Computer Weekly articles from June 2003

Computer Weekly archives from June 2003

The question; ShallI stick with ; Oracle or Microsoft?
June 3, 2003... I have recently been selected for redundancy and I am trying to decide what to do with my career. I have 14 years' experience in application development with 11 years in embedded and control applications, chiefly in C with some RTOS. I...

survey; Rewarding the UK's best IT employers.
June 3, 2003... Mark Lewis mark.lewis@rbi.co.uk Almost 500 organisations have registered for our Best Places to Work in IT 2003 survey, making this the most definitive census of IT professionals' workplaces ever conducted in the UK. Our study will...

The web developers' tool of choice.(Macromedia's Dreamweaver)
June 3, 2003... hot skills In the SSL/CW IT skills list, Dreamweaver is number 91 What is it? It is not often that the popular choice and the connoisseurs' preference coincide, but Dreamweaver meets the standards of the most intellectually rigorous...

NHS IT; Health service IT plans branded a 'farce'.
June 3, 2003... in the document but there are some obvious problems," said one supplier executive. NHS IT chiefs seemed to be "trying to specify everything they have failed to deliver over the past 20 years", he said. Elsewhere, "there is not the level of...

Endangered species will be recorded in an online records 'ark' to preserve knowledge.
June 3, 2003... IT lessons The Wildscreen Trust's visual archive records the world's natural heritage Ross Bentley ross.bentley@rbi.co.uk The Wildscreen Trust has recently unveiled Arkive, a global database designed to preserve images and...

What makes a good IT employer?
June 3, 2003... Andrew Davies A personal view best places to work in iT 2003 The five positive workplace attributes Over the years I have worked with people in many different IT departments. Some people really enjoyed their work, but others hated...

Pirates set IT back [pounds sterling]17bn.(Industry Overview)
June 3, 2003... Software pirates undermine new developments BYLINE: Mark Floisand Opinion Research recently conducted by IDC on behalf of the Business Software Alliance found that reducing the level of unlicensed software in the UK from 25% to...

Exporting the future.(outsourcing )
June 3, 2003... Will outsourcing IT bolster our competitors? BYLINE: Brian Thomson Opinion Short-sighted "experts" are recommending that we export software development because labour costs in India, Russia and China are a fraction of those in the...

Thomas Cook starts to see major savings as IT-driven business overhaul takes effect.
June 3, 2003... change management IT transformation propels travel firm back to profitability Karl Cushing karl.cushing@rbi.co.uk Turning around a company with a radical change in IT and an overhaul of business processes is one of the greatest...

mobile; Users bemoan lack of SPV apps.
June 3, 2003... l Software developers hit out at lack of support l Stalled software work frustrates phone usersl Orange and Microsoft act to address the issues Cliff Saran cliff.saran@rbi.co.uk In spite of developer programmes from both Microsoft...

Letters.(Letter to the Editor)
June 3, 2003... Let offshore workers take to the world stage Martin RyanDirector, DB Consulting How can the Computer Weekly editorial stand against work permits for cheaper overseas staff (Computer Weekly, 20 May)? This is protectionism, pure and...

Jump into Computastars.
June 3, 2003... Ross Bentley ross.bentley@rbi.co.uk There is still time to register for Computastars, the IT industry's annual sporting extravaganza. This year we are holding a one-off national challenge - taking place in Wrexham on Saturday 26...

Bosses should tackle stress at work.(Brief Article)
June 3, 2003... stress Survey finds 67% take workplace stress home Ross Bentley ross.bentley@rbi.co.uk Anxiety in the workplace is threatening the health of UK employees, according to research carried out by IT training company Parity Resourcing...

financial services; Risk-profile software will help prevent mis-selling.(Advisor Office 2.0 from 1st Software)
June 3, 2003... Nick Huber nick.huber@rbi.co.uk Financial advisers will be ableto do psychometric-style profiling of customer expectations using a new software package launched this week in an attempt to help prevent product mis-selling. The...

AMR Research Spring Executive Conference ; Conference sets out the seven habits of highly effective IT chiefs.
June 3, 2003... Cliff Saran cliff.saran@rbi.co.uk This Thursday (5 June) at the AMR Research Spring Executive Conference in Arizona, Colleen Niven, AMR's vice-president research, will outline the "seven habits of highly effective IT chiefs". In...

NHS IT ; IT managers voice doubts on NHS plan.(Brief Article)
June 3, 2003... James Rogers james.rogers@rbi.co.uk NHS IT managers have given a mixed reaction to NHS IT tsar Richard Granger's latest efforts to get IT professionals involved in the [pounds sterling]2.3bn national programme to overhaul health...

retail ; New head of IT at Harrods tasked with quadrupling online sales.(Massimo Franzese)(Brief Article)
June 3, 2003... Daniel Thomas daniel.thomas@rbi.co.uk Department store Harrods has appointed a new IT director to replace John Granville, who recently left the company by mutual agreement after just 18 months in the post. Massimo Franzese, his...

ERP ; Analysts fear Baan sell-off could jeopardise future software support.(Brief Article)
June 3, 2003... Antony Adshead antony.adshead@rbi.co.uk Analysts have warned that Baan's sell-off by Invensys to US equity group General Atlantic Partners will cast doubt over future support for the well-regarded ERP software. At the time of...

security ; Security is key at IBM conference.
June 3, 2003... James Rogers james.rogers@rbi.co.uk Dealing with internal and external security threats will be high on the agenda at the IBM Computer Users Association's security briefing at the Hyde Village hotel in Cheshire tomorrow (Wednesday)....

Gartner security conference; Businesses need both local and central IT security officers.
June 3, 2003... Bill Goodwin bill.goodwin@rbi.co.uk Employers should tackle information security both centrally and locally by creating central security teams and backing them up with high-powered information security officers in each major business...

mobile; Apps held back by lack of support.(Brief Article)
June 3, 2003... Cliff Saran cliff.saran@rbi.co.uk Mobile applications for Microsoft's first smartphone, the SPV, are being held back in the UK by a lack of developer support. In the past week a number of users have complained to Computer Weekly...

software licensing ; New benefits added to Microsoft licence scheme.
June 3, 2003... Cliff Saran cliff.saran@rbi.co.uk Enterprise users will now be able to access Microsoft source code as a result of last week's changes to the company's Software Assurance subscription licensing programme. In July 2002, Microsoft...

outsourcing; Barclays to sign major EDS deal.(Brief Article)
June 3, 2003... Nick Huber nick.huber@rbi.co.uk Barclays Bank was due to sign a major outsourcing deal with EDS for desktop services as Computer Weekly went to press. Under the deal, valued at hundreds of millions of pounds, EDS will be...

internet world conference ; E-business can boost your organisation's image without busting the IT budget.
June 3, 2003... l Royal Mail and the FA Premier League will speak on brand managementl Virgin Trains will present its improved system for site updates Daniel Thomas daniel.thomas@rbi.co.uk Businesses will show how they are managing their public...

outsourcing; Marconi sells off entire IT function.(Brief Article)
June 3, 2003... Antony Adshead antony.adshead@rbi.co.uk Troubled communications supplier Marconi has sold its IT infrastructure to Computer Sciences Corporation for [pounds sterling]26.3m as part of a [pounds sterling]450m, 10-year global IT...

Europe; Concern over European data chief nomination.(Brief Article)
June 3, 2003... Bill Goodwin bill.goodwin@rbi.co.uk Plans to appoint a European data protection chief ran into controversy this week after it emerged that a magistrate with little experience of data protection issues has been nominated as the...

Software cuts fire brigade report times by three months.(using Infographics' Firewatch)(Brief Article)
June 3, 2003... Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service has cut the time taken to produce its end-of-year reports by two to three months after implementing integrated human resource software. The fire service achieved the savings through the use of the...

retail; M&S to market anti-fraud system.(Intellagent)(Brief Article)
June 3, 2003... Daniel Thomas daniel.thomas@rbi.co.uk Marks & Spencer is planning to sell innovative anti-fraud technology it has developed internally to other retailers, after the system contributed to a 10% reduction in till losses. The company...

staffing; Insurance giant takes on group CIO.(AXA appoints Francois-Xavier Quilici )(Brief Article)
June 3, 2003... Nick Huber nick.huber@rbi.co.uk Insurance giant AXA has appointed Francois-Xavier Quilici to the new position of group chief information officer. His key role will be to create and oversee an IT centre of excellence for the UK and...

public sector; Home Office staff work to rule.(Brief Article)
June 3, 2003... Mike Simons mike.simons@rbi.co.uk More than 300 Home Office payroll and pensions staff are working to rule after a three-day strike last week in protest at an "unworkable computer system". The strike was sparked by management...

Two studies, one conclusion - Holway and Kew reveal changing IT industry landscape.(Industry Overview)
June 3, 2003... industry growth Forthcoming reports identify growth and expenditure trends in IT Antony Adshead antony.adshead@rbi.co.uk Headlines about the fortunes of the IT sector have given IT directors little cause for cheer in the past few...

workplace; IT chiefs must stamp out racism.(Brief Article)
June 3, 2003... Karl Cushing karl.cushing@rbi.co.uk UK companies have been urged to do more to communicate racial discrimination policies to staff and prepare for new legislation that will extend existing discrimination laws to religious beliefs. ...

Climb Wales' answer to Everest and raise cash for charity.
June 3, 2003... Teams entering this year's Vanco Three Peaks challenge, sponsored by Computer Weekly, can get support at the highest levels by putting their directors on top of a mountain. Don't worry, it is not Everest (right), which was first ascended 50...

web logs; Try the business benefits of blogs.(Column)
June 3, 2003... Jack Schofield Tech talk "How is your blog doing?" That is a terrible way to start a dinner party conversation, or a Computer Weekly column, but it is a question you should be able to answer. I bet very few of you can. One of the...

Meta Group Enterprise Architecture conference; IT directors can learn from the motor industry.
June 3, 2003... James Rogers james.rogers@rbi.co.uk IT directors can learn a few tricks from the motor industry, delegates at analyst firm Meta Group's Enterprise Architecture conference in central London will hear next week. Brian Burke,...

Gigaworld europe ; How can you deliver more with less?
June 3, 2003... Karl Cushing karl.cushing@rbi.co.uk "Delivering more with less" is the central theme of analyst firm Giga's 2003 European IT forum, which is currently running in Paris. The underlying assumption at GigaWorld Europe is that IT...

Retail ; Users welcome RFID standards.(Brief Article)
June 3, 2003... Daniel Thomas daniel.thomas@rbi.co.uk UK users have welcomed the creation of global standards for radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, which will be formalised in September. The implementation of RFID tags will be the...

Don't pass the buck on racism.
June 3, 2003... The sour odour of racism hangs above small pockets of the IT professional community in the UK. Last week Computer Weekly reported that a Palestinian IT manager had won a race discrimination claim against DaimlerChrysler at an employment...

Consultation without disruption.
June 3, 2003... employment law Companies will have to share information with staff Ross Bentley ross.bentley@rbi.co.uk New consultation laws giving staff the right to be consulted on major business decisions will be less disruptive for employers...

Boom or bust; Or both? IT sector; changes shape.
June 3, 2003... The IT downturn will continue, according a report from Ovum Holway released next week. Reporting on a 3% market shrinkage on top of 4% in 2002, Anthony Miller, Ovum Holway principal analyst, said, "We have a cautious view of the market for the...

NHS plan branded ; a 'farce'.
June 3, 2003... Mike Simons and Tony Collins mike.simons@rbi.co.uk A [pounds sterling]2.3bn plan for NHS computer systems has been branded a farce, with the Department of Health asking selected bidders to design some of the world's biggest and most...

Revenue flouted warning over 'high risk' tax system.
June 3, 2003... Tax credit shambles casts doubt over Inland Revenue's project planning Inadequate contingency measures left thousands unpaidl 15-minute system reboots hamper attempts to clear backlog Tony Collins tony.collins@rbi.co.uk The...

Server consolidation: the best of all worlds.(according to Butler Group)
June 3, 2003... Servers Butler Group says planned consolidation will deliver benefits to the enterprise BYLINE: Mark Blowers and Sue Clarke Analyst report In the early years of enterprise computing the centralised mainframe held sway. With...

MGRover's ERP REFIT.
June 3, 2003... Legacy issues have always bedevilled IT managers, but few will have faced a challenge to match the massive disaggregation required after the break-up of the BMW motor group in 2000. Antony Adshead reports Maintaining an IT department in any...

IT professionals must learn the art of asking stupid questions.
June 3, 2003... John Kavanagh computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk IT people must not be afraid of asking apparently stupid questions if something is not clear to them - their questions will probably help the entire team. That was the message from Dorothy...

Fighting for IT funding.
June 3, 2003... strategy Learn the language of finance IT directors do not need to be told that their budgets are under pressure, or reminded that more companies are seeking to make IT accountable. What is new is the way some are fighting back, and with...

New IT waste disposal laws will affect you.(Industry Overview)
June 3, 2003... waste and financing that affect IT departments. Pete Kenyon, a solicitor in the technology and commerce group at law firm Boyes Turner, said the burden of financing will rest with businesses until 2005 - only after that will it rest with...

Universities offer postgraduate IT expertise to local businesses.
June 3, 2003... Corporate IT departments stand to benefit from knowledge transfer with their local universities, which are reaching out as never before to local businesses in response to sharp government cuts in funding for pure research. Events such as...

Matchmaker event brings together would-be volunteers and charities in need of IT skills.
June 3, 2003... IT4communities The recent IT Matchmaker event, the first to bring London-based charities face-to-face with potential IT professional volunteer helpers, was a resounding success, resulting in a host of active projects. Simon Davey,...

Mining customer data.(Industry Overview)
June 3, 2003... Financial sector Is CRM paying its way for you? Knowledge of a customer's spending patterns and lifestyle is becoming the single most important competitive strength in the personal finance planning sector. However, research among some...

How should software patches be managed?(Industry Overview)
June 3, 2003... With so many software patches being released, can the panel offer any advice on how to manage what has become another burden in my already large workload? Suppliers should be made responsible for patches Roger MarshallElite This...

Getting the best from IT investment.
June 3, 2003... IT specialists are being urged to draw their business executives' attention to the one-day masterclass aimed at helping them get the best return from IT investment. The event, Managing the Use of IT, has been developed by the BCS-backed IT...

Don't miss the IT shindig.
June 3, 2003... most from the new facilities. It is difficult to overstate the impact that this help can provide, enabling the children to communicate effectively through technology. A good cross-section of the IT community will be there. Sponsored by...

Cutting the cost of quality mobile video.
June 3, 2003... Broadband faces a fundamental problem: the more successful it is, the more people will use it, and the slower it will become. This has obvious implications for the success of mobile video applications such as those currently being hyped by...

NEXT MOVE; The question; How can I get a job in ; internet security?
June 10, 2003... I am new to the IT industry but would like to pursue a career in internet security. Would it be better to study for a Cisco qualification or should I study for a more general basic networking qualification? The solution Get a broad...

Win one of four weekends in France.
June 10, 2003... Once again, Computer Weekly, Pointsec Mobile Technologies and Infosecurity are conducting the PDA Usage Survey . We want to know what you use your PDA for, if the content is secure and if you have ever lost a mobile device. The survey takes a...

British Computer Society; Stop making rough guesses about the effort needed to test systems.
June 10, 2003... John Kavanagh computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk System testing estimates need to become accurate contributions to project budgeting rather than quick rough guesses, an international expert in the field told a recent BCS Software Testing...

retail; Boots starts biggest ever IT project.(R/3 SAP implementation )
June 10, 2003... Karl Cushing karl.cushing@rbi.co.uk Health and beauty retailer Boots is embarking on its biggest IT project to date, implementing wall-to-wall SAP across its 1,400 UK outlets and Boots Healthcare International. Although Boots...

HP-UX still boasts exceptional reliability as users enter 64-bit era.
June 10, 2003... hot skills In the SSL/CW list of top IT skills, HP-UX is number 107 Nick Langley computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk What is it? HP-UX is Hewlett-Packard's version of the Unix operating system. Where did it originate? In the...

tales from our man in baghdad.
June 10, 2003... Graham Tottle was caught behind enemy lines during the 1990 Gulf war when he was the United Nations specialist providing the Iraqi government with advice on the development of agricultural database systems. Here is his story When I saw...

Welcome social software.
June 10, 2003... Look beyond the hype to see the business benefits BYLINE: William Davies Opinion The term "social software" has become the focus of heated debate among internet experts on both sides of the Atlantic. In April, discussion of social...

Storage; Disaster recovery key theme at conference.(Storage Networking World-Eurostorage)(Brief Article)
June 10, 2003... James Rogers james.rogers@rbi.co.uk Disaster recovery and back-up were the major issues for users attending the Storage Networking World-Eurostorage conference in Cannes last week, according to Paul Talbut, a top official at the...

staffing; Take rate cut or leave, IBM tells UK workers.(Brief Article)
June 10, 2003... Nick Huber nick.huber@rbi.co.uk IBM is threatening to sack hundreds of its employees unless they sign up to new contracts that slash overtime rates. According to union leaders, the rate cuts mean some staff in the strategic...

The personal touch.(Scargill, Peter)
June 10, 2003... Don't dismiss the advantages of small businesses BYLINE: Peter Scargill Opinion I have run my own small business and worked for a variety of others for more than 32 years. So what are the advantages of working for a small company?...

ERP; Direct Wines' SAP project finally pays off.(SAP Retail suite)
June 10, 2003... l Retailer completes troubled ERP roll-outl Data quality and supply chain efficiency improvel System will enable ambitious growth plans Daniel Thomas daniel.thomas@rbi.co.uk Home delivery wine merchant Direct Wines is beginning to...

Importing skills: at what cost to the future?
June 10, 2003... Skills There are many benefits in using foreign IT workers, including lower wages and filling skills shortages in key areas, but there are drawbacks you must bear in mind Julia Vowler computerweekly@rbi.co.uk The use of foreign IT...

Three ways to annoy your IT supplier.(Brief Article)
June 10, 2003... Nick Huber Groundswell The relationship between an IT supplier and its customer is a complex, multilayered one. On the surface it is all upbeat media releases, optimistic forecasts about five-year cost savings and cheesy photo...

Don't get stuck with buggy apps.(software contracts )
June 10, 2003... Lawyer Richard Watkinson explains the pitfalls of software contracts Courts are often required to perform a balancing act when interpreting contracts. One example is where the rights of the customer collide with the limits of what is fair...

Peril in the work permit minefield.
June 10, 2003... Work permit gaffes could get your CEO sent down, warns Kamal Rahman When Dutch investigators suspected that a global IT company was guilty of work visa abuse in Holland, they arranged for the managing director of its UK-based parent company...

User groups slam BSA piracy scare tactics.(Brief Article)(Industry Overview)
June 10, 2003... Karl Cushing karl.cushing@rbi.co.uk Outraged business IT user groups have questioned the validity of the latest software piracy figures by the Business Software Alliance which claims that 26% of business software used in the UK is...

Government attempts to secure buy-in on national plan from reluctant IT managers.
June 10, 2003... NHS IT plan IT managers complain about lack of information and confusion over suppliers James Rogers james.rogers@rbi.co.uk As the government's [pounds sterling]2.3bn national IT plan for the health service gathers pace, the NHS...

legislation ; EU ministers ready to drop plans to give contractors same rights as permanent staff.
June 10, 2003... l Temporary Agency Workers Directive stalls amid deep disagreementsl CBI claims law could have damaged economic performance and hit staff Bill Goodwin bill.goodwin@rbi.co.uk European ministers look set to abandon a controversial...

Shops see business benefits of chip and Pin as trial consumers give it the thumbs up.
June 10, 2003... Retail Talk of chip and Pin technology dominates the UK's largest retail IT conference Daniel Thomas daniel.thomas@rbi.co.uk The [pounds sterling]1.1bn chip and Pin anti-fraud initiative took centre stage at last week's annual...

Erp acquisitions; Waiting game for users as ERP dust settles.(Industry Overview)
June 10, 2003... market consolidation The ERP market is seeing a major shake-up with Baan's takeover by SSA GT and PeopleSoft swallowing up JD Edwards, but how will users be affected? Antony Adshead antony.adshead@rbi.co.uk The [pounds...

outsourcing; India enjoys IT boom.(Brief Article)(Industry Overview)
June 10, 2003... Lindsay Clark lindsay.clark@rbi.co.uk Fresh evidence of the boom in offshore outsourcing emerged last week with news that India's software and services exports have grown by 26%, reaching $9.5bn ([pounds sterling]5.8bn), according to...

ERP market overview; Reshuffle in ERPmarket sees Oracle drop to third place.(Industry Overview)
June 10, 2003... Cliff Saran and Antony Adshead cliff.saran@rbi.co.ukantony.adshead@rbi.co.uk The merger of PeopleSoft and JD Edwards, and the sale of Baan last week, point to a trend toward consolidation among the suppliers of enterprise software. ...

Formula One team protects research with e-mail security.(Brief Article)
June 10, 2003... The Renault Formula One team is rolling out new e-mail security software across its English and French operations to ensure that its technology research is protected and speed up policy deployment. The Clearedge and Clearpoint applications,...

Patches; Veritas bug killed firm's Win2003 back-up system.
June 10, 2003... software quality Users slam their software suppliers as rising tide of patches and short upgrade cycles hit productivity and jeopardise data Cliff Saran cliff.saran@rbi.co.uk Storage software firm Veritas has had to release a patch...

CIOs see e-business as only glimmer of hope with no big thing on IT's horizon.(according to Ovum Holway Market Trends report)(Industry Overview)
June 10, 2003... ovum holway reports Surveys paint a bleak future for IT, possibly as far as 2006 Karl Cushing karl.cushing@rbi.co.uk The IT sector is firmly in the doldrums and this year will mark its nadir but e-business continues to show signs...

software management; Users demand quality as suppliers fire accusations of software piracy.(Industry Overview)
June 10, 2003... Karl Cushing and Cliff Saran karl.cushing@rbi.co.ukcliff.saran@rbi.co.uk IT directors were left seething this week after major software suppliers branded them software pirates, while at the same time producing poor-quality software....

call centres ; Bank adopts web-based staff appraisal system.(Intelligent Finance in Halifax)
June 10, 2003... l Intelligent Finance uses online system to monitor call centre performancel Bank considers replicating success in other departments Nick Huber nick.huber@rbi.co.uk Intelligent Finance, Halifax's phone and internet bank, has...

Market outlook; Rationalisation is the future, say suppliers.(according to Ovum Holway survey)(Brief Article)(Industry Overview)
June 10, 2003... Antony Adshead antony.adshead@rbi.co.uk System rationalisation is the driving force behind IT spending in the current climate, according to the Ovum Holway survey of large suppliers. The report predicts a gloomy outlook for the IT...

Subscription licensing; Microsoft's SQL delay downgrades rental option.
June 10, 2003... Cliff Saran cliff.saran@rbi.co.uk Microsoft's decision to push back the release date of the next version of SQL Server has highlighted the problems suppliers face in delivering regular software updates through a subscription model...

manufacturing; IT projects underpin Pilkington's profits.(Brief Article)
June 10, 2003... Antony Adshead antony.adshead@rbi.co.uk Glass maker Pilkington has attributed its continuing success to its IT strategy. Last week the company announced it had achieved a [pounds sterling]217m profit for the year in an environment of...