Computer Weekly articles from September 2003

Computer Weekly archives from September 2003

E-business group to work on clarifying new IT laws.(E-Business Regulatory Alliance)
September 2, 2003... The plethora of legislation in e-business, with its duplications and contradictions, threatens to swamp users and suppliers alike. But a new organisation emerging from supply chain standards organisation E-Centre will monitor the progress...

BCS charity offers online advice on RSI.(Ability Net's My Computer My Way)(Brief Article)
September 2, 2003... John Kavanagh computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk Online guidance on adapting PCs to help users avoid injury is being offered by BCS charity AbilityNet. The service, My Computer My Way, shows users how to set up Windows options. "Nearly 5.5...

NEXT MOVE.
September 2, 2003... The question Can I start a new career in web design? I am approaching 37 and fell into IT support in 1999. I am now an IT manager for a manufacturing company which has recently been through a merger. I have been seeking work...

London Underground replaces manual risk management with web-based system.
September 2, 2003... smart projects Risk evaluation software improves on London's Tube system Ross Bentley ross.bentley@rbi.co.uk With more than three million journeys taken every day on the London Underground, a secure and reliable method for...

Disappointing result for England team at robot soccer tournament.
September 2, 2003... John Kavanagh computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk Injury, lack of energy and individuality rather than teamwork have led to England coming last in an international football tournament for robots. Competing in tournaments is part of a...

Deep sea sponge could lead to improvements in fibre-optic cable manufacture.(Venus Flower Basket)(Brief Article)
September 2, 2003... The discovery of a deep sea sponge which creates fibres capable of transmitting light at the same levels or better than industrial fibre-optic cables has provided scientists with some clues on how manufacturing methods can be improved. The...

A rational programming decision.(with Rational Rose)
September 2, 2003... hot skills In the SSL/CW list of top IT skills, Rational Rose is 59th Nick Langley computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk What is it? Rational Rose enables teams of developers to pool their skills and work with end-users to specify,...

RAC aims for mobile consolidation savings.
September 2, 2003... mobile The RAC has switched to Orange Business Solutions as its sole supplier and hopes to save [pounds sterling]1m by negotiating favourable call and rental rates for 5,000 users on the road Karl Cushing karl.cushing@rbi.co.uk ...

Target the reason for spam, not spam itself.
September 2, 2003... spam Only by removing the financial benefits of spam will its volume be reduced BYLINE: Jan Sundgren and Jonathan Penn Opinion The explosion of spam has prompted a massive reaction. The victims are looking for a cure and the...

Isle of Man plans disaster recovery.(Brief Article)
September 2, 2003... James Rogers james.rogers@rbi.co.uk The Isle of Man is planning to become Europe's key location for disaster recovery in the financial sector. Tim Craine, the island's director of e-business, said discussions with a number of...

Key bidder pulls out of [pounds sterling]2.3bn NHS programme.(Lockheed Martin)
September 2, 2003... Tony Collins tony.collins@rbi.co.uk US firm Lockheed Martin has pulled out from bidding to supply and support health systems for the Department of Health's [pounds sterling]2.3bn national programme for IT. The unexpected...

outsourcing; IBM to standardise Diageo's IT in [pounds sterling]300m deal.(Brief Article)
September 2, 2003... Mike Simons mike.simons@rbi.co.uk Drinks giant Diageo has signed an "on demand" outsourcing contract with IBM that could be worth more than [pounds sterling]300m over seven years. Diageo, best known for brands such as Guinness,...

Fujitsu staff postpone strike action.(Brief Article)
September 2, 2003... Mike Simons mike.simons@rbi.co.uk Hundreds of IT workers at Fujitsu Services have postponed a strike and work-to-rule due to start on 1 September, after the company made concessions ahead of talks. More than three quarters of...

Somerfield abolishes IT director position.(Brief Article)
September 2, 2003... Daniel Thomas daniel.thomas@rbi.co.uk Supermarket chain Somerfield has abolished its IT director position, following the departure of incumbent Gordon Scholes, who left the firm at the end of July. Scholes was overseeing a...

Edinburgh opens online planning site.(Brief Article)
September 2, 2003... Festival-sated Edinburgh council will give the public internet access to its planning applications and building control systems. The planning and building control portal, part of the council's Smart City programme, was built in partnership with...

Benefit office U-turn on IT deals.(Department for Work and Pensions )
September 2, 2003... Department opts for a small-is-beautiful approach to IT contracts following strategy review Tony Collins and Mike Simons tony.collins@rbi.co.uk The Department for Work and Pensions is planning fundamental changes in how it buys...

proud 2 be in it; Survey says: IT ; staff optimistic ; despite downturn.
September 2, 2003... IT professionals are optimistic about the future and proud of their profession despite tough conditions in the industry. A survey of more than 600 IT professionals by Computer Weekly and DP Connect paints an upbeat picture despite the gloomy...

How you can leave your IT job and still enhance your prospects.
September 2, 2003... IT and the business We spoke to three top IT directors on what lessons they learned from working in another area of the business Julia Vowler computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk Company boards now demand greater business acumen from IT...

Cream of UKdevelopers set high standard to deliver business gains.
September 2, 2003... BCS awards BCS reveals the shortlists for the ITDeveloper of the Year Continuing our series of articles profiling the finalists in the BCS IT Professional Awards, this week we feature the shortlists for the IT Developer of the Year, which...

End of IT jobs decline?
September 2, 2003... Bill Goodwin bill.goodwin@rbi.co.uk The three-year decline in demand for IT professionals appears to be over as employers begin to step up recruitment of contract and permanent staff with key technical and managerial skills. For...

Councils rise to e-government challenge.
September 2, 2003... e-GOVERNMENT There is cautious optimism that councils will meet the 2005 deadline James Rogers james.rogers@rbi.co.uk Despite reports that councils are struggling to meet the 2005 deadline for getting services online, recent...

Forestry Commission chops costs.(uses automation software)(Brief Article)
September 2, 2003... James Rogers james.rogers@rbi.co.uk The Forestry Commission aims to cut the cost of setting up all of its 2,500 new and upgraded PCs by [pounds sterling]165,000 over the next two years, by using automation software to configure new...

Mobile networks cannot be relied on for business-critical processes.
September 2, 2003... Antony Adshead antony.adshead@rbi.co.uk Business users should not rely on mobile networks for mission- or business-critical processes, industry experts have warned. The advice comes after the limitations of mobile network base-...

Financial Times cuts costs with BT network.(Brief Article)
September 2, 2003... James Rogers james.rogers@rbi.co.uk The Financial Times has signed a [pounds sterling]3.5m contract with BT to deploy a new wide-area network across more than 50 office and print sites around the world, cutting distribution and support...

Can software manage employee internet use?(Brief Article)(Editorial)
September 2, 2003... Geoff Haggart Opinion The internet age has heralded unprecedented opportunities. But with great power comes great responsibility. The web is potentially the greatest source of information ever known and it can be a chasm within which...

Businesses are left reeling after a triple strike by Blaster, Nachi and the Sobig virus.
September 2, 2003... security Sobig is the latest in a string of viruses that could have been prevented Bill Goodwin bill.goodwin@rbi.co.uk Three viruses, Blaster, Nachi and Sobig, have left a trail of destruction around the world within the space of...

'Sickies' cost UK firms [pounds sterling]11bn a year.(Brief Article)
September 2, 2003... Ross Bentley ross.bentley@rbi.co.uk While absence from work has been estimated to cost UK firms [pounds sterling]11bn every year, or 9% of annual salary costs, research by the Work Foundation has discovered that, despite the scale of...

Letters.(Letter to the Editor)
September 2, 2003... Whose jobs are being outsourced anyway? J McLane Real time software engineer I am somewhat confused as to what an IT worker is. There has been so much coverage and discussion of the current trends for outsourcing overseas in...

Look after your network.(Editorial)
September 2, 2003... Penetration testing is the best way of checking security BYLINE: Tim Ecott Opinion As a security consultant I welcome the emergence of best practice guidelines for security implementations and congratulate those businesses which...

Virgin Holidays boosts planning.(Brief Article)
September 2, 2003... l Virgin implements enterprise planning system from Cognosl System offers full integration with booking and pricing systems Daniel Thomas daniel.thomas@rbi.co.uk Tour operator Virgin Holidays expects to boost margins and improve...

Mobile networks could fail during US-style power failures.(Brief Article)
September 2, 2003... Antony Adshead antony.adshead@rbi.co.uk UK businesses could be vulnerable to failures of the mobile phone network during power failures like those that affected the US and Canada recently. Businesses that rely on cell-based mobile...

US firm sues HMV over downloads.(E-Data Corporation)(Brief Article)
September 2, 2003... Daniel Thomas daniel.thomas@rbi.co.uk UK music giant HMV and its online distribution partner OD2 are facing legal action over allegations that their music downloading service has infringed a European patent held by US distributor...

Compression sorts out Ryland's network blues.
September 2, 2003... Antony Adshead antony.adshead@rbi.co.uk Car and truck dealership Ryland has avoided having to spend [pounds sterling]100,000 upgrading its network by making a [pounds sterling]12,000 investment in bandwidth compression technology. ...

IT directors must be prepared to change if they want to survive in the business.
September 2, 2003... national computing centre conference IT chiefs will hear this week how they have two years to gain new skills and change the way they are perceived by others Daniel Thomas daniel.thomas@rbi.co.uk Internal challenges, such as...

Indian software firms put the case for outsourcing to Home Office.
September 2, 2003... l India Business Group urges UK government to relax work permit rulesl It argues that UK economy needs cheap IT services to survive Bill Goodwin bill.goodwin@rbi.co.uk Indian software and services companies are urging the UK...

Sobig virus attack hits small firms hardest.(Brief Article)
September 2, 2003... Bill Goodwin bill.goodwin@rbi.co.uk The Sobig virus strain caused [pounds sterling]4.4bn of damage worldwide, as it brought businesses and internet services to a standstill, security consultancy Mi2g has estimated. The virus hit...

Downtime.
September 2, 2003... Finnish fling sets new hands-free record Finland is renowned for its telecoms expertise and has a history of producing Olympic javelin champions. So it comes as no surprise that the Scandinavian country hosted last week's Mobile Phone...

Refund for IBM users.(Brief Article)
September 2, 2003... The IBM Computer Users' Association has become increasingly concerned about the escalating battle between SCO and IBM on the claimed inclusion of licensed Unix code within Linux. The last move, which saw IBM being informed it no longer has...

Metals firm migrates to Active Directory.(Outokumpu)(Brief Article)
September 2, 2003... Antony Adshead antony.adshead@rbi.co.uk Metals company Outokumpu has completed the design phase of a migration to Active Directory in Windows Server 2003. The firm will perform a pilot at its Finnish headquarters before rolling out to...

Tariff chaos looms as 192 scrapped.(Column)
September 2, 2003... l Twenty new directory enquiry services offer 400 different tariffsl Businesses should limit users to a single supplier and block other suppliers Antony Adshead antony.adshead@rbi.co.uk Companies' network costs will soar following...

The state of things to come.
September 2, 2003... There are several reasons to be cheerful in this week's edition of Computer Weekly. Reasons to be cheerful, part one: the results of the latest Computer Weekly/SSL Quarterly Skills and Salary Survey reveal that the plummeting demand for IT...

SCO: fee due even if you replace our code.
September 2, 2003... linux At its i-Forum event, SCO identified 1,549 examples of "misappropriated" code SCO claims Unix code was dumped "wholesale" into the Linux OSl Unix code could make up more than 25% of Linux operating system Karl Cushing ...

Upbeat Chenery wins personality award.
September 2, 2003... The Computer Weekly/First Option IT Personality of 2003 goes to a marine lab IT manager Ross Bentley ross.bentley@rbi.co.uk Sandra Chenery, IT manager at the Plymouth Marine Laboratory, is the Computer Weekly/First Option IT...

Give IT skills to charity.
September 2, 2003... Have you ever thought of using your IT expertise to contribute to a charity or local community? The Computer Weekly-backed IT4Communities organisation is currently matching more than 800 IT professional volunteers with 250 charities that...

Sales of business apps up on 2002 figures.(Brief Article)(Industry Overview)
September 2, 2003... Antony Adshead antony.adshead@rbi.co.uk Sales of business applications are increasing again after a significant downturn in 2001/2002. According to the Business Application Software Developers Association, sales for the second...

YOUR SHOUT; Have your say at; ComputerWeekly.com.(Letter to the Editor)
September 2, 2003... On the danger to the UK economy of outsourcing In response to Simon Moores who argued that the long-term effects of outsourcing technology and call centre jobs abroad will mean economic decline for the UK Most of those who have been...

Set privacy boundaries.
September 2, 2003... Rules must be made about access to public databases BYLINE: Ian Gibson Opinion Rapid advances in IT hold immeasurable benefits for society, but suspicions about new technologies and the potential ways in which they might be used...

Oracle's new 10g database claims to solve data processing problems.
September 2, 2003... Cliff Saran cliff.saran@rbi.co.uk The new version of Oracle's relational database, version 10g, is being touted as the database for grid computing. The grid promises to be the next killer application for the internet. It offers a...

British computer society ; Project managers must share their vision to ensure success.
September 9, 2003... John Kavanagh computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk IT project managers need to put personal career risk aside and aim to be visionaries, both to get new developments off to a good start and to see them through to success, according to a senior...

DHL makes Prague move despite low employee morale.(Brief Article)
September 9, 2003... Delivery giant DHL has officially announced its decision to close its UK-based datacentre and move to a new centre in the Czech Republic. The move, revealed by Computer Weekly in July, will see the Prague-based centre managing and supporting...

Technology trends; Users to spend on ERP, CRM and integration.(Brief Article)
September 9, 2003... Cliff Saran cliff.saran@rbi.co.uk Frugal users are now in a position to start spending their IT budget, according to a leading IT expert. Butler Group predicts that during 2004 users will get their enterprise resource planning,...

training; Business-based IT degree will create ready-to-work employees.(Information Technology Management BSc)
September 9, 2003... need up to 18 months of coaching before they start making a financial contribution to the business. It also has the potential to cut employers' training costs. The Information Technology Management BSc, developed by Brighton University...

outsourcing; Financial firm to outsource another 500.(Royal & Sun Alliance)(Brief Article)
September 9, 2003... Mike Simons mike.simons@rbi.co.uk Royal & Sun Alliance is to outsource 500 application development and maintenance jobs from its information systems department. The financial services company is negotiating with a range of...

litigation; SCO sticks by legal threat over code.(Brief Article)
September 9, 2003... Ross Bentley ross.bentley@rbi.co.uk SCO president and chief executive Darl McBride has reiterated his determination to pursue legal action against IBM and Linux users over SCO's controversial claim on Unix code. In a letter to...

software; Warner chooses vault to store e-mail archive.(KVS' Enterprise Vault)(Brief Article)
September 9, 2003... Daniel Thomas daniel.thomas@rbi.co.uk Warner Music International is planning to roll out an e-mail archiving system across its global operation, after completing an initial implementation to 600 users in its London offices. The...

exclusive; Small firms fail to see the benefits of broadband.
September 9, 2003... ployees. Many of the 82 firms surveyed said the technology had changed the way they work, helped them to achieve quicker turnaround times and cut communication, travel and mail costs. Yet about 45% of companies that did not have broadband...

outsourcing; Indian firms to set up Euro HQ in Wales.(Brief Article)
September 9, 2003... Daniel Thomas daniel.thomas@rbi.co.uk Four leading Indian technology companies are planning to set up their European headquarters in Wales under a Welsh Assembly initiative which aims to make the country a major base for Indian IT...

Perl offers a scripting tool for all.
September 9, 2003... Training There are lots of free tutorials on the web. Paid-for courses are available from independent companies such as Sun. O'Reilly publishes the definitive texts by Wall et al. UK user groups can be found on the Perl Mongers website....

hatching ideas.(Egg)
September 9, 2003... Egg is now the world's largest pure online bank, but it might have been a very different story. E-business was both the saviour of the banking arm of Prudential and also nearly its downfall. The online division was launched in 1996 to sell bank...

The year's greatest innovations.(Industry Overview)
September 9, 2003... Continuing our series profiling the finalists in the BCS IT Professional Awards, this week we feature the shortlists for the four technology award categories: Application of the Year, Technology Services of the Year, Technology Social...

Protect your intellectual property.
September 9, 2003... The recent announcement by the European Parliament's Legal Affairs Committee of a blueprint for the harmonisation of software patents in the EU was controversial, despite the fact it does not substantially alter the current law on software...

IBM cuts mainframeprices.(Brief Article)
September 9, 2003... Cliff Saran cliff.saran@rbi.co.uk IBM has slashed the prices of its mainframes, providing a major boost to a technology that has been written off but refuses to die. Since client-server computing hit the headlines in the early...

Survey blames poor IT for UK's high rates of unpaid overtime.(according to WRQ)
September 9, 2003... Ross Bentley ross.bentley@rbi.co.uk Almost 66% of employees work an extra hour or more a day, and 13% of employees are putting in four hours or more a day outside their core business hours, according to research by software company...

Ostriches left in the dark.(managing electricity blackouts )
September 9, 2003... Recent power cuts highlight IT chiefs' responsibility BYLINE: Jim Birtles Opinion The recent electricity blackouts in London and New York have caused many companies to revisit their business continuity strategies. Ensuring an...

Royal Mail ITchief proves the benefits of taking time to manage staff transition.
September 9, 2003... Cliff Saran cliff.saran@rbi.co.uk In June, 1,735 Royal Mail IT staff transferred to supplier CSC as part of a [pounds sterling]1.4bn, 10-year outsourcing contract. In one of the biggest deals of its kind, Royal Mail outsourced its...

networks; SSL VPN first allows clientless mobile access.(Neoteris' Access Series )
September 9, 2003... Antony Adshead antony.adshead@rbi.co.uk Network provider Neoteris has improved support for mobile users in the latest version of its Access Series secure virtual private network. The company said it was the first Secure Sockets...

retail ; Retailers must address shoppers' RFID fears.(Brief Article)
September 9, 2003... Daniel Thomas daniel.thomas@rbi.co.uk UK retailers have been urged to act over privacy concerns surrounding radio frequency identification technology or risk its growth being stifled by consumer opposition. Analyst group GartnerG2...

See the bigger picture.
September 9, 2003... Don't let virus panic skew your security strategy BYLINE: GrahamTitterington Opinion The latest virus outbreaks are distracting enterprises from taking effective steps towards coherent security and business continuity strategies....

offshore IT ; DHL makes Prague move.
September 9, 2003... l Courier confirms UK datacentre will closel Czech centre to manage all of DHL's European IT l Major savings expected but UK jobs will be lost Daniel Thomas daniel.thomas@rbi.co.uk Global courier firm DHL has officially announced...

First signs of recovery as finance and public sectors up demand for contractors.(Industry Overview)
September 9, 2003... recruitment Ads for permanent posts level off and salaries stick with inflation Bill Goodwin bill.goodwin@rbi.co.uk After three years of job cuts, unfilled vacancies, static salaries and plummeting contract rates, the UK is seeing...

project management; Scottish prisons to get phased records system.(from Newell & Budge)(Brief Article)
September 9, 2003... James Rogers james.rogers@rbi.co.uk Strong project management and a phased approach will be key to the implementation of the Scottish Prison Service's new prisoner records system. A six-figure contract has been awarded to services...

Outsourcing; Dell offers managed desktop services.(Brief Article)
September 9, 2003... Cliff Saran cliff.saran@rbi.co.uk Dell has become the latest PC manufacturer to offer managed desktop services. The approach has become increasingly popular among users wishing to reduce their IT overheads. Through managed...

Firms urged to tighten web and e-mail security in response to 'spoofing' attacks.
September 9, 2003... spam Companies have become the victims of the latest spam tactic: e-mails sent under their name with links directing users to a lookalike website that requests financial details Daniel Thomas daniel.thomas@rbi.co.uk Spam is rarely...

Withdrawal of key supplier raises questions over national ITprogramme bidding process.(Lockheed Martin)
September 9, 2003... NHS IT Health spokesman denies number of bidders is important Tony Collins tony.collins@rbi.co.uk The reasons for the sudden withdrawal of Lockheed Martin from the NHS' [pounds sterling]2.3bn national programme for IT have caused...

Only 60% of firms have disaster recovery plans.(according to Meta Research)(Brief Article)
September 9, 2003... Antony Adshead antony.adshead@rbi.co.uk The disaster recovery arrangements of many UK companies are not robust enough, although further investment is planned, according to recent research. A survey published by market analyst Meta...

Movie launches love affair with cinema on the internet.(This is not a Love Song )(Brief Article)
September 9, 2003... UK film This is not a Love Song received the world's first e-premiere last Friday when it was made available for streaming and download on the internet and simultaneously streamed and digitally projected in cinemas across the UK. The film,...

Downtime.
September 9, 2003... Can you tell an IT geek from a serial killer? While IT workers struggle to throw off their geek reputation, Downtime feels that the latest entry on Matt Round's weblog, www.malevole.com, is not helping to boost the image of technology...

suppliers' views; Top supply executives predict market upturn.(Brief Article)
September 9, 2003... Simon Quicke simon.quicke@rbi.co.uk An exclusive survey of executives from leading IT suppliers by Microscope, Computer Weekly's sister magazine, reveals that they thought a recovery in the IT market had begun or would start next year....

inland revenue; Union seeks NAO check on EDS.(National Audit Office )
September 9, 2003... Mike Simons mike.simons@rbi.co.uk A trade union representing tax office staff has called on the National Audit Office to examine whether IT outsourcer EDS cut corners in software testing of the New Tax Credit system. The PCS,...

worshipful company of Information technologists; IT professionals help to improve others' lives.
September 9, 2003... terminally ill children communicate electronically. This system, created for the Demelza House Hospice for children in Kent, has been rolled out to all the UK's children's hospices Lilian Baylis School, Lambeth, recently one of the worst...

public sector; Government needs an IT supremo.(Brief Article)
September 9, 2003... John Riley john.riley@rbi.co.uk Government has had no co-ordinated technical leadership for the past three years, since its IT strategy unit, the Central Computing and Telecommunications Agency, was rolled into the Office of...

disaster recovery ; Users need to be prepared for power cuts.
September 9, 2003... can have a knock-on effect such as preventing data back-ups or stopping branch-office data synchronisation from completing within the allotted time. Paul Tyrer, director of channels at power supply specialist APC, said, "In a city such as...

analysts' views; European IT chiefs plan more investment in 2004.
September 9, 2003... profits, such as CRM. Its survey of European chief information officers also suggested that nearly 70% have postponed IT spending so far in 2003 because of budget limits. However, 60% of these expected to make their investments before the end...

Autumn Events Round-up; Autumn is conference season for IT chiefs.
September 9, 2003... Despite the general economic squeeze there is still considerable competition for senior IT managers' limited time, with a plethora of events arranged for this autumn. User groups are particularly active. Although many events are closed to...