools entry systems go live.
September 8, 2005... Byline: James Brown. Parents applying for school places for their children in Dorset and Cambridgeshire can now apply online. The systems, which both went live last week, are intended to make the process of applying for school places...

Enterprise - RF improves stock picking for retailer. Ann Summers uses barcode scanners to aid stock control.
September 8, 2005... Byline: Miya Knights. Retailer Ann Summers has installed a custom-built radio frequency (RF) system in its distribution warehouses and cut stock-picking inaccuracies by 92 per cent. The company, which also owns high-street chain...

Enterprise - Virtual model helps jeans maker cut costs. Lee Cooper aims to halve networking outlay across European businesses.
September 8, 2005... Byline: Daniel Thomas. Jeans manufacturer Lee Cooper is to halve its computer networking costs by adopting a virtual network model. The company has signed a three-year deal with vendor Vanco, which will transfer systems to a...

Enterprise - Indian IT market on the up.(Brief Article)
September 8, 2005... The Indian IT industry is focusing too much on the export markets of traditional IT outsourcing, analyst Gartner has warned. The internal Indian IT market will grow at a compounded rate of 19 per cent between 2004 and 2008, the analyst...

Enterprise - Co-op Bank gets automated.
September 8, 2005... The Co-operative Bank has automated manual processes to improve customer service. The organisation is using software from Blue Prism to automate tasks such as direct debit collections, account closures and payments. Automation of eight...

Enterprise - Spam on the increase.
September 8, 2005... Spam now accounts for 79 per cent of all email, according to figures from email security firm BlackSpider Technologies. This represents a 10 per cent rise from the start of the year. Quocirca security analyst Jon Collins says the increasing...

Enterprise - Vanco takes the biscuit.
September 8, 2005... United Biscuits has awarded networking firm Vanco a multimillion-pound, four-year contact to manage its data network. Vanco will manage the network of the Hula Hoops and Jaffa Cakes manufacturer across six countries, and aims to deliver large...

Enterprise - UK firms breach email rules.
September 8, 2005... Barely one in 10 UK companies operates a legal email service, according to reseller SCC. The study of 25 UK blue-chip companies, including financial, legal, insurance and retail firms, found 87 per cent in breach of requirements set out in the...

Enterprise - Questions & Answers - SAP stands firm in changing market. Computing talks strategy with Graham Kingsmill, business software giant SAP's UK chief.(Interview)
September 8, 2005... Byline: Bryan Glick. The business software sector has experienced huge upheaval in the past two years, as major suppliers merge and consolidate to gain market share. First PeopleSoft acquired JD Edwards, then Oracle bought them both before...

Enterprise - Financial sector looks to the DCPCU to fight crime. The Dedicated Cheque and Plastic Fraud Crime Unit is held up as a model in tackling high-tech crime.
September 8, 2005... Byline: James Watson. It receives annual funding of just [pounds sterling]2.9m, operates with a team of only 25 people, and is a mere three years old. But since its inception, the Dedicated Cheque and Plastic Fraud Crime Unit (DCPCU)...

Enterprise - The hardest job in public sector IT?
September 8, 2005... Byline: Sarah Arnott. Does David Myers, newly-appointed director of shared services for government, have the hardest job in public sector IT? At the moment, departments and agencies across the civil service all have their own...

Comment - No more excuses for IT's lack of diversity.(survey)(Brief Article)(Column)
September 8, 2005... One day, there will no longer be a need to write articles about women in IT. Whether this happens because the problem has simply gone away, or because 'the revolution' has taken place and all the men have been taken away, is perhaps open...

Comment - Future is bright for innovation in UK IT. Opportunities for investment in the UK's IT and telecoms sectors have never been greater, says William Pedder.(Column)
September 8, 2005... UK IT is booming, driven by a positive economic outlook, rising business confidence and infrastructure upgrades. In the IT sector, inward investment increased in 2004 by 61 per cent in IT and by 50 per cent in both software and telecoms,...

Special Report - Convergence - From vision to reality. The convergence of telecoms and IT is coming at last. The implications will be profound for all operators and customers.
September 8, 2005... The computing and the telecommunications industries have been talking about their imminent marriage for a long time. But somehow, the dream has never quite been realised. The two worlds of two-way, real-time voice calls on the one hand,...

Special Report - Infrastructure - The strings attached to the unified foundations. Unified does not mean simple. The technical foundations of the integrated IP network are proving to be both complex and expensive to businesses.
September 8, 2005... For most chief information officers, putting all their organisation's applications, including voice and video, onto one big, simple and intelligent internet protocol (IP) backbone is a top priority. Many have already done so, and, according to...

Special Report - Going mobile presents a difficult technical challenge.
September 8, 2005... Eventually, local area and wide area wireless networks will link seamlessly into fixed networks - with handover of services and billing occurring quietly in the background. Building out IP networks into the wireless world, however, is a...

Special Report - Economics - Faster, smarter, cheaper. Organisations are looking to achieve enormous efficiencies by merging their voice and data networks.
September 8, 2005... The year before last they were thinking about it. Last year, they thought about it some more. This year, according to a growing body of indicators, European businesses are throwing away their private branch exchanges (PBXs) and buying into the...

Special Report - Service operators - End of the line for the plain old telephone system. The business of charging per minute to connect two telephones across a network is dying. But the major telecoms providers have ambitious plans to drive revenues from new services.
September 8, 2005... At the World Conference of French telecoms equipment maker Alcatel in February, keynote speaker, Dr James Canton, chairman of the Institute for Global Futures and a former White House science and technology advisor, attempted to shake up his...

Special Report - New applications - Powerful connections. Applications on unified networks are able to exploit video, voice and data, and the businesses that use them can become far more productive.
September 8, 2005... When converged networks uniting data and voice traffic were first developed, the carrot that vendors used to lure customers to invest in the technology was the saving they would make in reduced phone bills. Although there are still some...

Special Report - Mobile and fixed services - An unwired world. The convergence of next-generation services onto wireless devices promises to deliver huge cost and productivity benefits. But technical and business barriers must be overcome.
September 8, 2005... It is a staggering statistic. According to John Wright, general manager of mobility at BT Retail, four out of 10 mobile calls are made from inside offices. Forget the cost, the modern day business executive rates convenience above everything;...

Special Report - Security and resilience - Voicing concerns. Integrating communications platforms brings many business benefits, but securing converged platforms is proving to be a considerable challenge for many organisations.
September 8, 2005... Today's network security managers spend little time worrying about telephones. Most are too busy trying to protect their data network from hacking, viruses, spam and the many other threats that have become part of day-to-day business. But...