Computer Weekly articles from October 2003

Computer Weekly archives from October 2003

National Computing Centre; Users will benefit from CIO-Connect acquisition.
October 7, 2003... The acquisition this month of user organisation CIO-Connect by the National Computing Centre completed a major stage in the NCC's plan to breathe new life into UK IT. The drawing together of CIO-Connect, its sister user group IT-Connect,...

British computer society ; Membership and associate titles added to BCS professional grades.(Brief Article)
October 7, 2003... John Kavanagh computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk IT staff are to be given new opportunities to have their experience and skills recognised with a professional title under far reaching changes to the BCS membership grading. The changes,...

inside the BCS; New project management qualification.(Brief Article)
October 7, 2003... A new certificate in project management is being developed by the BCS Information Systems Examinations Board. The new foundation certificate will fit below the existing certificate and the more recent top-level diploma, which has drawn...

Girls get top ITgrades in Scotland.(Brief Article)
October 7, 2003... Former Glasgow Academy pupil Lynne Dallachy received the A Star trophy for being Scotland's top female computing student from deputy communities minister Mary Mulligan at a ceremony at the Royal Society of Edinburgh last week. Dallachy and...

IP connection opens up Antarctica.(Brief Article)
October 7, 2003... The British Antarctic Survey has taken the first steps in the implementation of a 24x7 IP link between its Cambridge headquarters and its scientific research stations in the Antarctic with the installation of an IP telephony system. The IP...

Companies profit from mobile technology.
October 7, 2003... Julia Vowler computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk Companies in a range of industries, particularly utilities, retail and delivery, are investing in wireless and GPRS technology to improve communication with field staff and help reduce costs. In...

BCS it professional awards ; E-commerce minister praises IT as industry rewards its best talent.
October 7, 2003... The winners of the prestigious British Computer Society's IT Professional Awards 2003 were announced on 24 September at a ceremony held at London's Hilton hotel in Park Lane. The 19 awards, which covered business achievement, technology and...

wireless networks; Be legal with spare Wi-Fi capacity.
October 7, 2003... WAKE-UPCALLChris Reed Wi-Fi 802.11g devices offer a potential 54mbps wireless network connection to anyone within 100 metres of an access point via a network card costing less than [pounds sterling]100. But what legal obligations do you...

Virtual environments help distributed project teams work more effectively.
October 7, 2003... Daniel Thomas Getting wired Globalisation, teleworking and the increase in outsourcing have removed the need for everyone employed on a project to be based at the same location. But a distributed team, whether it spans different...

Get your Whitepapers.
October 7, 2003... There is now a new dimension to ComputerWeekly.com's unrivalled 24-hour delivery of news, analysis and comment. The Whitepapers channel, on Computerweekly.com, gives you immediate access to a storehouse of detailed technical and business...

Downtime.
October 7, 2003... All blogged out and nothing to say Blogging has been hailed as the democratisation of the web, enabling ordinary citizens to publish their comings and goings to the world. But the self-confessed dullest blog in the world, at...

security; Smartcards help Man City improve security.(Brief Article)
October 7, 2003... Daniel Thomas daniel.thomas@rbi.co.uk With just a few weeks of the football season gone, Manchester City Football Club is already reaping the benefits of a smartcard system it implemented during the summer at its new stadium. The...

strategy ; Fight to overcome divisions between IT and the business.(Column)
October 7, 2003... One of the all-time great rock albums, and a favourite of mine, is Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. This magnificent work has just celebrated its silver jubilee and a quick glance at the album track-list will resonate strongly with many...

strategy; Manufacturer scraps IT function.(Brief Article)
October 7, 2003... Antony Adshead antony.adshead@rbi.co.uk Optical networks manufacturer Bookham Technology is disbanding its IT department and ending IT representation at board level. The optical networks manufacturer expects to save [pounds...

erp; Chip maker sees speedy return on consolidation.
October 7, 2003... l Consolidating systems earns a quick return on investmentl Standardised systems improve global visibility for the business Antony Adshead antony.adshead@rbi.co.uk Silicon chip manufacturer National Semiconductor is about to start...

security; Cyber attacks get faster and more numerous.(Symantec Internet Security Threat Report)(Brief Article)
October 7, 2003... l Gap closes between discovery of vulnerability and its exploitationl Number of software holes discovered has risen 12% in six months Mike Simons mike.simons@rbi.co.uk Cyber attacks are being unleashed more quickly than ever...

public sector; Government looks for new IT spending chief.(Brief Article)
October 7, 2003... James Rogers james.rogers@rbi.co.uk The search is on to find a replacement for Office of Government Commerce chief executive Peter Gershon, who was put in charge of saving [pounds sterling]1bn over three years from central government...

networks ; How Abbey National replaced its network infrastructure without breaking the bank.
October 7, 2003... l The bank upgraded 750 branches to the new network in five monthsl New IP VPN will handle 1.2 million calls from the public a month Cliff Saran cliff.saran@rbi.co.uk Abbey National has taken just five months to move its legacy...

Will patients suffer to pay for new NHSIT?
October 7, 2003... NHS IT If [pounds sterling]2.3bn is not enough for new IT, will money intended for doctors and medical equipment be diverted into the coffers of computer suppliers? Tony Collins reports Tony Collins tony.collins@rbi.co.uk When...

security; Blair backs universal biometric ID cards.(Brief Article)
October 7, 2003... Parliamentary correspondent computerweekly@rbi.co.uk Tony Blair backed home secretary David Blunkett's battle to introduce high-tech identity cards in his speech at last week's Labour conference in Bournemouth. The prime minister...

Linux; Linux faces enterprise applications challenge.(Brief Article)
October 7, 2003... Antony Adshead antony.adshead@rbi.co.uk SuSe is set to launch the next version of its desktop Linux distribution later this month. Based on the 2.4.21 Linux kernel, the operating system supports both 32-bit and 64-bit applications...

legislation; IT staff concern as police block child porn clause.
October 7, 2003... l Senior police object to amendment that would protect IT workersl Bill could make IT who encounter porn guilty until proven innocent Bill Goodwin bill.goodwin@rbi.co.uk Proposals to give IT professionals a legal defence if they...

data protection act; Code of practice could cause ISPs to breach the Data Protection Act.(Brief Article)
October 7, 2003... Bill Goodwin bill.goodwin@rbi.co.uk Home office plans to give government bodies access to telephone and internet records will put pressure on telephone companies and internet service providers to break the Data Protection Act, it was...

Networks price war looms.(Brief Article)
October 7, 2003... Antony Adshead antony.adshead@rbi.co.uk IT organisations could benefit from a price and services war among network infrastructure suppliers. Last week 3Com announced its return to the wide area network market with Campbell...

public sector; Glasgow rolls out SAP.(Brief Article)
October 7, 2003... James Rogers james.rogers@rbi.co.uk Glasgow City Council is to implement SAP enterprise software in a project to consolidate 200 software packages across its finance, HR, payroll, sales and purchasing departments. The council has...

security; Users question need for Whitehall action.(Brief Article)
October 7, 2003... James Rogers james.rogers@rbi.co.uk Users have reacted cautiously to calls from Scott Charney, chief security strategist at Microsoft, and other IT industry leaders for greater government involvement in making the internet secure. ...

NHS IT; NHS denies IT jobs will transfer.(Brief Article)
October 7, 2003... Tony Collins tony.collins@rbi.co.uk Officials working for the NHS national programme for IT have firmly denied that private sector suppliers will take over the jobs of thousands of health service computer specialists as part of the...

dpm's diary; c p bound.
October 7, 2003... dpm's diary c p bound Monday Woke up mid morning with three Bollinger magnums (empty, naturally), two gently snoring female BPR consultants (naked, naturally) and one signed photograph of Crass Haze (grinning, unnaturally). I am,...

Socitm builds international IT links.(Society of IT Management )(Brief Article)
October 7, 2003... James Rogers james.rogers@rbi.co.uk Public sector IT managers' group the Society of IT Management (Socitm) aims to forge closer links with its international counterparts to share best practice and help get better deals from suppliers...

wide area networks; 3Com's return means more choice for users.(core routers)(Brief Article)
October 7, 2003... Cisco has traditionally dominated the wide area networking market, but 3Com's return to the core router market last week could intensify competition and choice. Gartner analyst Neil Rickard said, "3Com will be very aggressive on pricing. A...

IP VPN can offer guaranteed quality of service.(Brief Article)
October 7, 2003... Cliff Saran cliff.saran@rbi.co.uk Abbey's network infrastructure is based on an IP virtual private network supplied by BT Transform under a [pounds sterling]125m, five-year contract originally signed in February 2003. Mark Main,...

security; Rise of wireless Lan and VPNs could improve PC security.(Brief Article)
October 7, 2003... The development of wireless technology and virtual private networks offers the possibility of major changes to network architecture. The current standard network architecture uses encryption and security devices at the outer,...

public sector; GPRS benefit claim processing system scoops top local government IT award.(Halton Borough Council )(Brief Article)
October 7, 2003... l Awards acknowledge excellence in public sector technology usel Top-class IT helps local councils to deliver better services James Rogers james.rogers@rbi.co.uk Halton Borough Council scooped top honours at this year's Computer...

New suppliers could spark price war as network investment becomes a priority.(Brief Article)
October 7, 2003... For the first time in two years, businesses are planning to increase their spending on networks. The options available from suppliers have changed profoundly since the last time IT directors had money to spend on this infrastructure. ...

government; IT is key to improving competitiveness of UK companies.
October 7, 2003... Nick Huber nick.huber@rbi.co.uk IT is one of the main ways UK companies can close the productivity gap with the US and leading European economies, according to a series of Department of Trade & Industry reviews on how to improve the...

new technology; Smaller suppliers aim to win over users with cutting-edge products.(Industry Overview)
October 7, 2003... Cisco routers traditionally appeal to users who want tried and tested products and a mature support infrastructure but do not necessarily want or need leading-edge technology. However, enterprises interested in adopting newer technologies...

IN BRIEF.
October 7, 2003... IN BRIEF France in trouble over Bull rescue The European Commission is to take France to court for not claiming back U450m ([pounds sterling]315m) given in aid to IT services firm Bull, ECcompetition commissioner Mario Monti said last...

strategy; Business leaders should speculate to accumulate.
October 7, 2003... Liz Grant Opinion Businesses that use technology innovatively realise significant gains. This is fact; a recent report from Cisco Systems, conducted by London Economics, found IT investment led to a 25% increase in total output growth...

Teamwork makes for high morale and a rewarding environment in financial IT.
October 7, 2003... Over the coming months Computer Weekly will profile the IT departments that have made it on to our shortlist of the Best Places to Work in IT 2003. Through feedback from IT managers and their staff, our aim is to celebrate the best employers of...

UK IT industry: 'We have a bright future'.(a debate on the future of the industry organised jointly by the Real Time Club, the Institute for the Management of Information Systems and Computer Weekly)
October 7, 2003... John Riley john.riley@rbi.co.uk Corporate IT users are spending more than ever before. The UK IT industry has a strong future, and IT is on the brink of transforming many traditional industries. That was the message from a debate...

How to get more from your server.(Freench Duncan accountants use VMware's GSX Server)
October 7, 2003... How can smaller firms improve on server performance without compromising on budget or office space? The answer, according to accountants French Duncan, is free open source software and virtual servers. Liz Warren reports French Duncan, a...

sme month.(Brief Article)
October 7, 2003... Despite the wide range of small and medium-sized companies encapsulated in the catch-all term SMEs, there are some general issues faced by all organisations with less than 500 employees. There are time constraints, budget restraints and the...

Letters.(Letter to the Editor)
October 7, 2003... Make your PC a friend to the environment Sumir Karayi Founder and director, 1E The government-funded Environment Agency has released a report claiming that some of the UK's biggest and most trusted companies have caused, and are...

Strong security is years away, says Microsoft.(Scott Charney, chief security strategist)(Interview)
October 7, 2003... interview Scott Charney, chief security strategist at Microsoft, talks about the IT security challenges that Microsoft is aiming to address with its Trustworthy Computing initiative Cliff Saran cliff.saran@rbi.co.uk Scott Charney,...

wireless networks; BT deal brings wireless roaming a step closer.
October 7, 2003... Antony Adshead antony.adshead@rbi.co.uk Wireless roaming has come a step closer with an agreement between BT's Openzone wireless hotspot service and mobile operators Vodafone and Orange. The move paves the way for users to connect...

security; Instant messaging worms are the latest threat to corporate systems.
October 7, 2003... l Growing number of holes in IM systems is a significant security riskl Worms could infect hundreds of thousands of computers in seconds Daniel Thomas daniel.thomas@rbi.co.uk Worms that exploit holes in instant messaging systems...

Networks; 3Com takes on Cisco with cut-price routers and simpler operation.
October 14, 2003... Antony Adshead antony.adshead@rbi.co.uk A strategy by network equipment supplier 3Com to lure enterprise customers away from arch-rival Cisco could mean reduced hardware hardware costs and a simpler configuration for users. 3Com...

British computer society ; Split your outsourcing contracts to guard against legal disputes.
October 14, 2003... John Kavanagh computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk Organisations contracting out IT to a service company must separate development work from the main contract, or risk getting into long and costly disputes, a legal expert in the field has warned....

Inside the BCS; Hall looks to debate on the future of IT.(Brief Article)
October 14, 2003... The BCS is not only a professional body but also a learned society, and this role is increasingly important in ensuring that IT people can influence government and business, according to incoming BCS president Wendy Hall. "People think of...

Retail; Bullring IT is a model for future retail development.
October 14, 2003... Daniel Thomas daniel.thomas@rbi.co.uk The [pounds sterling]500m redevelopment of Bullring shopping centre in Birmingham has produced the most technologically advanced retail site in the UK and will act as a model for future centres,...

Telecoms; Voice market price war opens way to good deals.
October 14, 2003... l Price war creates opportunities to strike a good telecoms bargainl Users urged to make choices based on the services they need Cliff Saran cliff.saran@rbi.co.uk Companies need to shop around when buying services in the...

Exchange makes messaging easier.
October 14, 2003... Nick Langley computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk What is it? Most people would settle for an e-mail/messaging platform that did its job reliably. But according to analyst firm IDC, over the past decade, standalone e-mail platforms have been...

Working hours; Opt back in to the 48-hour week.(Brief Article)
October 14, 2003... Ross Bentley ross.bentley@rbi.co.uk The TUC has launched a campaign to help workers "opt back in" to the 48-hour working week. The TUC said one in four people have been forced to sign an opt-out document, which allows them to work...

Biometrics; Identity control IT running behind schedule.(Brief Article)
October 14, 2003... Parliamentary correspondent computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk Computerised checks on passports to stop criminals and terrorists from assuming the identities of dead children have fallen behind schedule, an official report has revealed. A...

Skills; Project team builders fail to value experience.(Brief Article)
October 14, 2003... Daniel Thomas daniel.thomas@rbi.co.uk IT directors build project teams on a cost and availability basis, rather than by making sure team members have the right exper-tise, according to the latest research published by Brunel...

How to police staff e-mail legally.
October 14, 2003... WAKE-UPCALLVictoria Hattam, Charlie Pring In June, the Office of the Information Commissioner published Monitoring at Work, the third part of the Employment Practices Data Protection Code. The document provides practical guidance for...

Recruitment; Make the most of slow job market to strike better deals, IT chiefs told.
October 14, 2003... l Recruitment agencies are fighting for survival despite hopeful signsl Outsourcing the whole recruitment process is gaining popularity Bill Goodwin bill.goodwin@rbi.co.uk IT departments should take advantage of the sluggish...

Servers; IBM to demo iSeries used as web server.(Brief Article)
October 14, 2003... James Rogers james.rogers@rbi.co.uk Companies will be shown how to save money by using IBM's iSeries machines as web servers at the supplier's autumn UK user conference next week. Stephen Way, director of the Common UK iSeries...

Budgets; Boards will keep a close eye on 2004 IT budgets.(Brief Article)
October 14, 2003... Ross Bentley ross.bentley@rbi.co.uk Many IT directors are still struggling to convince their organisations' boards to boost IT budgets over the next 12 months, despite signs of an upturn in the market shown in research by Goldman...

Microsoft funds consultants as alternative to council's open source trials; Microsoft pays to prove it is better than open source.
October 14, 2003... Mike Simons mike.simons@rbi.co.uk Microsoft has hired Cap Gemini Ernst & Young to provide free consultancy for an East London council. Newham Borough Council is reviewing its open source options and running trials on desktop and...

Downtime.
October 14, 2003... The tragedy of text addiction Text message addiction among young people is an "accident waiting to happen", according to a study by research company Mobile Youth. The study found some people suffer withdrawal symptoms if their phone...

Teenager hacker verdict will set legal precedent on denial of service attacks.
October 14, 2003... The prosecution of Aaron Caffrey (pictured left), the 19-year-old accused of placing lives at risk by attacking a computer system in the port of Houston in the US, will test a loophole in the UK's cybercrime law. The case is one of the...

What's in IT ; for you?
October 14, 2003... Mobile computing can make it easier for the smaller company to do business. But make sure you get the technology that is right for you, writes Antony Savvas The good thing about mobile technology in business is that it is a great leveller,...

Government must stump up more cash for for hardware, software and staff training.
October 14, 2003... James Rogers james.rogers@rbi.co.uk Councils may have to sideline large IT projects designed to improve essential services because of a shortfall of hundreds of millions of pounds in e-government funding. That was the message from...

Storage strategy.
October 14, 2003... Buying leading-edge products is not the best option for most businesses, but make sure you do not get caught out as your needs expand or technology takes a change in direction BYLINE: Jim Armstrong Opinion To get the most from...

SCO is right to go after Linux users.
October 14, 2003... Dominic Connor Opinion Most Computer Weekly readers are paid to increase the value of their employer's business. We sometimes fail, this is IT after all, but we are not paid to indulge our view of society. And so it is surprising that...

What is the price of true partnership?(Brief Article)
October 14, 2003... John Riley Groundswell Speakers at a supplier-centric seminar I attended last month accused the IT industry of failing to justify its products and services on an economic basis. They said this situation would continue unless IT...

Pensions; Pension schemes threatened by age laws.
October 14, 2003... Ross Bentley ross.bentley@rbi.co.uk Government plans to outlaw age discrimination in the workplace are so pitted with holes that they could force the closure of pension schemes and the removal of staff benefits by scores of employers....

Denial of service attack meant for chatroom user.(Brief Article)
October 14, 2003... Bill Goodwin bill.goodwin@rbi.co.uk Aaron Caffrey had no idea of the consequences of the denial of service attack launched from his PC in September 2001. The teenager's target was not the port of Houston, but Bokkie, a 17-year-old...

software ; Microsoft and Sun extend Java support.(Brief Article)
October 14, 2003... Mike Simons mike.simons@rbi.co.uk Microsoft and Sun have extended an agreement to provide support for Java Virtual Machine software until the end of September 2004. Microsoft had been planning to phase out Java support in January...

s; Governments under pressure to beef up anti-spam legislation to protect business.
October 14, 2003... Daniel Thomas daniel.thomas@rbi.co.uk Legislators on both sides of the Atlantic are facing increasing pressure to step up their efforts to clamp down on spam, with critics saying existing measures do not to enough to address the...

IT can aid a green future.
October 14, 2003... Tony Cooper Opinion IT has the potential to play a key role in developing a truly sustainable and just society, both locally and globally. It is the key to de-coupling wealth creation from ever more material objects and moving them...

Call centre; Utility firm seeks to cut call centre costs and boost productivity with IP telephony trial.
October 14, 2003... Daniel Thomas daniel.thomas@rbi.co.uk Utility company Npower has begun a trial of Internet Protocol telephony with more than 400 staff at its Gateshead contact centre. It expects the move to lead to reduced communication costs and...

Retail; Retailers urged to embrace new technologies.(Brief Article)
October 14, 2003... Daniel Thomas daniel.thomas@rbi.co.uk Retailers must look beyond legacy systems and point of sale upgrades and invest in innovative technologies such as radio frequency identification and self-service checkouts to sustain competitive...

Storage ; Disaster recovery pushes demand for storage.(Brief Article)
October 14, 2003... James Rogers james.rogers@rbi.co.uk Nearly 70% of firms have experienced a storage system failure and nearly a third of these have lost critical business data, according to the latest research from Computer Weekly and EMC. Anders...

Tories promise tax cuts for IT firms.(Brief Article)
October 14, 2003... Shadow chancellor Michael Howard has promised that a Tory government would cut taxes on small IT firms. In his speech at the Conservative Party conference in Blackpool last week, Howard pledged to cut taxes for both individuals and...

Integration ; Granada/Carlton merger creates IT challenge.(Brief Article)
October 14, 2003... Daniel Thomas daniel.thomas@rbi.co.uk The [pounds sterling]4.5bn merger of Carlton and Granada is projected to create at least [pounds sterling]55m worth of savings by combining the operations of the two ITV companies. However,...

Outsourcing; Abbey pledges no job losses under offshore outsource deal.
October 14, 2003... Bill Goodwin bill.goodwin@rbi.co.uk High street bank Abbey is negotiating with a US firm to outsource back-office work from its Scottish-based insurance business to India, in a move that it said will cut costs but preserve jobs. ...

MTV will be first with CD sales via interactive television.(Brief Article)
October 14, 2003... MTV is set to become the first music channel to offer CDs for sale over interactive TV (iTV), a move it said is designed to support the music industry rather than generate massive profits. The music network, which runs five different...

CRM ; Siebel to introduce cheap CRM.(Brief Article)
October 14, 2003... Cliff Saran cliff.saran@rbi.co.uk Siebel has announced a strategy to provide cheap customer relationship management software to users who are unable to implement the more expensive and complex enterprise version. CRM has...

Security; Microsoft announces security changes in fight against hackers.
October 14, 2003... l New measures will address firewalls and buffer overflowsl Updates and patchesto be issued monthly instead of weekly Cliff Saran cliff.saran@rbi.co.uk Microsoft has stepped up the fight against hackers by unveiling a series of...

NHS IT; Doctors concerned at speed of NHS e-booking contract award.
October 14, 2003... Tony Collins tony.collins@rbi.co.uk The Department of Health is facing criticism that it has awarded a [pounds sterling]64.5m contract for an England-wide electronic booking system for hospital appointments without producing any...

Data protection; Reuters: safe harbour not working.(Brief Article)
October 14, 2003... John Riley john.riley@rbi.co.uk An agreement between the US and Europe on data protection is an ineffective compromise and has diluted stringent European rules to maintain the security of personal data, according to Reuters' global...

Networks; Wireless is on the rise in UK firms.(Brief Article)
October 14, 2003... Nick Huber nick.huber@rbi.co.uk UK companies are investing heavily in wireless technology, a Computer Weekly survey has found. Twenty eight per cent of the IT directors and senior IT managers at more than 400 UK companies surveyed...