Computer Weekly articles from July 2004

Computer Weekly archives from July 2004

inside the bcs; Old-fashioned approach makes e-learning fail test but it looks set to do better in future.
July 6, 2004... John Kavanagh computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk E-learning has failed to live up to its promise because developers have automated Victorian classroom methods rather than catering for the way people learn at work, according to Brian Sutton,...

work/life balance; Satisfied staff make a good business great.
July 6, 2004... Myles Hewitt myles.hewitt@rbi.co.uk The Best Places to Work in IT 2005 awards celebrate those organisations which go beyond the basics of good remuneration and enjoyable working ambience to provide the innovative and creative...

Blazing start for African database project.
July 6, 2004... Paul Donovan computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk "On the second night I was woken by exploding roof tiles and the whole compound was blazing. I thought I was in the middle of a riot because I saw men running by with shotguns, but it turned out...

IN BRIEF.(new software and alliances)
July 6, 2004... Novell supports .net with open source tools Novell has launched Mono, an open source tool suite designed to support Microsoft's .net technology on the Linux platform. Novell said the programming model offered by Mono is compatible with .net...

java; Sun advances in Java 5.0 but users ; want more .net interoperability.(Sun Microsystems Inc.)
July 6, 2004... l Java Standard Edition 5.0 is the biggest language change in 10 yearsl Analysts say Sun faces hurdles in collaboration with Microsoft Arif Mohamed computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk At its annual user conference last week, Sun attempted to...

mobile; Vodafone's Citrix package offers faster mobile working over 3G.
July 6, 2004... Antony Savvas computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk Vodafone has introduced Citrix's Metaframe thin-client software onto its recently launched 3G network to allow mobile workers to use high-bandwidth applications such as enterprise resource...

Compliance projects at risk as IT is sidelined by finance divisions.(information technology)
July 6, 2004... l KPMG warns finance departments are not involving IT at early stagel Isolating IT may lead to duplication or ill-fitting systems and poor value Nick Huber nick.huber@rbi.co.uk Compliance projects in the banking industry risk...

IT directors who move between sectors can improve their salaries.(information technology)
July 6, 2004... Julia Vowler julia.vowler@rbi.co.uk IT directors' salaries have started to rise again, with bonuses and share options bumping up the overall remuneration package. More than a quarter of UKchief information officers have crossed...

Linux access rights expose CIOs.(chief information officer)
July 6, 2004... Neil Chaney Opinion June was a big month for IT directors of companies listed on any of the US stock exchanges, including UK firms, or having a close business relationship with a company listed there. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of...

business alignment; Why do you want to do this IT project?(information technology)(Brief Article)
July 6, 2004... BOOK profile It is important to establish the business benefits that will result from an IT implementation. For instance, suppose that you want to put the organisation's leave forms online. The outcome would be that staff will query...

MS makes users wait for new CRM suite.(Microsoft Corp's customer relationship management suite )
July 6, 2004... Arif Mohamed computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk Users will have to wait until mid-2005 to get hold of version 2.0 of Microsoft's customer relationship management suite, the company said last week. This will mean the upgrade is set for...

Suppliers not tempted by police national database.
July 6, 2004... l Failure to attract suppliers delayed national intelligence systeml Government urged to give more support to the police after Bichard Bill Goodwin bill.goodwin@rbi.co.uk Major suppliers' failure to bid for key IT projects was a...

Bichard criticisms spur Home Office move on national police intelligence network.
July 6, 2004... Bill Goodwin bill.goodwin@rbi.co.uk The Bichard Report into failures that led to Ian Huntley being in a position to murder schoolgirls Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells, has pushed the need for a national police intelligence network to...

Harvey Nichols gets ready for chip and Pin.(Harvey Nichols and Company Ltd.)(Brief Article)
July 6, 2004... Karen Gomm karen.gomm@rbi.co.uk Harvey Nichols is rolling out supply chain and electronic point of sale systems to support its expansion plans and improve stock management across its five UK stores. The department store is...

Malicious code attacks finance firms.(Brief Article)
July 6, 2004... Arif Mohamed computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk Hackers have hijacked a key logging facility in a component of Internet Explorer to capture Pin numbers of online banking users. Last week, security researchers including US emergency response...

Cabinet Office cancels [pounds sterling]83m deal with ITNet to 'avoid non-delivery'.(Brief Article)
July 6, 2004... Lindsay Clark computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk ITNet is contemplating legal action against the Cabinet Office after the sudden cancellation of a [pounds sterling]83m datacentre contract last week, just 12 months after it was awarded. The...

Top IT staff 'exploited'.(information technology)(Brief Article)
July 6, 2004... Lindsay Clark computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk A third of IT managers work the equivalent of a seven-day week, according to a survey by the Chartered Management Institute. The Business Energy Survey questioned 1,500 managers. It found...

Total's Remedy saves [pounds sterling]40,000 in six months.(Brief Article)
July 6, 2004... Cliff Saran cliff.saran@rbi.co.uk A [pounds sterling]90,000 helpdesk from Remedy has saved oil company Total UK nearly [pounds sterling]40,000 in just over six months of use. Total has restructured its helpdesks into a single...

High-level supporters win victory for campaign.(Brief Article)
July 6, 2004... Tony Collins tony.collins@rbi.co.uk Proposals to boost openness and accountability on government IT projects, as put forward by Computer Weekly, have won the support of senior figures in the IT industry and MPs from all parties. ...

IT is biggest area of waste in the public sector.(Public Accounts Committee)(information technology)
July 6, 2004... Tony Collins tony.collins@rbi.co.uk MPs used the House of Commons debate on the work of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) to try to get to grips with the continuing failure of many Whitehall IT projects. Howard Flight, shadow...

Viatel doubles speed of conventional ADSL.(asymmetric digital subscriber line)(Brief Article)
July 6, 2004... Antony Savvas computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk Companies that do not want to pay expensive leased-line set up costs can now use a cheaper, specially configured DSL broadband service from Viatel that doubles the data send speed of conventional...

Customs set for [pounds sterling]4bn road scheme.(Brief Article)
July 6, 2004... Lindsay Clark computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk IT suppliers have submitted their bids for a [pounds sterling]4bn Customs and Excise IT project to create a system for charging haulage firms for their road usage. Customs is developing the...

CMA demands tighter rules for BT.(Communications Management Association)(British Telecommunications PLC)(Brief Article)
July 6, 2004... l User group urges Ofcom to prevent "abuse" by telecoms players l CMA says threat of regulation correlates with price cuts from BT Antony Savvas computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk The Communications Management Association is using this...

C&W enables VoIP calls on existing kit.(Cable and Wireless PLC)(voice over internet protocols)(Brief Article)
July 6, 2004... Cliff Saran cliff.saran@rbi.co.uk Cable & Wireless has introduced what it claims is the first fully-managed IP voice service for business users in the UK. C&W said the new service would enable firms to send voice calls over IP...

Allied Irish switches to Linux on the desktop.(Allied Irish Banks PLC)(Brief Article)
July 6, 2004... Nick Huber nick.huber@rbi.co.uk Allied Irish Bank is to switch its 7,500 desktop PCs from Windows to a Linux-based Java system. The move is a landmark for open source software, according to Daniel Mayo, lead analyst for financial...

Prices to fall in growing 3G market.(Orange services)(Brief Article)
July 6, 2004... Antony Savvas computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk Orange launched its UK 3G data service in the UK last week, raising the prospect of price wars as operators battle for customers. With T-Mobile and O2 planning to launch their respective 3G...

Users urged to check HP notebooks.(Hewlett-Packard Co.)(Brief Article)
July 6, 2004... Cliff Saran cliff.saran@rbi.co.uk Users of Hewlett-Packard notebook PCs have been urged to check their hardware following the discovery that rogue memory chips could corrupt data and cause the machines to lock up. One million machines...

IN BRIEF.(information technology)
July 6, 2004... Immigration signs [pounds sterling]40m intelligence deal The Immigration and Nationality Department has awarded a [pounds sterling]40m contract to Serco Justice to provide an immigration intelligence system. Dubbed Mycroft, the system,...

The corporate it forum; Rationalisation today brings value tomorrow.(Brief Article)
July 6, 2004... The main challenges faced by IT directors today relate to rationalisation of the IT infrastructure, whereas the challenges for tomorrow will be to deploy the fruits of this work to facilitate business change and bring real value from IT. ...

Letters.(information technology briefs)
July 6, 2004... Making government IT projects work Mark Elkins The "Lifecycle of a public sector IT failure" in the feature (Computer Weekly, 22 June) has two factors at its core. First, many democratic electoral systems result in a finite...

What makes your place of work the best?
July 6, 2004... Best Places to work in It 2005 Following the success of the first Best Places to Work in IT awards, Computer Weekly is again looking to showcase and applaud the UK's best employers of IT professionals and highlight employment best...

IT directors' forum ; Upgrades are biggest IT challenge.(information technology)(Brief Article)
July 6, 2004... Consolidation, integration and getting value for money are the key management and technical challenges for IT directors this year, according to a survey of senior corporate IT users who attended this year's IT Directors' Forum. The IT...

JP Morgan automates to get real-time trade data.(J.P. Morgan Chase and Co.)(Brief Article)
July 6, 2004... l JP Morgan Chase consolidates multiple small, specialist systemsl Investment technology allows the bank to bypass brokerage services Nick Huber nick.huber@rbi.co.uk Investment bank JP Morgan Chase has deployed new trading...

Users offered a free ride on Yukon Express.(Microsoft Corp's SQL Server services)(Brief Article)
July 6, 2004... l Microsoft releases a free cut-down version of next SQL Server databasel Version offers faster performance and supports native XML Cliff Saran cliff.saran@rbi.co.uk Microsoft has introduced a free, cut-down version of Yukon, the...

Hackers face longer jail sentences under plans to update the Computer Misuse Act.
July 6, 2004... l New laws will give UK police powers to extradite criminals from overseasl Phishing and fraud against computer systems will become illegal Bill Goodwin bill.goodwin@rbi.co.uk The government has committed to introducing tougher...

Government pledges new look at laws to stop public IT failures.
July 6, 2004... Tony Collins tony.collins@rbi.co.uk The Government is to consider a new statutory framework for IT in the public sector, building on the US government's experience of dealing with project disasters. New laws could check what was...

YOUR SHOUT; Have your say at ; computerweekly.com.(spammers internet usage)
July 6, 2004... On whether spammers own the internet In response to Simon Moores' Thought for the Day (computerweekly.com), who suggested that the internet is becoming overrun by spam and is inherently insecure Maybe a radical solution to the problem...

commons debate; Minister to consider Computer Weekly's plan to stop IT disasters.
July 6, 2004... Tony Collins tony.collins@rbi.co.uk The government's announcement last week that it is to consider legislation which will improve the transparency and accountability on major IT projects was welcomed by MP Richard Bacon. A leading...

i'm mobile, fly me.
July 6, 2004... A field force brandishing PDAs can give a company an instant lift. But cultural, operational and security issues need to be addressed to reap lasting benefits. Liz Warren reports As mobile solutions become more accessible, so pressure...

desktop; HP puts more security on business PCs.(Hewlett-Packard Co's personal computers)(Brief Article)
July 6, 2004... Arif Mohamed computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk This July Hewlett-Packard will release a range of PCs featuring new security technology and back-up and recovery software. The HP Compaq Business Desktop dc7100, dc5000 and dx6100 use the HP...

Crackdown on copyright.(peer to peer software usage)
July 6, 2004... Is discovering an employee downloading the latest Britney Spears song using free peer-to-peer (P2P) software just a nuisance to the IT manager? Is it eating up network bandwidth, or is it just an unsupported application let loose on the...

Should I evaluate open source products?
July 6, 2004... The Linux/open source debate leaves me pretty cold, but I am getting pressure from above, where directors are thinking of cost savings, and from below, as a number of staff are pressing for us to evaluate it - no doubt to develop their careers....

Microsoft offers Olap on a budget.(online analytical processing)
July 6, 2004... What is it? Microsoft has a powerful weapon against best-of-breed products: bundling in the features other suppliers make revenue from. Among the targets are business intelligence and Olap (online analytical processing). Microsoft is...

The government listens at last.
July 6, 2004... Nobody in their right mind would think a Hansard report on the day's proceedings in Parliament was an exciting, page-turning read. Yet, towards the end of a Hansard report of the debates in the Commons on 29 June 2004 is the story of the most...

Confusion about parameters and scope threatens ID card success.(identification cards)
July 13, 2004... John Kavanagh computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk The government's identity card initiative risks falling foul of the biggest cause of IT project failure - its much-criticised lack of clear scope, the BCS has warned. The BCS said early...

Key to employment best practice is respect.
July 13, 2004... Myles Hewitt myles.hewitt@rbi.co.uk One of the main aims of the Best Places to Work in IT 2005 awards is to encourage and promote employment best practice. And the organisations that make the shortlist at the end of this year will...

profile; BBC IT director prepares for new role as Siemens wins [pounds sterling]2bn outsourcing contract.
July 13, 2004... Nick Huber nick.huber@rbi.co.uk The man behind the BBC's [pounds sterling]2bn IT outsourcing deal has risen through the broadcasting ranks to become one of the most influential IT directors in industry. During a 27-year career,...

NT4 users want US-style extended support deal.(Microsoft Corp's Windows NT4 contract)(Brief Article)
July 13, 2004... Cliff Saran cliff.saran@rbi.co.uk Representatives of some of the UK's largest IT users are set to ask Microsoft to offer them the same custom support contracts for Windows NT4 that it has agreed with a consortium of 100 leading US...

Parliamentary report expected to back call for transparency in IT projects Commons support grows for Gateway publication.
July 13, 2004... Shaking up government IT Tony Collins tony.collins@rbi.co.uk The head of Eurim, one of the most influential parliamentary IT bodies, has thrown his weight behind Computer Weekly's call to make government IT projects more...

Firms urged to look at rivals to 'hackers' target' Internet Explorer.
July 13, 2004... l Experts say Microsoft Internet Explorer has too many security issuesl Firms are urged to consider Netscape, Opera, Mozilla and Safari Arif Mohamed computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk Ongoing security issues in Internet Explorer have...

Hack-proof and crash resistant - have you discovered the OS world's best-kept secret?
July 13, 2004... OpenVMS offers unmatched robustness for business-critical apps BYLINE: Colin Butcher Tech talk OpenVMS (originally known as VMS) is probably the best designed and most robust general purpose operating system in existence. It is...

UK's Youth Offending Teams to go mobile.(Brief Article)
July 13, 2004... Arif Mohamed computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk Forty-six Youth Offending Teams (Yots), which support and supervise young offenders, are moving to a web-based software system that will give them mobile and browser-based access to information....

Camelot invests in San to support new channels and recovery plans.(Camelot Group PLC)(Brief Article)
July 13, 2004... Karen Gomm karen.gomm@rbi.co.uk Lottery operator Camelot is building a storage area network to improve its disaster recovery capability and support new distribution channels. The San deployment is part of a [pounds sterling]45m...

IN BRIEF.(regulators to control spam)
July 13, 2004... Countries unite to end spam within two years Regulators from 60 countries have joined forces with the aim of eliminating spam e-mails and phone messages within two years. At a meeting of the International Telecoms Union last week, it was...

Bob Bemer, father of ASCII, dies.(American Standard Code for Information Interchange )(Obituary)
July 13, 2004... Myles Hewitt myles.hewitt@rbi.co.uk Computing pioneer Bob Bemer, who warned the unheeding world of the Y2K problem back in 1971, has died. Bemer was instrumental in some of the major changes in the history of computing, happily...

Staff get formal grievance process.
July 13, 2004... Bill Goodwin bill.goodwin@rbi.co.uk IT who that feel they have been badly treated by their line managers will have the right to have their grievances heard when new legislation comes into force this autumn. From October all...

IT chiefs must sell offshore deals to staff.(information technology)(Brief Article)
July 13, 2004... Nick Huber nick.huber@rbi.co.uk IT directors need to work harder to secure support from staff when negotiating controversial offshore outsourcing contracts, the National Outsourcing Association has warned. Common mistakes made by...

Gartner's IT team gains business skills with the personal approach.(Gartner Group Inc.)
July 13, 2004... Mentors help Gartner's ITstaff stay on top Julia Vowler julia.vowler@rbi.co.uk As the head of IT at Gartner, a company that advises other organisations on how to optimise their IT, John Dunnet has to run an exemplary ship himself....

Dissolving the shock of the new.(information technology changes)
July 13, 2004... Communicate the opportunities projects offer BYLINE: Jim Campbell Opinion Managing change is a major issue for IT departments. Research by user group the Corporate IT Forum showed it to be one of the biggest challenges for its...

UK museums team up to display treasures in global user-friendly web exhibition.
July 13, 2004... British Museum leads development of World Timelines project Karen Gomm karen.gomm@rbi.co.uk The British Museum is about to go live with a web-based exhibition to enable visitors from around the world to view artefacts from its...

Users hold back from 'immature technology'.(Brief Article)
July 13, 2004... Cliff Saran cliff.saran@rbi.co.uk Web services technology is still a long way from being widely accepted by users, a survey by AMR Research has concluded. In the survey of 350 companies, AMR found that 40% of respondents had not...

Old Mutual rolls out web reporting software to meet new regulations.(Geac Computers Inc.)(Brief Article)
July 13, 2004... Nick Huber nick.huber@rbi.co.uk Financial services group Old Mutual has rolled out web-based reporting software across its business worldwide to consolidate data and help it meet the requirements of new financial reporting standards....

Outsourcing 'deal of the decade' will throw up major challenges.(British Broadcasting Corp.)(Brief Article)
July 13, 2004... Nick Huber nick.huber@rbi.co.uk The scale and innovative nature of the BBC's [pounds sterling]2bn IT services contract poses a wide range of challenges for both the public broadcaster and its preferred supplier, Siemens Business...

Technology staff face uncertainty.(BBC Technology Ltd.)(Brief Article)
July 13, 2004... Nick Huber nick.huber@rbi.co.uk Views on the impact of the BBC outsourcing deal on staff are polarised. The deal has faced opposition from technicians' union Bectu, which has told the BBC it plans to ballot members of BBC...

E-documents to halve city's print bill.(Brief Article)
July 13, 2004... Bill Goodwin bill.goodwin@rbi.co.uk A project to make documents available electronically to council staff and the public will allow Edinburgh City Council to cut its [pounds sterling]150,000 annual printing bill by half. The...

Companies fail to fix system flaws uncovered by penetration testing.
July 13, 2004... l Additional holes are being introduced during the patching processl Test gives false sense of security - repeat penetration test needed Cliff Saran cliff.saran@rbi.co.uk Many businesses that use penetration testing are not fixing...

Biometric ID cards do little to cut fraud, warns Imis.(Institute for the Management of Information Systems)(identification cards)
July 13, 2004... Bill Goodwin bill.goodwin@rbi.co.uk Biometric ID cards will do little to combat identity theft, fraud or terrorism, the Institute for the Management of Information Systems will tell the government next week. Imis, which represents...

Decision not to publish Gateway reviews does not bear scrutiny - and here's why.
July 13, 2004... government IT It is in the public interest to publish reviews of public sector IT projects Ruth Kelly, financial secretary to the Treasury, has told Parliament she will consider introducing a statutory framework, which could strengthen the...

HSBC IT staff in offshoring strike threat.(Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Ltd.)(information technology staff)(Brief Article)
July 13, 2004... Nick Huber nick.huber@rbi.co.uk IT staff at HSBC are preparing to strike in protest over offshore outsourcing by the bank, union leaders have warned. Union leaders of Amicus, which represents IT workers at HSBC, met earlier this...

Bulldog bites into London with 4mbps.(Bulldog Communications)(Brief Article)
July 13, 2004... Antony Savvas computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk Bulldog has launched a Central London 4mbps broadband service for just [pounds sterling]30 a month. The Bulldog 4 service outperforms the 1mbps BT Yahoo broadband service, which also costs...

CMA hopeful about UK broadband roll-out.(Communications Management Association )(Brief Article)
July 13, 2004... Antony Savvas computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk There are signs of hope for progress in the roll-out of broadband services in the UK, the Communications Management Association said at the Enterprise Networks show last week. Carolyn...

e-business; Hosting boosts Comet's website performance.(Brief Article)
July 13, 2004... Arif Mohamed computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk High street retailer Comet has boosted the performance of its e-commerce websites, which generated a [pounds sterling]70m profit last year, by using a web hosting service to take the pressure off...

More work goes overseas as companies reap savings.(Brief Article)
July 13, 2004... Cliff Saran cliff.saran@rbi.co.uk Increasing numbers of businesses are set to send their software development projects offshore to reduce IT costs, according to Forrester Research. In a report out today (13 July) the analyst firm...

Smaller multi-supplier contracts make mega deals fall out of favour.
July 13, 2004... l Smaller outsourcing contracts are preferred by 57% of UK companiesl Reduced running costs and better service were reasons for outsourcing Nick Huber nick.huber@rbi.co.uk Most UK organisations believe that small outsourcing deals...

XP SP2 could hamper website use.(Microsoft Corp's Windows XP Service )(Brief Article)
July 13, 2004... Cliff Saran cliff.saran@rbi.co.uk Organisations with customer-facing websites should make adjustments to their systems to ensure they are still fully accessible after the introduction of Windows XP Service Pack 2 later this summer,...

business continuity; Welsh councils build disaster recovery centre.
July 13, 2004... Antony Savvas computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk Three of the largest local authorities in Wales have joined together to build a disaster recovery site that will cut costs and improve their ability to continue operations in an emergency. ...

Direct control of offshore IT can reduce risk.(information technology )(eBookers PLC)(Brief Article)
July 13, 2004... Nick Huber nick.huber@rbi.co.uk Companies should consider bypassing outsourcing suppliers and setting up their own offshore IT subsidiary to reduce risks and widen commercial opportunities, according to the founder of internet travel...

infrastructure security; Ministers told to do more to protect UK's critical IT.(information technology)
July 13, 2004... l MPs warn of lack of co-ordination between government bodiesl Report says systems not reliable enough to ensure comms after emergency Bill Goodwin bill.goodwin@rbi.co.uk MPs on the Intelligence and Security Committee are pressing...

Bacs' IT to put it at heart of Europe.(information technology)(Brief Article)
July 13, 2004... Nick Huber nick.huber@rbi.co.uk UK clearing house Bacs has outlined plans to place itself at the heart of the European payment market following a shake-up of its IT infrastructure. Bacs, which processes the UK's salary payments...

software; NT4 users want custom support deal.(Microsoft Corp's NT4 servers)(Brief Article)
July 13, 2004... NT4 still has a substantial foothold in UK IT departments. IT directors at a Tif workshop in March estimated they were running 10,000 NT4 servers between them. Meta Group analyst Phil Dawson said, "Up to a quarter of UK users are still running...

BBC's [pounds sterling]2bn technology sell-off could be last of its kind in the UK.(British Broadcasting Corp.)
July 13, 2004... l Few organisations are in a position to spin-off their IT divisionsl Bundled sell-off and outsourcing deal is due to be finalised in the autumn Nick Huber nick.huber@rbi.co.uk The BBC's [pounds sterling]2bn IT deal with Siemens...

IN BRIEF.
July 13, 2004... Think tank to improve IT project management A think tank to improve the success rates of IT projects was launched last week by Cranfield School of Management. Backed by organisations including AstraZeneca, BT, Microsoft and West Midlands...

Siemens wins BBC IT contract.(Siemens Business Services)(British Broadcasting Corp.)(information technology)(Brief Article)
July 13, 2004... The BBC last week awarded Siemens Business Services what has been described as the IT outsourcing deal of the decade. As preferred supplier, Siemens will oversee the roll-out of advanced digital technology at the BBC. The technology has already...

Icaf to offer a structure for IT security industry.(Institute for Communications Arbitration and Forensics)(Brief Article)
July 13, 2004... The fledgling Institute for Communications Arbitration and Forensics (Icaf) aims to broaden out to plug the leadership gap in IT security. There is no overarching careers and qualifications framework for information security, and the IT...