Computer Weekly articles from December 2003

Computer Weekly archives from December 2003

Level of professionalism in firms affects IT performance standards.
December 2, 2003... John Kavanagh computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk The BCS has called for organisations to embrace professionalism to improve IT performance, because individual professionally qualified people cannot guarantee success on their own. The...

Banks join on credit database.(Global Regulatory Information Database )(Brief Article)
December 2, 2003... Cliff Saran cliff.saran@rbi.co.uk Twenty of the world's largest banks are collaborating on a central credit database to reduce fraud. The database, called the Global Regulatory Information Database (Grid), is being operated by...

Health service's [pounds sterling]2.3bn programme loses its head.
December 2, 2003... Tony Collins tony.collins@rbi.co.uk Years before its completion, the national programme for IT in the NHS is losing the most senior civil servant directly accountable for its success - although his retirement apparently goes against...

Firms move to the Linux desktop.
December 2, 2003... hot skills Linux predicted to capture 30% of firms' desktops by 2006 Nick Langley computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk What is it? Eighteen months ago the response of most analysts to the prospect of desktop Linux was "not in my...

De-stress with exercise.(Brief Article)
December 2, 2003... Ross Bentley ross.bentley@rbi.co.uk The best way to combat stress in the workplace is exercise, according to 31% of British workers. The survey of more than 1,500 workers by recruitment website Monster.co.uk found that just 14% of...

Five great technologies for 2004.
December 2, 2003... That business model may work better for the independent coffee shop, rather than the fast-food chain, says analyst Robin Bloor. "If your business is geared to rapid throughput, you would rather they cleared off to let the next person in. So it...

Wireless Lan set to take off as technical obstacles are overcome.
December 2, 2003... lManufacturing, health and education sectors are key WLan playerslEurope more likely to adopt 802.11g standard for connectivity Antony Savvas computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk The manufacturing, health and education sectors are leading the...

Just one virus attack could cost your firm [pounds sterling]66,000, report warns.
December 2, 2003... est flaw in Microsoft's Internet Explorer and the "Mary" bug. Users are still waiting for a patch from Microsoft to prevent Internet Explorer from downloading damaging code from hacked websites. This code allows users' desktops to be...

HPjoins forces on storage offer.(Brief Article)
December 2, 2003... James Rogers james.rogers@rbi.co.uk Hewlett-Packard has joined with consulting firm Cap Gemini Ernst & Young to provide storage services based on HP's portfolio of products. The offering could shave more than 10% off the total cost of...

Police seek SMEs' advice.(Brief Article)
December 2, 2003... Bill Goodwin bill.goodwin@rbi.co.uk The police and leading businesses have asked IT professionals for feedback on new IT security guidelines for small and medium-sized companies. The document, put together by the IT lobby group,...

NHS to cut fees with forensic unit.(NHS Purchasing and Supplies Agency)(Brief Article)
December 2, 2003... l NHSPSA brings forensic investigation in-house to cut feesl Workstation costs will be recouped by retrieving deleted files Bill Goodwin bill.goodwin@rbi.co.uk The NHS Purchasing and Supplies Agency (NHSPSA), responsible for...

EUdirective boosts online transactions.(E-Commerce Directive )(Brief Article)
December 2, 2003... Daniel Thomas daniel.thomas@rbi.co.uk The European Union's E-Commerce Directive has already increased the take-up of online services in Europe and will prove increasingly vital to the continent's overall economy, according to the...

BBC to sell IT services offshoot in bid to save up to [pounds sterling]30m a year.(BBC Technology)
December 2, 2003... l Director general expects big cash injection along with annual savingsl Up to 1,400 IT staff could transfer from BBC Technology Daniel Thomas daniel.thomas@rbi.co.uk The BBC is to sell its wholly owned commercial subsidiary BBC...

Could your firm use open source software?
December 2, 2003... Danny Bradbury computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk Without the cash to waste on expensive and difficult to justify IT systems, small and medium-sized enterprises have to rely on inexpensive hardware and software. This is one of the main reasons...

Sally Army spends [pounds sterling]10,000 to beat spam.(Salvation Army uses NetIQ Mailmarshal system )(Brief Article)
December 2, 2003... Bill Goodwin bill.goodwin@rbi.co.uk The Salvation Army has invested [pounds sterling]10,000 in anti-spam software to protect 2,000 users worldwide against a barrage of offensive e-mail. The charity has cut the volume of e-mails...

UK IT industry can meet ID card challenge.(according to Intellect)(Brief Article)
December 2, 2003... Daniel Thomas daniel.thomas@rbi.co.uk IT supplier group Intellect has said that the UK IT industry can meet the technological challenges created by the government's proposals for national ID cards. In last week's annual Queen's...

Nottingham IT overhaul clears benefit backlog.(using SX3's Current World software )(Brief Article)
December 2, 2003... James Rogers james.rogers@rbi.co.uk Nottingham City Council is processing about 4,500 housing benefit claims every two weeks, following a 12-month overhaul of its housing benefit IT system, which cleared a backlog of nearly 20,000...

Users access BT-hosted Siebel CRM service.(Siebel CRM Ondemand)(Brief Article)
December 2, 2003... Cliff Saran cliff.saran@rbi.co.uk Siebel's new service will make CRM cheaper and widen choice for users in companies of all sizes, the suppliers behind the service claimed this week. BT and Siebel are signing a deal to offer UK...

Gun database set up.(Forensic Science Service's National Firearms Forensic Intelligence Database )(Brief Article)
December 2, 2003... Parliamentary correspondent computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk A new gun crime database is set to bring more criminals to justice and make communities safer, Home Office minister Caroline Flint has pledged. The Forensic Science Service's...

Dundee picks Linux to cut back-office costs.(Brief Article)
December 2, 2003... James Rogers james.rogers@rbi.co.uk Dundee City Council has standardised on Linux for its back-office systems, as part of a drive to increase efficiency and lower costs. It has replaced a large server farm from a number of...

IoD calls for corporate manslaughter laws.(Institute of Directors )(Brief Article)
December 2, 2003... Ross Bentley ross.bentley@rbi.co.uk The Institute of Directors has called on the government to introduce legislation that would see corporate entities, rather than individuals, standing trial for corporate manslaughter. The IoD...

Digital objects to transform net use.(according to Bob Kahn)(Brief Article)
December 2, 2003... The era of digital objects is set to transform the way we use the internet, such that we will no longer rely on specific hardware or software platforms, said internet pioneer Bob Kahn speaking in London at the end of November. Kahn and...

Nationwide begins Basel 2 data project.(Brief Article)
December 2, 2003... Antony Savvas antony.savvas@rbi.co.uk Nationwide building society has made its first move to adopt the forthcoming Basel 2 banking regulations by appointing a company to centralise and clean up its data. The Basel Capital Accord,...

How can wireless models help my business?
December 2, 2003... What new business models and applications are being developed as wireless technologies become adopted in the workplace? Advances in mobile shopping and banking facilities Duncan LedwithHead of Microsoft Mobile Devices Division, UK ...

NEXT MOVE.(Brief Article)
December 2, 2003... The question What do I need to include in my CV? Can you give me some general advice on what I should consider when putting together my CV? The solution Match objectives to the job specification Ensuring the job...

NHS IT: who'll see it through?
December 2, 2003... The news that John Pattison is to step down as the senior responsible owner of the [pounds sterling]2.3bn national programme for IT is cause for concern. The critical position of SRO was established after the government's gateway review...

Intel to roll-out new Prescott processor chip.
December 2, 2003... Daniel Thomas daniel.thomas@rbi.co.uk Users will be able to buy desktop PCs equipped with Prescott, the latest version of Intel's desktop processor early next year. Intel is confident users will buy PCs equipped with the new chip,...

IT departments boost morale with team-building events and training opportunities.
December 2, 2003... It is a pleasure here at Computer Weekly to profile the IT departments that have made it on to our shortlist of the Best Places to Work in IT 2003. Through feedback from IT managers and their staff, our aim is to celebrate the best employers of...

Prosper from self-service.(according to Butler Group)
December 2, 2003... Economic prosperity in the 21st century owes its origin to one overriding development - not the oil industry, transport, or the development of the computer, but the introduction of self-service. This was the argument presented in a report...

Freedom of Information compliance adds to public sector IT managers' hefty burden.
December 2, 2003... IT chiefs must provide access and security to comply with the Freedom of Information Act The Freedom of Information Act is set to have a significant impact on the 75,000 or so bodies discharging public functions in the UK when it comes...

Getting a return on investment in training.
December 2, 2003... Helen Beckett computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk Most companies like to boast about how heavily they invest in their workforce. But when the economic downturn begins to bite, training has traditionally been one of the first things to go. ...

Financial industry unites to create XML payments standard to cut processing costs.
December 2, 2003... Nick Huber nick.huber@rbi.co.uk Global investment banks and financial suppliers have unveiled one of the most ambitious attempts yet to agree on a common technology for the payments industry. Investment banks including ABN Amro,...

Newspapers fail online access tests.(according to a study by AbilityNet)(Brief Article)
December 2, 2003... Poor website design continues to dog the online versions of 10 of the UK's most widely read newspapers, according to a study by AbilityNet, a charity advising on IT to support disabled people, of which the BCS is a founder and trustee. ...

Royal Mail's new CIO says people come first.
December 2, 2003... Winning the hearts and minds of the workforce is the most important challenge in effecting business transformation, said David Burden, Royal Mail's chief information officer. The workforce should come before business process change, which...

High altitude aircraft could replace comms satellites to provide low-cost broadband.(European Commission-funded Capanina project )
December 2, 2003... To overcome the high costs of conventional satellites, researchers are looking at solar-powered craft hovering at high altitude to deliver cheaper telecoms With so many protests against mobile phone masts and warnings that space is filling...

great business ideas for 2004.
December 9, 2003... Outsourcing, flexible working, corporate governance, business process re-engineering, and marketing IT's value are the five big issues facing IT departments in 2004. Nick Langley reports IT managers and chief information officers should be...

Mars probe to land on Christmas day.(Beagle 2 probe)(Brief Article)
December 9, 2003... The Beagle 2 probe is due to land on Mars in the early hours of Christmas Day. An operations control centre run by Leicester University is working with the European Space Agency's operations centre in Darmstadt, Germany during the mission to...

Revenue pins blame on EDS.(Brief Article)
December 9, 2003... Tony Collins tony.collins@rbi.co.uk A book highlighting the lessons learned from IT disasters, compiled on the basis of case studies reported in Computer Weekly, became a topic for debate at last week's House of Commons public accounts...

If history repeats itself next April, Inland Revenue may still be unprepared; New tax credit system locked into roll-out date.
December 9, 2003... Tony Collins tony.collins@rbi.co.uk Inland Revenue is to go live in April 2004 with a complex change to its tax credits software which could affect more than eight million people - but it has no contingency plan to defer the date if...

outsourcing; Xansa turns focus back to UK after loss.(Brief Article)
December 9, 2003... Nick Huber nick.huber@rbi.co.uk Xansa, the IT services company, has said it will withdraw from the outsourcing market in continental Europe and Asia Pacific to focus on the UK. Reporting a 6.8% fall in loss in pre-tax profits to...

nhs it; DoH warned change management costs will exceed NHS IT funding.(Brief Article)
December 9, 2003... l British Computer Society warns costs could exceed [pounds sterling]2.3bn limit l Costs of change plan and timing to be decided after signing the contracts Tony Collins tony.collins@rbi.co.uk The Department of Health has decided...

VIRUSES; True cost of virus disruption to UK companies is greater than feared.(Brief Article)
December 9, 2003... l Estimate of average cost of virus disruption quadruples to [pounds sterling]122kl Tif template helps members estimate true cost of security incidents Daniel Thomas daniel.thomas@rbi.co.uk Each virus and worm incident costs UK...

Letters.(Letter to the Editor)
December 9, 2003... NHSIT plan should be business-led, not IT-led Michael Ralph Head of IT, Verspak The story regarding the national plan for NHS IT (Computer Weekly, 2 December) and how funding may run short fails to recognise the burning issue put...

retail Shops expect summer's well-laid IT plans to deliver generous Christmas bonus ; IT departments feel the pressure as last-minute shoppers begin the countdown to Christmas.
December 9, 2003... Daniel Thomas daniel.thomas@rbi.co.uk Christmas is the most important trading period of the year for retailers, with many firms achieving between 40% and 60% of their annual turnover between November and January. This makes the...

HP customers join forces to create united group post-Compaq merger.(HP/Works User Group and the HP Compaq User Organisation combine to form HP User Group)(Brief Article)
December 9, 2003... James Rogers james.rogers@rbi.co.uk The UK's Hewlett-Packard user groups, HP/Works User Group and the HP Compaq User Organisation, have joined forces to create a new, more powerful organisation. John Owen, co-chairman of the new...

Bank of Ireland signs HP outsourcing deal.(Brief Article)
December 9, 2003... Nick Huber nick.huber@rbi.co.uk The Bank of Ireland has signed a [pounds sterling]348m IT outsourcing contract with Hewlett-Packard after seven months of negotiations with staff and union leaders. HP will manage the bank's...

Sun desktop gains ground on MSOffice.
December 9, 2003... software Sun users gathered in Berlin last week for the company's first major European conference and to hear about the latest UK convert to the open source values of Staroffice James Rogers james.rogers@rbi.co.uk Sun used its...

software; IBM expands into tailored packages.(Brief Article)
December 9, 2003... Nick Huber nick.huber@rbi.co.uk IBM users have given a cautious welcome to its announcement last week that it will restructure its [pounds sterling]7.5bn software business to offer tailored products. Next month IBM will unveil a...

e-business; CBI survey casts doubt on e-business capability.(Brief Article)
December 9, 2003... Daniel Thomas daniel.thomas@rbi.co.uk Many UK companies lack an online presence and have no plans to implement a website in the near future, according to the Confederation of British Industry. The CBI's latest regional survey of...

desktop; HP to offer thin-client computing in UK.(consolidated client infrastructure thin-client access device)
December 9, 2003... Cliff Saran cliff.saran@rbi.co.uk Hewlett-Packard is to offer users a thin-client computing architecture to simplify desktop IT infrastructure as part of a revamp of its utility computing programme Last week HP announced the US...

revenue; Revenue claims it has 'drawn up robust contingency plans to support this delivery'.(Inland Revenue's online services )
December 9, 2003... complaints and letters from constituents to MPs than any other subject apart from fox hunting. One man glued his hand to the desk of a tax official to draw attention to the non-payment of his claim. The Inland Revenue's auditors qualified the...

Management tool will open new seam for mining company.(Brief Article)
December 9, 2003... Global mining company Xstrata has invested [pounds sterling]400,000 in IT management tools from Altiris in advance of a company-wide migration to Microsoft Windows 2003, following a major acquisition this summer. "We were looking for a...

Sun to increase R&D spend by 10% in 2004.(Brief Article)
December 9, 2003... James Rogers james.rogers@rbi.co.uk Sun's hardware sector will increase its research and development spending by 10% to [pounds sterling]1.2bn over the next 12 months Sun's executive vice-president of global sales operations, Robert...

UK plc - could do better.(World Public Sector Report 2003, entitled E-government at the Crossroads)
December 9, 2003... The recent World Public Sector Report 2003, entitled E-government at the Crossroads, rightly drew attention to the UK's success in developing "e-participation". However, it also highlighted that in terms of readiness to provide services...

enterprise systems; Can Hewlett-Packard topple IBM to claim the title of the world's biggest computer company?
December 9, 2003... Jack Schofield Opinion In the battle of the giants Hewlett-Packard appears to have the upper hand. By selling devices from digital cameras to high-end servers, HP may be able to make the most of economies of scale, which would be good...

network security; Users urged to press Cisco to make security tool meet open standards.
December 9, 2003... l PCs will need to have security and patches at Cisco's standardsl Users should put pressure on suppliers to adopt an open approach Antony Adshead antony.adshead@rbi.co.uk Users have been warned to tread carefully before opting to...

Protect IT innovation.
December 9, 2003... Despite three decades of astonishing software innovation that has transformed nearly every aspect of our lives, the chief executive members of the Business Software Alliance believe 75% or more of the benefits that software will deliver still...

Measuring IT's effectiveness to the business.(business process management)
December 9, 2003... John O'Connell Opinion Confusion and hype in the IT market over the past five years have made us a sceptical lot. Depressing statistics and reports have made chief information officers cautious about IT investments, and rightly so....

Downtime.
December 9, 2003... Salute Australia the fair, graceful in defeat Jonny Wilkinson is the golden boy of UK sport at the moment but if Australian internet users have their way, the England fly-half will not win the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year award this...

BT chief sets out plan for next-generation broadband and wireless mobile services.
December 9, 2003... l Wi-Fi is significantly cheaper than 3G, claims BT chief executivel SDSL will allow smaller businesses to start running IP telephony Cliff Saran cliff.saran@rbi.co.uk BT, like its rival network operators, is trying to offer its...

Check, mate, it's the caption comp!
December 9, 2003... Yup, ol' Garry Kasparov "dons" the 3D shades for his chess match against the X3D Fritz computer last month (it was a tie). So in return for your usual effervescent wit, we are offering a bottle of Champagne as a reward for a spot of...

ICT Ball 2004; Ball aims high for 2004.(Calendar)
December 9, 2003... This year the Intellect ICT Industry Ball, supported by Computer Weekly and the Worshipful Company of Information Technologists, raised [pounds sterling]27,500 for children's charity Barnardo's. Next year's event, scheduled to take place in...

E-Business regulatory alliance; Firms must comply with new e-marketing laws.
December 9, 2003... The Information Commission has warned it will not hesitate to take action against anyone who persistently refuses to comply with the new e-mail marketing regulations that will come into force this Thursday (11 December). However, the...

Time to stop passing the buck.
December 9, 2003... The hearings into problems with the government's pension credit systems by the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee last week were a grim experience. EDS, which supplied the systems, admitted responsibility for failures that left...

British Computer Society ; New standard recognises value of hands-on engineering experience.(UK-Spec (UK Standard for Professional Engineering Competence) )
December 16, 2003... John Kavanagh john.kavanagh@rbi.co.uk A new standard for people aspiring to become chartered or incorporated engineers has been launched by the Engineering Council UK. UK-Spec (UK Standard for Professional Engineering Competence)...

Barcodes speed up Harley suppliers.(Brief Article)
December 16, 2003... Motorcycle manufacturer Harley-Davidson has rolled out web forms and real-time barcode technology to improve communication with its suppliers. The software, from Sterling Commerce and Bar Code Solutions, has allowed Harley-Davidson to reach...

Don't leave holes in your patching policies.(Industry Overview)
December 16, 2003... Danny Bradbury computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk If the IT industry was subject to the same restrictions as the car industry, the number of equipment recalls would be so huge that many companies would go out of business. Bugs are an...

IT outsource deal key for Probation.(Brief Article)
December 16, 2003... James Rogers james.rogers@rbi.co.uk The Probation Service is preparing a large outsourcing project in an effort to improve its poor technology track record. Problems with its Crams case management system and poor network...

economy; Chancellor's R&D tax incentive not aggressive enough to win investment, warn suppliers.
December 16, 2003... Daniel Thomas daniel.thomas@rbi.co.uk The government's commitment to improving the research and development tax credits system is welcome, but it needs to increase the reward for investing in R&D, IT supplier body Intellect has warned....

Mainframe users face upgrade dilemma.
December 16, 2003... Cliff Saran cliff saran@rbi.co.uk Mainframe users running 31-bit IBM hardware and operating system software face tough decisions as their option to upgrade to 64-bit systems runs out in March. The older IBM G4, G5 and G6 31-bit...

EDS's [pounds sterling]3bn IT contract will move to Cap Gemini Ernst & Young in January ; Uncharted outsourcing territory for the Revenue.
December 16, 2003... Tony Collins tony.collins@rbi.co.uk The Inland Revenue's decision last week to break its 10-year outsourcing relationship with EDS and Accenture for a Cap Gemini Ernst & Young-led consortium is fraught with risk, analysts have warned....

hot skills In the SSL/CW list of top IT skills, .net is number 13; Demand for .net remains strong.
December 16, 2003... Nick Langley computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk What is it? Microsoft .net has been described as Microsoft's development and deployment platform for the next decade. The .net framework will be used for building and running all kinds of...

network management; Bank saves with network monitor.(Standard Bank uses Compuware's Network Vantage)(Brief Article)
December 16, 2003... l Standard Bank able to scale back bandwidth for under-used connectionsl Bank saves [pounds sterling]20,000 a year by avoiding network upgrades Antony Adshead antony.adshead@rbi.co.uk Standard Bank has improved the performance of...

working time directive; Unpaid overtime saves firms [pounds sterling]23bn.(according to Trades Union Congress research)(Brief Article)
December 16, 2003... Ross Bentley ross.bentley@rbi.co.uk Millions of UK staff will work unpaid overtime next year, saving their employers tens of billions of pounds, according to research published by the Trades Union Congress this month. The TUC said...

networks; Veritas San software eases interoperability.(Brief Article)
December 16, 2003... Antony Adshead antony.adshead@rbi.co.uk Veritas has developed integrated storage area network software to be incorporated into Cisco and Brocade switches. The software provides integration and management of storage assets in the...

security; Cisco releases security patch for Aironet.(Cisco Aironet 1100, 1200 and 1400)(Brief Article)
December 16, 2003... Antony Adshead antony.adshead@rbi.co.uk Aironet wireless access point users faced a rushed upgrade following a Cisco security alert two weeks ago. The vulnerability in Aironet 1100, 1200 and 1400 access points could allow an...

security; Eurim calls for better reporting and help to prevent cybercrime.
December 16, 2003... l One-stop-shops should be set up to make it easier to report high-tech crimel Qualified cyber investigators would be better able to fight crime Bill Goodwin bill.goodwin@rbi.co.uk The government should create one-stop-shops to...

Letters.(Letter to the Editor)
December 16, 2003... Grid computing is not for the back burner Mike HaighBusiness development director, Platform Computing I read with great interest the article on the top five technologies to watch in 2004 (Computer Weekly, 2 December). Grid computing is...

rfid; Retailers not prepared for RFID processes.(radio frequency identification equipment)(Brief Article)
December 16, 2003... Daniel Thomas daniel.thomas@rbi.co.uk Half of retailers that roll out supply chain radio frequency identification tags will not achieve the full benefits because of an inability to change business processes, GartnerG2 has warned. ...

A quiet Christmas is a happy Christmas for IT departments.(Industry Overview)
December 16, 2003... Computer Weekly reporters computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk Financial services Kevin Lloyd, group chief technology officer at Barclays, said the bank's IT development stops in December to ensure systems remain reliable over the festive...

manufacturing; Electrolux cleans up after-sales service with real-time info.
December 16, 2003... Antony Adshead antony.adshead@rbi.co.uk Electrolux will go live in the first half of 2004 with an integration project to provide real-time access to technical information to after-sales service staff around the world. The project,...

public sector; Bradford IT staff call for secondment.(Brief Article)
December 16, 2003... James Rogers james.rogers@rbi.co.uk IT staff at Bradford City Council are threatening to ballot for industrial action in support of their demand to be seconded rather than transferred to a future private sector IT partner. In...

Learn from the tax credits debacle.(Editorial)
December 16, 2003... Stephen Castell Opinion The House of Commons Public Accounts Committee was told that payments to the public went badly awry when release two of the new tax credits system was rolled out in April 2003. The hearing heard that the...

Price switch hits JDEdwards users.(Brief Article)
December 16, 2003... Antony Adshead antony.adshead@rbi.co.uk JD Edwards users face a difficult choice in the new year after PeopleSoft moved to unify pricing models following its acquisition of the ERP supplier in July. PeopleSoft aims to change...