Computer Weekly articles from December 2004

Computer Weekly archives from December 2004

British computer society ; Avoid adding risk and complexity to projects to achieve goals rapidly.
December 7, 2004... John Kavanagh computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk Keeping things simple and resisting the temptation to start from scratch every time is the project approach favoured by the technical director of a massive office automation programme across the...

overseas; BCS to make its mark on US profession.(British Computer Society)(Brief Article)
December 7, 2004... John Kavanagh computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk The BCShas set up a USsection to support IT staff working or going to work in the US and to help the society make its mark on the US industry. "The group will do more than simply meet the...

Yorkshire Water proves it is performing with Openview.(Hewlett-Packard's Openview system management suite)(Brief Article)
December 7, 2004... Yorkshire Water is deploying HP's Openview system management suite to manage the IT infrastructure at its Bradford headquarters. The software will be used at the Bradford site to support the water company's IT infrastructure comprising servers,...

HUMANRESOURCes; Personality test aims to guard against over-familiarity.(Brief Article)
December 7, 2004... Karen Gomm karen.gomm@rbi.co.uk A new psychometric test developed by human resources consultancy cdaq could help IT directors select potential employees. The test will challenge established personality trait models as the most...

Don't let the supplier agenda dictate the future of business process management.
December 7, 2004... enterprise software Products must reflect real issues, not suppliers' business goals BYLINE: Mike Thompson Tech talk A process is nothing more than a series of events that takes place in order for a desired outcome to be reached....

Networks; Use of MPLS predicted to double in four years.(multi-protocol label switching routers)(Brief Article)
December 7, 2004... Antony Savvas computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk Analyst firm Yankee Group has predicted that the worldwide market for core IP/multi-protocol label switching routers will almost double to [pounds sterling]1.5bn by 2008. MPLS is a protocol...

Drive your budget harder to deliver value.(information technology spendings)
December 7, 2004... SPENDING There are cautious predictions of a rise in IT budgets throughout 2005, but the IT director will have to spend shrewdly to get the most out of technology to benefit the business Julia Vowler computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk ...

Human factor is key to wireless security.
December 7, 2004... wireless As increasing numbers of firms allow at least some of their staff to use wireless devices, it is important to educate the end-users and set up stringent security policies BYLINE: Richard Harrison Opinion Few people doubt...

Virus writers enjoy public holiday releases.
December 7, 2004... internet security Christmas comes but once a year but that will not stop the hackers, so users must ensure that all their anti-virus defences are fully effective on a 24x7 basis BYLINE: Mike Fenton Opinion Most companies' internet...

Software; Windows 2000 to get its last major update.(Brief Article)
December 7, 2004... Cliff Saran cliff.saran@rbi.co.uk Microsoft will not be developing a fifth service pack for Windows 2000, but will issue a single security update called Update Rollup, which is due in mid-2005. Microsoft said the update will...

Prepare for tough talking as suppliers fail to keep pace with hardware developments.
December 7, 2004... software Negotiate to avoid paying twice as much on fees for dual-core processors Arif Mohamed computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk Analyst firm Gartner caused a stir at the end of last month when it warned corporate IT users that their...

Skills framework; RAF and British Council map staff IT skills to reinforce recruitment and retention.(Royal Air Force)
December 7, 2004... Bill Goodwin bill.goodwin@rbi.co.uk The Royal Air Force is borrowing techniques developed for civilian businesses to improve the way it trains, manages and deploys computer specialists. The organisation is one of the early...

Performance; IBM's heavyweight server wins the processing prize for Power5.(IBM p5-595 eServer )
December 7, 2004... l Power5 server had high levels of storage and costly memory addedl Gartner says costs make the server an unrealistic choice for businesses Arif Mohamed computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk A new high-end Transaction Processing Council server...

public sector; Simple systems for fast pay-off in child protection.
December 7, 2004... l Report assesses pilot data sharing schemes for child protection systems l Simple indexes are better starting point than complex ITsystems Lindsay Clark computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk Complex case management systems are proving a...

Operating systems; Open source group to spread cost message.(Open Source Consortium)(Brief Article)
December 7, 2004... Arif Mohamed computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk Sixty small open source suppliers have united to create the Open Source Consortium (OSC). The not-for-profit organisation aims to promote products and services to users. It plans to convince...

Systems ; Allders rolls out invoice automation.(Brief Article)
December 7, 2004... Karen Gomm karen.gomm@rbi.co.uk Department store chain Allders will go live this month with a hosted invoice matching application it expects will cut query times and increase invoice to order match rates. The retailer is replacing...

Broadband ; Future of government broadband scheme in doubt as demand falls.
December 7, 2004... l Projected broadband orders worth [pounds sterling]1bn have only reached [pounds sterling]9ml Wide availability of broadband is partly to blame for shortfall Antony Savvas computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk A third of the UK's regional...

Telecoms; Microsoft and BT target SMEs with pay-as-you-go e-mail service.(small and medium-sized businesses)
December 7, 2004... Arif Mohamed computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk Microsoft and BT have launched a pay-as-you-go business service for small and medium-sized businesses that want e-mail and shared calendars and contacts without initial capital outlay. BT...

London upgrades zoo voice system.(London Zoo)(Brief Article)
December 7, 2004... The Zoological Society of London has installed a new voice system at London Zoo in Regent's Park. Freedom Communications connected 25 buildings using an Alcatel OmniPCX 4400 switch that offers continued use of existing TDM voice technology with...

Security ; Microsoft issues extra Internet Explorer fix.(Brief Article)
December 7, 2004... Arif Mohamed computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk Microsoft has released an out-of-cycle security bulletin and patch to fix a critical hole in Internet Explorer that has been widely exploited by attackers and used in conjunction with compromised...

Funds ; Birmingham health trust covers [pounds sterling]6.5m roll-out costs.(university hospital Birmingham National Health Service foundation trust)
December 7, 2004... Tony Collins tony.collins@rbi.co.uk Andrew Haw, the ICT director of university hospital Birmingham NHS foundation trust said his [pounds sterling]6.5m plans for implementing the national programme are fully funded. He told the...

Technology; Mainframes fade away as Windows XP grows.
December 7, 2004... Lindsay Clark computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk The rapid decline in use of mainframe systems in local government seems to be marking the end of a technology era. Use of mainframe technologies, from suppliers such as ICL and IBM, fell...

E-government; Councils face changed priorities for year ahead.
December 7, 2004... Lindsay Clark computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk Council IT departments face a tougher challenge in the next 12 months, despite four years' striving to meet national targets to get all local government services online, according to the public...

Downtime.(Information technology services industry)
December 7, 2004... Desktop hunters just point, click and kill A Texan has been labelled a "sick, despicable redneck" for creating a website that allows web surfers to kill wild animals in real-time with just a click of their mouse. Lifelong hunterJohn...

Action plan gives employers opportunity to direct the future of IT training in the UK.(Information technology workers training)
December 7, 2004... training E-skills UK draws up proposals to transform UKIT training and education Bill Goodwin bill.goodwin@rbi.co.uk Employers are being offered the opportunity to drive an action plan designed to ensure that businesses will be...

Support; NT4 users face upgrade dilemma as Microsoft finally ends support.
December 7, 2004... Cliff Saran cliff.saran@rbi.co.uk Hundreds of IT departments are considering their options as Microsoft finally withdraws mainstream support from its NT4 server at the end of this month. Those still running NT4 face the choice of...

Software; Oracle shows 10g and grid strategies at OracleWorld.(Brief Article)
December 7, 2004... Cliff Saran cliff.saran@rbi.co.uk Oracle is expected to unveil details of its strategy for the 10g database, 11i eBusiness Suite, business intelligence software and enterprise content management this week at OracleWorld. The...

Industry backs action on training.(Information technology workers)(Brief Article)
December 7, 2004... Bill Goodwin bill.goodwin@rbi.co.uk IT leaders have welcomed a government-backed action plan which sets out to transform the way IT professionals are trained. The Sector Skills Agreement for IT, published by E-skills UK, will give...

Public sector ; EDS to speed up CSA case transfer.(Electronic Data Systems Corp, Child Support Agency)(Brief Article)
December 7, 2004... Lindsay Clark computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk A major software release from outsourcing supplier EDS for the troubled Child Support Agency IT systems should speed the transfer of thousands of cases to the agency's new systems. As...

Outsourcing ; Walsall to sign [pounds sterling]650m Fujitsu deal.(Brief Article)
December 7, 2004... Arif Mohamed computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk Walsall Council is set to sign a 12-year joint venture with Fujitsu Services this month. The deal, worth [pounds sterling]650m, will be one of the largest local authority outsourcing contracts...

IT directors face fight for staff.
December 7, 2004... Motivating and retaining employees is the biggest concern for CIOs in 2005, survey shows Computer Weekly reporters computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk Keeping your best staff and shoring up IT department morale are the biggest challenges...

Databases ; Police fingerprint system crashes.(Brief Article)
December 7, 2004... Tony Collins tony.collins@rbi.co.uk A software failure took down the National Automated Fingerprint Identification System, one of the most reliable and effective police systems, for several days last week. All 43 police forces in...

Charities; Helping charities keeps IT professionals busy.
December 7, 2004... In 2004 IT professionals gave hundreds of thousands of pounds and many hours to help disadvantaged members of society. The trend for increasing numbers of our readers wanting to help others by donating money and skills is continuing and we...

Programme support ; NHS IT trust staff face up to the challenges.(United Kingdom. National Health Service)(Brief Article)
December 7, 2004... Tony Collins tony.collins@rbi.co.uk A series of high-profile speakers at the Autumn Forum health IT conference strongly supported the aims of the programme. John Thornbury, head of informatics at Walsall teaching primary care...

government measures.
December 7, 2004... The government sees IT as pivotal to its plans to improve public services, but the Treasury is in desperate need of benchmarks to judge its performance. Electronic service delivery and the balanced scorecard could be a way forward, reports Phil...

Videoconferencing; Videoconferencing saves PepsiCo executives travel time and costs.(Brief Article)
December 7, 2004... l PepsiCo staff can use the videoconferencing at special viewing stationsl The new system is expected to cover its own cost in six months Antony Savvas computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk PepsiCo UK has rolled out a video conferencing...

Internet ; Berners-Lee comes back to Britain to work on web's next generation.(Tim Berners-Lee)(Brief Article)
December 7, 2004... l Berners-Lee will take a computer science chair at Southampton Universityl Announcement coincides with W3C's 10th anniversary celebrations Arif Mohamed computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk Internet pioneers from around the world celebrated...

Sharing your IT skills is a real gif.(Information technology)
December 7, 2004... This is the season of giving and receiving, but for many of us this can be more to do with eau de toilette and socks than anything that makes a lasting difference to people's lives. So it is refreshing to find, as our article on p44 points out,...

project management ; NHS CIO says commitment is vital for national IT plan success.
December 7, 2004... Tony Collins tony.collins@rbi.co.uk The commitment needed to successfully deliver the national programme for IT is a little like "jumping off a cliff" and "reading the manual about how to land on the way down," one of the NHS's top IT...

hot skills UMTS is the chosen technology for most 3G networks; UMTS boosts 3G skills demand.(Universal Mobile Telecommunications Services)
December 7, 2004... Nick Langley computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk What is it? Universal Mobile Telecommunications Service (UMTS) is a high-speed third-generation broadband, packet-based transmission of text, voice, video and multimedia. By the end of...

Project management ; Audit inquiry into 'high risk' NHS IT plan widens.(United Kingdom. National Health Service)
December 7, 2004... Tony Collins tony.collins@rbi.co.uk Health service auditors at the Audit Commission have categorised projects within the NHS's national plan for IT (NPfIT) as "high risk" and are joining the National Audit Office in an investigation...

The value of outsourcing.(management)
December 7, 2004... Alter value measurements as the contract progresses BYLINE: John Creber Opinion When managing outsourced relationships, it is vital to use all available means to demonstrate to the business that the outsourced provider is...

Brown sees skills as key to prosperity.(Brief Article)
December 7, 2004... The chancellor Gordon Brown placed skills development at the centre of his pre-budget statement last week. The workforce's qualifications and skills levels will determine UK prosperity, he said. But low skills had been our "Achilles heel" for...

keep the bad guys at bay.
December 7, 2004... Security is SMEs' biggest IT worry, according to the Computer Weekly/BT SME ICT Audit. The threat is real, but there are technological and management defences, as Helen Beckett reports The SME nation is under siege to malicious hackers and...

YOUR SHOUT; Have your say at ; computerweekly.com.
December 7, 2004... On the problem of youth discrimination In response to Nick Huber's article, entitled Beware youngsters' ageism claims (Computer Weekly, 26 October) It is time this kind of discrimination was stopped. It is a disgrace that in the 21st...

Our sales staff need timely customer data.(BT Business Information Systems PLC)(Microsoft Corp)(Compuware Corp.)
December 7, 2004... I am a sales director of a small manufacturing company. I would like each of our 10 travelling sales representatives to have access to "real-time" customer data while on the road. Is there a cost-effective way of doing this via mobile devices?...

PROJECTS that work.(project management )
December 7, 2004... A clear understanding of the basic principles of project management will pay dividends for any SME looking to harness IT for business success BYLINE: Dalim Basu Opinion Effective project management can provide the same major...

Business awareness is needed in growing market, contractors told.
December 14, 2004... John Kavanagh computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk The UK IT contractor market is picking up again, but contractors can no longer be successful just by offering programming skills, Simon Juden, chairman of the Professional Contractors Group, told...

BCS offers freedom of info course.(BCS Information Systems Examinations Board)(Brief Article)
December 14, 2004... John Kavanagh computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk A qualification for people responsible for implementing the Freedom of Information Act in their organisation has been launched by the BCS Information Systems Examinations Board. The...

E-crime laws don't work, say IT chiefs.(Brief Article)
December 14, 2004... Fifty nine per cent of IT directors in the financial services sector believe cybercrime laws are not effective in deterring hacking, denial of service attacks or virus writers, according to the survey at the City IT Forum. A further 20% said...

End of an era as IBM sells its PC business to Chinese firm.(Brief Article)
December 14, 2004... IBM has heralded the end of an era with the sale of its PC business to Chinese IT supplier Lenovo. Since its introduction in 1981 the PC has gone from status symbol to a commodity business tool. Samuel Palmisano, IBM chairman and chief...

Mobile applications for international use should employ the simplest technologies.
December 14, 2004... wireless Globalising mobile apps is a challenging strategy in view of regional variations BYLINE: Nick Jones Opinion Companies needing to create mobile applications for international use face many problems. Regional variations in...

Stress-free upgrades need proper planning.
December 14, 2004... upgrades Test, test and test again before rolling out an application upgrade to end-users Julia Vowler julia.vowler@rbi.co.uk How can IT directors ensure that upgrades go smoothly, given that organisations are increasingly running...

Cisco fills out convergence range.(Cisco Systems Inc. introduces a router and partnered with Fujitsu Ltd.)
December 14, 2004... l Eight-slot systemis part of Cisco's IP convergence strategyl Cisco will partner with Fujitsu on developing the multi-terabit IOS-XR Computer Weekly reporter computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk Cisco has fleshed out its next generation...

Supplier certification can give you an edge.(employment of information technology professionals)
December 14, 2004... qualifications Although experience is vital, taking IT supplier exams can put you ahead Julia Vowler and Bill Goodwin bill.goodwin@rbi.co.uk It is three in the morning and IT professional Daniel Bryk is in the computer labs,...

How Yorkshire Water taps into Openview to improve IT infrastructure management.(Hewlett-Packard Co., contract)
December 14, 2004... l HP Openview deployed across utility's head office IT infrastructurel It provides end-to-end management of servers, storage and critical apps Antony Savvas computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk Yorkshire Water decided to concentrate on...

Accelerators speed up branch office traffic.(Expand Networks, Tolly Group, contract)(Brief Article)
December 14, 2004... Antony Savvas computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk Companies wanting to boost the throughput of their branch office data should consider using a data acceleration system as well as data compression, bench tests have indicated. Tests by...

Northumberland's CRM boosts citizens' access and saves [pounds sterling]500,000 a year in IT costs.(customer relationship management)
December 14, 2004... smart projects County council rolls out Oracle CRM software and slashes IT costs Karen Gomm karen.gomm@rbi.co.uk Northumberland County Council has saved an estimated [pounds sterling]500,000 a year in IT costs by using customer...

Ofcom urges web firms to join content debate.(Office of Communications)(Brief Article)
December 14, 2004... Antony Savvas computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk Internet companies must play a bigger part in debates on content regulation and consumer protection as traditional broadcast media deliver content over IP networks, communications industry...

Traders log on to Unistar's VoIP app.(voice over internet protocol, Unistar Communications Group Inc. contract with Timberweb.com)(Brief Article)
December 14, 2004... Software firm Unistar is to develop a VoIP application for timber e-marketplace Timberweb.com, which allows businesses to trade over the internet. Timberweb will use Unistar's Web Call VoIP software, which will be branded as Timberweb Freephone...

Vax users prepare for OpenVMS migration.(Hewlett-Packard User Group gives training to the users)(Brief Article)
December 14, 2004... Cliff Saran cliff.saran@rbi.co.uk Vax users in the Hewlett-Packard User Group have been given an insight into how to migrate applications to HP's forthcoming OpenVMS 8.2 for Itanium 2. OpenVMS 8.2 is the version of the Vax...

IT directors would rather cancel Christmas than join the office party.(Brief Article)
December 14, 2004... Karen Gomm karen.gomm@rbi.co.uk IT managers see Christmas as a chore that has no place at work, according to a survey of 467 IT directors by the Chartered Management Institute. Many IT directors think that office parties are hard...

Mobile Bristol software goes global.(Brief Article)
December 14, 2004... Mobile Bristol, a joint experimental initiative on the use of mobile technology in the community by HP Laboratories, Bristol University and the Appliance Studio, is to make the mobile tools it has developed available freely on the internet....

IBM sale may bring us next generation of PCs.(Brief Article)
December 14, 2004... Ray Titcombe Opinion It is the end of an era. I obtained my first IBM PC in 1982, before it officially was on sale in the UK. The single biggest change it made for me was that I no longer needed three terminals to access the...

Hardware upgrade is top priority for financial services IT directors.
December 14, 2004... Lindsay Clark computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk Financial services firms expect to invest most of their discretionary IT spending in hardware over the next 12 to 18 months. Exclusive research for Computer Weekly among 120 senior IT...

Downtime.(briefs)
December 14, 2004... No more socks from Marks & Sparks More Christmas present ideas come from Marks & Spencer, which has had a clear-out after moving from its old head office. Some of the choice items about to go under the auctioneer's hammer include five...

Caterpillar rolls out giant Ariba system.(Brief Article)
December 14, 2004... The construction equipment firm Caterpillar has rolled out a global procurement system from Ariba. The software supplier developed a customised global indirectpurchasing system that will manageits full spending lifecycle, from planning to...

Microsoft extends NT4 support offer.(operating system used by customers)(Brief Article)
December 14, 2004... Antony Savvas computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk Microsoft is extending its offer of custom support on Windows NT4.0 Server until the end of 2006. The company has also outlined the end of support for e-mail system Exchange Server 5.5. ...

Microsoft hits security milestone.(enhanced product)(Brief Article)
December 14, 2004... Cliff Saran cliff.saran@rbi.co.uk Microsoft has released Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 (SP1), the next milestone in its Trustworthy Computing initiative. The service pack offers security improvements, including Security...

Entire population to be suspects in ID card fingerprint scheme.
December 14, 2004... Bill Goodwin bill.goodwin@rbi.co.uk Police will have new powers to check scene-of-crime fingerprints against the biometric records of the entire UK adult population under the government's national ID card scheme. The plan has...

Enhancements to 10g pave way for migration to enterprise grids.(Oracle 10g Server Release 2)
December 14, 2004... Cliff Saran and Arif Mohamed cliff.saran@rbi.co.uk Oracle fleshed out its 10g product roadmap at its OpenWorld user conference in San Francisco last week. The software giant announced a suite of products addressing collaboration...

IT directors told to secure systems for Xmas following year of viruses.(Brief Article)
December 14, 2004... Lindsay Clark computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk IT departments should check virus updates and software patches before they take their Christmas break, after one of the worst years for virus attacks yet. The warning came from Mark Price,...

John White, chairman of Winchester White, dies.(Brief Article)(Obituary)
December 14, 2004... John Riley john.riley@rbi.co.uk A familiar figure among financial services sector IT users, John White, executive chairman of financial services consultancy Winchester White, died suddenly last week. Bright, energetic, highly...

IT directors' clean up at Christmas.(Brief Article)
December 14, 2004... Computer Weekly reporter computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk The Christmas trees are appearing in IT departments and hard-pressed staff are looking forward to the festivities, but for many, there is still work to be done. Stephen Pownall,...

DWP plans a massive XP upgrade despite the pilot roll-out disaster.(Department for Work and Pensions)
December 14, 2004... l The department plans to upgrade 128,000 PCsl A November pilot brought down 40,000 PCsl Upgrade will go ahead subject to 'impact analysis' Tony Collins tony.collins@rbi.co.uk The Department for Work and Pensions is pressing ahead...

Letters.(Letter to the Editor)
December 14, 2004... Don't rely on suppliers to protect against disaster Keith Tilley UK managing director SunGard Availability Services The recent test performed in The City of London to assess the vulnerability of communications links has...

How to solve the; patching puzzle.
December 14, 2004... To patch or not patch - that is the question for IT directors who must balance the need for security against everyday operational demands. Sally Flood looks at ways to fill software holes without spoiling the overall picture One Saturday...

Finding right staff is the biggest headache.(Brief Article)
December 14, 2004... Lindsay Clark computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk The main management headache for IT directors in the financial services sector remains finding and retaining the right staff, according to research conducted at the City IT Forum. Fifty per...

How IBM and the PC changed the world.
December 14, 2004... Cliff Saran cliff.saran@rbi.co.uk IBM transformed the world when it launched the personal computer back in 1981. Its decision last week to sell its PC business to Chinese IT supplier Lenovo shows how profound the changes it brought...

NEXT MOVE What skillset should I; learn to return to IT?(Brief Article)
December 14, 2004... The question What skillset should I learn to return to IT? I spent 10 years as an Oracle database administrator for City banks and consultancies and am currently on a career break. I have had a couple of years off and want to...

Sainsbury's IT chief to go as focus shifts to cost cuts.(Angela Morrison joined J Sainsbury PLC)
December 14, 2004... l Sainsbury's to reduce infrastructure costs after departure of IT chiefl Former IT director of Asda will fill the chief information officer post Bill Goodwin bill.goodwin@rbi.co.uk Maggie Miller, chief information officer at...

Minimising the effect of e-crime.
December 14, 2004... The fallacy that we can create a risk-free society is mirrored in hopes that the myriad vulnerabilities in technology-based systems can be stopped by compliance with burgeoning regulation, making everyone impervious to the wiles of "social...

Lloyds TSB signs [pounds sterling]500m network deal with IBM.(Lloyds TSB Group PLC)
December 14, 2004... l The bank will create a voice and data networkl Cisco will supply 70,000 IP phonesl Lloyds TSB will have eight times the bandwidth Arif Mohamed computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk Lloyds TSB will create a national converged voice and data...

Custom support, online help and Linux are options for NT4 users.
December 14, 2004... l Microsoft will run custom support until 2006l Gartner says 35% of users will have NT4l Support is available from other sources Cliff Saran cliff.saran@rbi.co.uk In spite of standard support for NT4 coming to an end this month,...