Computer Weekly articles from January 2004

Computer Weekly archives from January 2004

New standard recognises value of hands-on engineering experience.(UK-Spec (UK Standard for Professional Engineering Competence))
January 13, 2004... 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)...

IT chiefs lose the work-life balance.(according to Synstar)(Brief Article)
January 13, 2004... James Rogers james.rogers@rbi.co.uk IT directors are losing the battle to maintain a healthy work-life balance, according to research by business continuity firm Synstar. Some 83% cannot sleep for worrying about their jobs and 94%...

Code issue affects 40% of websites.(Brief Article)
January 13, 2004... Cliff Saran cliff.saran@rbi.co.uk As many as 40% of websites using back-end relational databases are susceptible to a programming error that could enable a hacker to take full control of the database. Richard Brain, technical...

IN BRIEF.
January 13, 2004... BCS raises concerns over ID cards The British Computer Society has raised concerns over the government's ID card plans. In written evidence to the Home Affairs Committee inquiry, the BCS expressed concern about the integrity and...

Delphi 8 helps coders move to .net.
January 13, 2004... Nick Langley computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk What is it? Delphi is a language used for rapid application development for Windows and the web. It is also available for Linux in the form of Kylix. The latest version, Delphi 8, was...

IT chiefs should prepare now for revised age discrimination laws.(Brief Article)(Industry Overview)
January 13, 2004... Nick Huber nick.huber@rbi.co.uk IT directors have been urged to act now to tackle ageism in the workplace before new legislation outlawing age discrimination comes into force in 2006. According to research by the Chartered...

Brave EDS move could backfire.
January 13, 2004... Most governments would look to go into the Christmas holidays with a whimper rather than a bang. This administration is doing things the other way round with its decision to drop EDS, the incumbent IT supplier at the Inland Revenue, and replace...

Suppliers' RFID fears must be addressed early.(Industry Overview)
January 13, 2004... Daniel Thomas daniel.thomas@rbi.co.uk Retailers considering launching radio frequency identification tag initiatives must work on the assumption that their suppliers will be reluctant to embrace the technology, analyst firm GartnerG2...

The shifting sands of data protection law.
January 13, 2004... Employers face considerable difficulties in interpreting data protection legislation as the law beds in. For example, issues such as how far a person's right to privacy should be protected come under constant scrutiny. Although the...

Barclays deal may quell offshore fears.(Brief Article)
January 13, 2004... Nick Huber nick.huber@rbi.co.uk Barclays has agreed terms and conditions for staff made redundant through offshore outsourcing deals with banking union Unifi. The deal gives staff at least three months' notice if they lose their...

OGC secures Oracle discount.(UK Office of Government Commerce)
January 13, 2004... Antony Savvas computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk The UK Office of Government Commerce has renegotiated a public-sector licensing contract it signed with Oracle last February, to give central and local government departments greater discounts...

Bradford Council IT staff vote on striking over deal.(Brief Article)
January 13, 2004... l Council plans a 10-year, [pounds sterling]100m outsourcing contract in Marchl Staff want the choice of working for the council or the outsourcing firm Antony Savvas computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk IT staff at Bradford Council are...

SCO calls on users to state Unix compliance.
January 13, 2004... Daniel Thomas daniel.thomas@rbi.co.uk SCO Group has sent letters to 6,000 Unix licence holders requiring them to certify that they are in full compliance with their agreements and are not using Unix code in Linux. The move is an...

Newham Council rejects Linux move as too risky.(to use Microsoft)
January 13, 2004... (Computer Weekly, 14 October 2003). In an effort to prove its products offered best value, Microsoft provided the council with free consultancy from Cap Gemini Ernst & Young. "We see potential across the board for open source, but the...

Exchange struggles to persuade traders to use electronic system.(Brief Article)
January 13, 2004... l Only about 3% of trades a week have been handled electronicallyl The IPE will attempt to attract customers on rival exchanges to the system Nick Huber nick.huber@rbi.co.uk The International Petroleum Exchange (IPE), the last...

Identity protection and patching top IT concerns.
January 13, 2004... that will not only control who has access to what company systems, but are likely to help companies improve their productivity. Neil Barrett, technical director of IT security consultancy Information Risk Management, believes that social...

IT in 2004: more power, lower costs and secure.(Brief Article)(Industry Overview)
January 13, 2004... Cliff Saran cliff saran@rbi.co.uk Higher performance, lower costs and stronger security will be the key drivers for the IT industry during 2004. Users can expect Sun Microsystems to make a big splash with its new processor partner...

IN BRIEF.
January 13, 2004... Criminal justice IT unit gets new director A new director general has been appointed to head Whitehall's criminal justice IT unit. John Suffolk, formerly operations director and managing director at Britannia Building Society, will be...

Resolve to put your IT skills to good use in 2004.
January 13, 2004... Before the Christmas cheer and all those well-intentioned new year's resolutions recede, there is still time to add your name to the list of hundreds of IT professionals willing to use their expertise to help their local communities. Since...

Trust, motivation and recognition make the difference between the best and the rest.(Industry Overview)
January 13, 2004... The IT departments that comprise our shortlist of the Best Places to Work in IT 2003 have overcome a variety of challenges to emerge as exemplars of best practice. Through feedback from IT managers and their staff, we celebrate here the best...

NEXT MOVE.
January 13, 2004... The question What can I expect as a C++ coder? I am studying business computing at Huddersfield University and am learning C++. What job opportunities are there for someone who can program expertly with C++ and what kind of salary...

Use PKI to beat phishers.
January 13, 2004... Digital certificates could ward against internet scams Internet scammers are increasingly casting around for financial information by "phishing" - using spam to deceive consumers into disclosing credit card numbers, bank account details and...

Decentralise NHS data.
January 13, 2004... Use smartcards to ease traffic on national data spine The provision of timely information throughout the NHS will be the true test of the information spine infrastructure. Although all patient data will be held in one place, the details...

Skills suite launches in the spring.(Brief Article)
January 13, 2004... Online services that support IT specialists in their careers and help employers identify skills gaps are being prepared by the BCS for launch next spring. "This new suite of services will enable IT practitioners to demonstrate where their...

Demise of spam, Linux on the desktop and grid computing: what's in store in 2004.(Industry Overview)
January 13, 2004... forecast Robin Bloor presents his personal views on this year's technology drivers BYLINE: Robin Bloor Tech talk Will we ever get a grip on spam? Will Linux finally take off? I believe it will. At the end of 2003 I looked back at...

Don't be blinded by offshore savings claims.
January 13, 2004... The business case for moving some IT operations offshore is, on paper, compelling for organisations of a certain size. Amid eye-grabbing claims that exporting IT development and infrastructure can save in excess of 50% of their total cost,...

British Computer Society ; National identity register could be an expensive flop, warns BCS.
January 20, 2004... John Kavanagh john.kavanagh@rbi.co.uk Concerns about the biometric technology, data management and costs associated with the government's proposed national identity card scheme have been raised by the BCS. The society told the...

Bluetooth and MP3 take to the slopes.(sportswear firm O'Neill has unveiled the Hub, a mobile communications and entertainment jacket)(Brief Article)
January 20, 2004... Sportswear firm O'Neill has unveiled the Hub, a mobile communications and entertainment jacket. The high-tech jacket, which will be put in the UK in July, boasts an MP3 player and Bluetooth, allowing boarders to select MP3 tracks via a control...

security; Flaw found in anti-virus software.(products from Network Associates, Trend Micro and Kaspersky )
January 20, 2004... Antony Savvas antony.savvas@rbi.co.uk Products from three popular anti-virus software companies have been found to contain a programming flaw that allows a hacker to crash a user's desktop PC Products from Network Associates,...

Legal experts advise Linux users not to be pressurised into buying a licence from SCO; Now SCO is demanding Linux licence payments from SMEs.
January 20, 2004... Cliff Saran cliff.saran@rbi.co.uk SCO is extending its demands for licence payments from Linux users to include small and medium-sized businesses. The move, announced last week, is the latest twist in SCO's attempts to assert its...

Upgrade your skills to Oracle 10g.
January 20, 2004... hot skills In the SSL/CW list of top IT skills, Oracle is number four Nick Langley computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk What is it? By the end of the first quarter of 2004, three different releases of the Oracle database will be in use...

Supplier rationalisation could undermine user confidence in national programme.(National Health Services)
January 20, 2004... NHSIT Merger highlights problems of balancing of user choice with economies of scale BYLINE: computer weekly campaign NHS ITWATCH Tony Collins tony.collins@rbi.co.uk When billions of pounds worth of contracts were...

work/life balance; DTI calls for better working hours.(the Department for Trade & Industry)
January 20, 2004... Antony Savvas computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk IT workers will be spending less time tinkering with servers and Linux kernels in 2004 if the Department for Trade & Industry makes progress with its work/life balance campaign. To help...

viruses ; Processors will protect against buffer overflow.(software and processor technology from chip manufacturer AMD)
January 20, 2004... James Rogers james.rogers@rbi.co.uk Businesses will soon gain more protection against virus attacks, thanks to Microsoft software and processor technology from chip manufacturer AMD. AMD's Athlon 64, 64FX and Operton chips contain...

obituary; Former CW software editor loses cancer battle.(Claire Gooding, pioneering software journalist and former software editor of Computer Weekly, died on 9 January following a long battle with cancer)
January 20, 2004... John Riley john.riley@rbi.co.uk Claire Gooding, pioneering software journalist and former software editor of Computer Weekly, died on 9 January following a long battle with cancer. Claire was an outstanding writer with a knack of...

online ; Corporate websites fail usability test.(an annual usability survey of FTSE 100 firms)
January 20, 2004... Daniel Thomas daniel.thomas@rbi.co.uk A third of the UK's largest companies do not provide adequate levels of information on their corporate websites, according to an annual usability survey of FTSE 100 firms. Oil company Shell...

Retail giants join Intel to drive RFID adoption.(UK supermarket chain Tesco and European retail giants Carrefour and Metro Group have joined forces with chip manufacturer Intel to accelerate the adoption of electronic product code (EPC) technologies such as RFID)
January 20, 2004... Daniel Thomas daniel.thomas@rbi.co.uk UK supermarket chain Tesco and European retail giants Carrefour and Metro Group have joined forces with chip manufacturer Intel to accelerate the adoption of electronic product code (EPC)...

Downtime.(Oracle Corp)
January 20, 2004... Truth is stranger than fiction - or is it? Downtime spent much of last week wondering how Oracle chief Larry Ellison would cope with the shake-up at the top of the company he has dominated for so long. He has long seemed the very model of a...

Open source group establishes legal defence fund.
January 20, 2004... Daniel Thomas daniel.thomas@rbi.co.uk A [pounds sterling]5.5m legal defence fund is being set up to protect Linux users from lawsuits alleging copyright infringement that might be filed against them by the SCO Group. Open Source...

Linux Suppliers move to reassure users facing threat of legal action from SCO Group; Novell offers indemnity protection to new SuSE users who buy support package.
January 20, 2004... Cliff Saran cliff.saran@rbi.co.uk Novell is offering new users of SuSE Linux, concerned about the ongoing Linux copyright dispute an indemnity against legal action by SCO. Steve Brown, UK managing director at Novell, said, "One of...

nhs it; Legal threat fails to deter Torex-Isoft merger plans.
January 20, 2004... l Isoft and Torex press ahead with merger despite challengel Hospital trusts express their concern to the Office of Fair Trading Tony Collins tony.collins@rbi.co.uk Two software companies at the centre of the NHS's [pounds...

software; No support reprieve for NT4 users.(Microsoft Corp)
January 20, 2004... Cliff Saran cliff.saran@rbi.co.uk Legacy Windows users have been offered Microsoft support until 2006, but there is no extension to NT4. Users of Windows 98, 98 second edition and Windows Millennium will now be able to pay [pounds...

licences ; Unlicensed software use could mean prison.(the Federation Against Software Theft has warned that it will pursue companies using unlicensed software through the criminal courts)
January 20, 2004... Nick Huber nick.huber@rbi.co.uk The Federation Against Software Theft has warned that it will pursue companies using unlicensed software through the criminal courts, in a return to "hardball" tactics that could see directors face 10...

tourism ; MyTravel IT issues contribute to losses.
January 20, 2004... Daniel Thomas daniel.thomas@rbi.co.uk The failure of holiday company MyTravel to align its business processes to new IT systems contributed to a record [pounds sterling]911m pre-tax loss last year. MyTravel told Computer Weekly...

Blend skills for a better class of e-learning.
January 20, 2004... e-learning It is cheaper and more effective than traditional training methods and is quietly winning a large share of users' budgets. So how do you weave it into your strategy? Helen Beckett computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk E-learning...

Letters.
January 20, 2004... Smart move would be to let GPs hold records Adrian Midgley GP I am a GP in the area where many years ago a trial of medical records on smartcards (Honeywell-Bull) was conducted. I found the trial interesting, but not very useful....

Swanwick upgrades after near miss.(the Swanwick air traffic control centre near Fareham)
January 20, 2004... Tony Collins tony.collins@rbi.co.uk The near miss of two large passenger jets over Wales, during which a woman was injured, has led to a change in the design of software at a [pounds sterling]623m air traffic control centre in...

NATS; Controller had 'forgotten' repositioning boxes.(National Air Traffic Services )
January 20, 2004... data blocks, identify the aircraft and are usually displayed next to a diamond symbol that depicts the radar return of the jet. Controllers can move data blocks to stop them overlapping. In the incident the controller who was operating...

Office of Government Commerce/intellect; OGC gives tips on getting the most from suppliers.
January 20, 2004... Practical guidelines for building effective IT user/supplier partnerships have been issued by the Office of Government Commerce. In a separate move, IT suppliers' organisation Intellect has come up with 10 commitments to users to address...

NEXT MOVE.(the Microsoft certified solution developer qualification )
January 20, 2004... The question Will a Microsoft certificate help me? I am a postgraduate software developer with more than a year's experience in Visual Basic for applications. I plan to get some online certifications to aid my search for a job....

Metro Group plans to be first with RFID.(Germany's Metro Group plans to get its stores and suppliers RFID-enabled)
January 20, 2004... Retail Metro Group used the National Retail Federation's annual trade show to announce that it intends to beat Wal-Mart's 2005 deadline to get its stores and suppliers RFID-enabled Daniel Thomas daniel.thomas@rbi.co.uk Germany's...

financial sector ; London Clearing House to update IT systems to Java architecture.
January 20, 2004... l London Clearing House to replace 30 systems with J2EE architecturel Hewlett-Packard, BEA, Oracle and ATOS Origin will design the system Nick Huber nick.huber@rbi.co.uk London Clearing House is replacing its back-office IT...

salaries; Outsourcing blamed for cut in IT bonuses.
January 20, 2004... Antony Savvas computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk IT professionals are finding that bonus payments for holding technical accreditation have been cut in the past 12 months, partly because of offshore outsourcing. "We first started noticing...

Suppliers need to settle code dispute without involving users.(SCO has shaken the confidence of users and suppliers of Linux )
January 20, 2004... In seeking to extend its battle over alleged copyright infringement to small and medium-sized enterprises in the UK, there is little doubt that SCO has shaken the confidence of users and suppliers of Linux. Aside from those who have already...

Stifling NHS innovation.(National Health Services )
January 20, 2004... Roger Wallhouse Opinion Since the mid 1990s the health IT supplier community has undergone significant change, culminating in the introduction of the national programme for IT in 2002. The main impact of the NPfIT to date has been...

financial services ; FSA to target stockmarket abuse with [pounds sterling]4m fraud detection system.(Financial Services Authority )
January 20, 2004... l Financial Services Authority to spend [pounds sterling]4m on more powerful systeml Financial services firms invest to meet money laundering regulations Nick Huber nick.huber@rbi.co.uk The Financial Services Authority is to spend...

Users need to come first.(information technology)(Column)
January 20, 2004... Mike Tilley Opinion Few people doubt that IT is central to the success of modern organisations. Over the past 20 years, every large company has deployed a wide range of applications which have greatly increased the speed at which...

How to boost the bottom line: get the best out of your department.(Column)
January 20, 2004... Helen Becket computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk Redesigning work patterns around the contributions and competencies of staff and reinterpreting the concept of the office can increase productivity by keeping staff happy. Last year Royal and...

YOUR SHOUT; Have your say at ; computerweekly.com.
January 20, 2004... The only way to make offshoring pay In response to Danny Bradbury's article on the hidden costs of outsourcing Cheap labour costs save the UK money only if: A small percentage of business is moved abroad and the majority of work...

Recognising the best places to work in IT.(IT departments for Computer Weekly's Best Places to Work in IT 2003 awards)
January 20, 2004... Selected from 500 nominees, the shortlisted IT departments for Computer Weekly's Best Places to Work in IT 2003 awards represent leading-edge thinking on how to create a positive workplace. Look out for coverage of the awards in our 10...

inside the BCS; Still time to enter coding competition.(British Computer Society)
January 20, 2004... IT teams have just 11 days left to enter the annual BCS Programming Competition. The competition is for teams of up to five people, including a team manager, who must solve problems against the clock. Teams can choose from C, C++,...

Feeling the ; Squeeze.(average salaries for IT directors are still falling)
January 20, 2004... In an employers' market, average salaries for IT directors are still falling. Jane Dudmant says it is more important than ever to look at the whole employment package, rather than just the salary There are now more highly skilled IT...

operating systems; Users welcome HP's commitment to long-term future of OpenVMS.(the latest release of OpenVMS from Hewlett-Packard )
January 20, 2004... l Evaluation release of OpenVMS for Integrity Itanium servers shipsl Production-quality release expected in second half of year James Rogers james.rogers@rbi.co.uk Users have welcomed the latest release of OpenVMS from...

software roll-out; Insurer reduces risk in rolling out software.(Aon is using a technique called business technology optimisation to assess whether in-house developed applications are ready to roll out)
January 20, 2004... Cliff Saran cliff.saran@rbi.co.uk The IT department at insurance company Aon is using a technique called business technology optimisation to assess whether in-house developed applications are ready to roll out. Business technology...

Use your contracts as checklists for managing risk on IT projects.
January 27, 2004... John Kavanagh john.kavanagh@rbi.co.uk An IT contract should be a checklist and a reference point for project risk management, not a dry legal document forgotten about in a drawer: that was the message delivered to a BCS meeting this...

telecoms; Report urges further deregulation of telecoms to boost UK economy.(according to Spectrum Strategy Consultants and Indepen Business Consultants)
January 27, 2004... l UK could gain [pounds sterling]430bn profit from deregulationl Ofcom encouraged to address discriminationl Report says BT is still dominating the market Daniel Thomas daniel.thomas@rbi.co.uk Greater competition in the telecoms...

London hospitals to face hefty bill for IT plan work.
January 27, 2004... computer weekly campaign NHS ITWATCH Tony Collins tony.collins@rbi.co.uk Health Service organisations in London have been warned that a failure to carry out a wide range of implementation measures for the [pounds...

DB2 vies for top database position.(IBM's relational database)
January 27, 2004... Nick Langley computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk What is it? DB2 is IBM's relational database, first used for MVS mainframe environments. Since 1997, when database suppliers were investing heavily - and prematurely - in object-relational...

training; Recruit with IT apprenticeships.(Brief Article)
January 27, 2004... Bill Goodwin bill.goodwin@rbi.co.uk UK employers have been urged to follow German firms by recruiting and training more of their IT staff through modern apprenticeship schemes, rather than relying on high-cost graduate training...

Know thyself...(knowledge management, or KM)
January 27, 2004... Unwieldy central systems versus personal files no one else sees?Jane Dudman reports on how to overcome the challenges of implementing knowledge management Knowledge management might sound like a good idea, but too many expensive KM...

FTSE firms address IT security in new forum.
January 27, 2004... Cliff Saran cliff saran@rbi.co.uk The heads of IT security at organisations with a combined IT budget of more than [pounds sterling]10bn have formed a forum to drive forward a new approach to security. Ten organisations, including...

Seven problems that blight all IT leaders.
January 27, 2004... Thomas Jackson Opinion IT leaders are well aware that systems can take too long to develop and frequently are not perceived to have delivered the intended benefits. But why is this? After studying 12 UK organisations and their IT...

IT chiefs need to assess costs before taking a utility computing strategy to the board.
January 27, 2004... Katy Ring Boardroom briefing The term utility computing refers to shared IT resources, charged on a usage basis. Utility computing is not a technology, and this is partly why IT suppliers are struggling to explain it to their...

software; CRM plug-in puts sales data into Office apps.(Salesforce .com's Office Edition)(Brief Article)
January 27, 2004... Daniel Thomas daniel.thomas@rbi.co.uk Application service provider Salesforce.com has launched a plug-in to link its customer relationship management system with the Microsoft Office suite. The plug-in gives users a way to import data...

retail ; Asda leads UK retail sector with first web EDI implementation.
January 27, 2004... l Web EDI could transform retail industryl Real-time data sent securely over internetl System speeds up stock replenishment cycle Daniel Thomas daniel.thomas@rbi.co.uk Supermarket chain Asda has begun rolling out web-based...

Investment bank outsources exchange service.(WestLB to ADP Brokerage Services Group)(Brief Article)
January 27, 2004... Nick Huber nick.huber@rbi.co.uk Investment bank WestLB has extended an IT outsourcing deal with ADP Brokerage Services after a successful roll-out cut foreign exchange processing costs at its London office by 70%. ADP Brokerage...

public sector; UK Online overhaul to improve public access.(Brief Article)
January 27, 2004... James Rogers james.rogers@rbi.co.uk Whitehall is overhauling the UK Online portal in an attempt to boost the uptake of central government electronic services. The move follows an independent review of government communications by...

Downtime.
January 27, 2004... Let the train hotspot take the strain BT Openzone is to roll out Wi-Fi hotspots at 15 railway stations in the UK. Stations offering wireless internet access will include London Euston and Waterloo. Birmingham New Street, Leeds City,...

security; Survey shows internet abuse is rife.(Brief Article)
January 27, 2004... Bill Goodwin bill.goodwin@rbi.co.uk The effectiveness of employers' IT security policy enforcement has been called into question by a study which found that more than 50% of organisations have had to discipline staff for misusing...

Edinburgh faces benefits backlog months after move to new system.
January 27, 2004... l Seven weeks to transfer data from legacy systeml Backlog peaked at 30,000 unprocessed itemsl Printing problems were a serious issue James Rogers james.rogers@rbi.co.uk Edinburgh City Council is struggling to overcome a backlog of...

suppliers; Enterprise users targeted for desktop Linux.(the LinuxWorld conference in New York )
January 27, 2004... Daniel Thomas daniel.thomas@rbi.co.uk Corporate IT directors were the prime targets of suppliers at the LinuxWorld conference in New York last week. Jack Messman, chief executive officer of Novell, told delegates that this year...

environment ; Users put suppliers under scrutiny ahead of EU environmental ruling.(a survey from fund management firm Isis; the European Union's Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive on the disposal of IT waste)
January 27, 2004... l Survey reveals which suppliers are most environmentally soundl Users' responsibilities set to increase as EUwaste directive takes effect Antony Savvas computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk Nokia, Hewlett-Packard, Dell and Sharp have some of...

Welsh Assembly awards [pounds sterling]200m IT contract to Siemens.
January 27, 2004... Antony Savvas computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk The Welsh Assembly has awarded a 10-year, [pounds sterling]200m IT services contract to Siemens Business Services. Siemens will overhaul the infrastructure of Welsh Assembly systems and...

Council staff delay strike.(Bradford Council )(Brief Article)
January 27, 2004... James Rogers james.rogers@rbi.co.uk IT staff at Bradford Council have suspended plans for strike action over outsourcing following eleventh-hour talks with council officials. Earlier this month, Unison union members among the...