Computer Weekly articles from September 2006

Computer Weekly archives from September 2006

Diploma aims to fill IT's skills gap.
September 5, 2006... Bill Goodwinbill.goodwin@rbi.co.ukThe publication of this year's GCSE and A-level results has raised renewed concerns about the declining numbers of students choosing to study computing. Over the past four years there has been a sharp drop in...

Audit Office pledges new report on NHS.(National Health Service)
September 5, 2006... Tony Collinstony.collins@rbi.co.ukThe National Audit Office is to publish a new report into the UK's largest IT investment, the ?12.4bn National Programme for IT in the NHS. Its decision follows criticism by MPs of the Audit Office's June 2006...

Get a policy on Google, CIOs urged.(chief information officers)(Brief article)
September 5, 2006... Lindsay Clarklindsay.clark@rbi.co.ukIT directors must take a position on the use of Google's new corporate applications services or risk their unauthorised use by staff, analysts have warned. The search engine company announced last week that...

Year-long hunt fails to find IT security chief for NHS.(National Health Service)
September 5, 2006... Bill Goodwinbill.goodwin@rbi.co.ukConnecting for Health has failed to appoint a senior security director to oversee IT security across the NHS National Programme for IT despite a year-long search.The government agency behind the NHS IT...

Amazon offers coders computing on demand.
September 5, 2006... Tash Shifrincomputer.weekly@rbi.co.ukOnline retailer Amazon has introduced a service offering computing power on demand to software developers.The Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) service has been launched as a limited beta through the...

Top-quality projects show business.
September 5, 2006... Justin Richardscomputer.weekly@rbi.co.ukThe value to businesses of student work placements in IT and engineering roles will be highlighted at the annual Year in Industry Contribution to Business Awards at the Institution of Civil Engineers in...

Pen and paper tackles data capture.
September 5, 2006... Cliff Saran & Helen Beckett cliff.saran@rbi.co.ukIT directors have deployed laptops, PDAs and even tablet PCs to provide end-users with the ability to input data when they are out of the office, but there is another option.A digital pen works...

News.(public services using rfid equipment)
September 5, 2006... Don't mention the bugged wheelie binsTechnology roll-outs can sometimes prompt surprising reactions, but few can have been more extreme than last week's media frenzy about schemes using RFID tags to help measure and record household...

Get in early to ride wave of move to Extensible HTML.(Hypertext Markup Language)
September 5, 2006... Nick Langleycomputer.weekly@rbi.co.ukWhat is it?XHTML (Extensible Hypertext Markup Language) is a markup language for web pages that combines HTML with XML. It was intended to replace HTML, but there is no sign of this happening on a wide scale...

A new way to plug skills gap.(Brief article)
September 5, 2006... mployers have been lamenting the poor quality of the students coming out of the school system for years. Poor skills in English, maths, and the inability to communicate and work in teams top their list of concerns.Now a new diploma (see page...

News.(open source software)(Brief article)
September 5, 2006... Open source software is part of the IT furniture these days, but it is only 15 years since Linus Torvalds put out the first Linux release.Back then, the code ran to just over 10,000 lines and was no more than a hobby for the 21-year-old. Today,...

News.
September 5, 2006... Have the benefits of remote/home working been overhyped?Yes: 78%No: 22%The Big Question is an initiative between Computer Weekly and recruitment consultancy PSD. Each week we put the Big Question to top IT professionals to get their take on a...

Cosworth revs up data for SAP move.(Cosworth Racing UK)(Brief article)
September 5, 2006... Lindsay Clarklindsay.clark@rbi.co.ukUK racing engine manufacturer Cosworth has started the data cleansing phase of a ?2m global SAP roll-out designed to improve business performance and reduce costs by consolidating systems.The MySAP system...

Act now to beat power threat, warns Gartner.(Brief article)
September 5, 2006... Cliff Sarancliff.saran@rbi.co.ukIT directors will face increasing problems in deploying server-based applications in datacentres unless they address the growing problem of energy shortages, according to analyst group Gartner.The analysts...

EDF system scales data mountain.(EDF Energy)(Brief article)
September 5, 2006... Cliff Sarancliff.saran@rbi.co.ukEDF Energy has managed to keep its mainframe capacity the same for the past three years despite the number of records on its database increasing by two million a year.With the latest round of energy price...

Helly Hansen sets sail with Verizon for global IP network.(Verizon Business )(Brief article)
September 5, 2006... Sailing and outdoor clothing group Helly Hansen has signed up Verizon Business to upgrade and provide support for a managed private IP network across offices in 17 countries. Under the deal, Verizon will manage the data network and provide a...

Hallam cuts build time with eScript.
September 5, 2006... Arif Mohamed arif.mohamed@rbi.co.ukHallam Land Management has shaved a third off development time for a web-based workflow application by using a modular framework.The land management workflow application was developed using Progress Software's...

News.(identity theft on computer networks)(Aviva PLC reducing its outsourcing staff)(Microsoft Corp. releasing test version of Windows Vista)(Brief article)
September 5, 2006... in briefStudy reveals high cost of attacks using stolen IDsAttacks on computer networks using stolen user IDs and passwords cause an average of ?790,000 in financial damage, an analysis of criminal prosecutions has revealed. A US Justice...

News.(Procter & Gamble Co. contracts with RightNow Technologies Inc.)(Microsoft Corp. fined for antitrust ruling)(J.P. Morgan Chase and Co. (New York, New York)'s Austin Adams retiring)
September 5, 2006... In briefP&G rolls out on-demand CRM from RightNowProcter & Gamble is using RightNow Technologies' on-demand CRM to provide online self-service across its brands, which include Olay, Pampers and Pantene. RightNow's web self-service is already...

Cheshire deploys wireless facilities.
September 5, 2006... Will Hadfieldwill.hadfield@rbi.co.ukCheshire County Council has connected every school and local authority location in the county to its new wireless communications facilities for less than half the cost of a wired alternative.The Connected...

Web services lead the way to CRM.(customer relationship management software)
September 5, 2006... Arif Mohamed arif.mohamed@rbi.co.ukOn-demand business applications are seeing increasing adoption among business users large and small. These services have become popular largely thanks to the internet and secure broadband connections. Users...

IBM deal bolsters security management expertise.(acquired Internet Security Systems Inc.)
September 5, 2006... Cliff Sarancomputer.weekly@rbi.co.uk IBM is to buy Internet Security Systems (ISS) in a ?684m deal that the company hopes will improve its ability to offer managed security services.ISS provides security software, appliances and the xForce...

Swifter speech recognition.(Carnegie Mellon University's research on chip architecture)(Brief article)
September 5, 2006... Tash Shifrincomputer.weekly@rbi.co.ukResearchers at Carnegie Mellon University in the US have developed a chip architecture that supports speech recognition at speeds 10 times faster than current software-based technology. The technology is...

Make your data work a lot harder.
September 5, 2006... Miya Knightscomputer.weekly@rbi.co.ukSuccessful businesses have always put a high value on the information they collect. This value is derived from analysing the patterns and trends that emerge from data. A reliance on the intelligence gained...

Microsoft and Citrix link to boost branch Wan apps.(Citrix Systems Inc.; wide area networks)
September 5, 2006... Arif Mohamedarif.mohamed@rbi.co.ukMicrosoft is teaming up with thin client supplier Citrix to offer an alternative to Cisco products for optimising the performance of branch office applications over a wide area network. The firms plan to knit...

Harness the power of home users.(personal computers)
September 5, 2006... It is hard to believe, but the PC has been around for 25 years. The US launch was in August 1981, though it did not officially appear in the UK for another 18 months. A lot has changed since then. PCs have become more powerful and easier to...

Can troubled tablet take off at last?(tablet computers)
September 5, 2006... Eric Doylecomputer.weekly@rbi.co.ukIn late 2002, the tablet PC launched amid claims that it would revolutionise the way people worked and bring pen technology into the mainstream. Bill Gates predicted, "Within five years, most mobile PCs will...

a canny way to end the paper jam.(Scottish Executive regulations to reduce paper work in public services)
September 5, 2006... An electronic records and document management project has effectively brought the paperless office to the Scottish Executive, the devolved government in Scotland. While it may seem that this particular Holy Grail has been some time coming, the...

News.(open source software)(Brief article)
September 5, 2006... Is the inventor of Linux one of your IT greats?Open source software is part of the IT furniture these days, but it is only 15 years since Linus Torvalds put out the first Linux release.Back then, the code ran to just over 10,000 lines and was...

Analysis app helps double new business at Foresters.(Brief article)
September 5, 2006... Christian Annesleychristian.annesley@rbi.co.ukFinancial services organisation Foresters has doubled its new-business volumes in the past 18 months, after developing customer needs analysis software linked to its point of sale system.And...

Users win better support for legacy Microsoft apps.
September 5, 2006... Cliff Sarancliff.saran@rbi.co.ukMicrosoft has responded to user pressure and revamped its Custom Support Agreement programme, which provides support for legacy products.The changes will give organisations more time to migrate to newer...

News.(identity theft attacks on computer networks)(Aviva PLC reduing its outsourcing staff)(Microsoft Corp. released test version of Windows Vista)(Brief article)
September 5, 2006... in briefStudy reveals high cost of attacks using stolen IDsAttacks on computer networks using stolen user IDs and passwords cause an average of ?790,000 in financial damage, an analysis of criminal prosecutions has revealed. A US Justice...

Siebel users rate year under Oracle.(Siebel Systems Inc.'s customer service after acquistion )(Brief article)
September 5, 2006... Arif Mohamedarif.mohamed@rbi.co.ukMost Siebel users in the UK have seen no difference in the level of service they have received since the CRM supplier was acquired by Oracle a year ago. However, 17% have reported a decline in service...

Help the business get a sense of direction.
September 5, 2006... As one who has undergone the challenges of migrating diverse data sources, I am all too aware that data migration is a business issue, as well as a technical challenge. However, getting the business and IT to share the problem, as some experts...

Complexity drives use.(supply chain management )(Brief article)
September 5, 2006... Tash Shifrincomputer.weekly@rbi.co.ukManufacturers are increasingly turning to supply chain management (SCM) technology to deal with growing complexity, a study has found.Research firm Datamonitor said demand is coming from both smaller firms...

IT integration is the key to public.(Councils and police forces plans to systems integration for accessing public safety services)
September 12, 2006... Will Hadfieldwill.hadfield@rbi.co.ukA project to create a single non-emergency telephone number for accessing public safety services has prompted a spate of systems integration in local government.Councils and police forces in the five pilot...

IT director shows value of focus and.
September 12, 2006... Bill Goodwinbill.goodwin@rbi.co.ukIf you are aiming to climb the career ladder, it helps to have a clear goal, but you will also need a flexible approach along the way.Toby Clarke, group IT director at business insurance company Abbey Legal...

IT4C awards to recognise success of IT volunteers.(IT4Communities)(Brief article)
September 12, 2006... Computer Weekly reportercomputer.weekly@rbi.co.ukIT4Communities, which was set up in 2002 to help IT professionals offer their skills to local charities and community projects, has launched its inaugural awards for IT volunteering.The...

Barclaycard system to scan for launderers.(contracts with Datanomic software)(Brief article)
September 12, 2006... Antony Savvascomputer.weekly@rbi.co.ukBarclaycard is rolling out software for screening clients to comply with anti-money laundering legislation.The Datanomic dn:Match software will be installed at Barclaycard sites in the UK, North America and...

Allied targets growth with centralised IT and CRM.(Allied Carpets Group PLC contracts with Microsoft and Panacea Services)(customer relationship management)
September 12, 2006... Lindsay Clarklindsay.clark@rbi.co.ukAllied Carpets aims to increase its revenue by as much as ?5m a year with a new IT architecture and a Micro?soft customer relationship management system. The business growth will come from improved customer...

Insurer saves ?4m a month with SAP.(Co-operative Insurance Society Ltd. contracts with SAP AG for SAP insurance suite)
September 12, 2006... Cliff Sarancliff.saran@rbi.co.ukCo-operative Insurance (CIS) is on course to achieve operational savings of ?4m a month following the introduction of SAP enterprise software.CIS, which is part of the Co-operative Group, has five million...

Milton Keynes to trial public Wimax network.(contracts with Pipex Wireless )(Brief article)
September 12, 2006... Tash Shifrincomputer.weekly@rbi.co.ukMilton Keynes is to test a Wimax wireless network, in what its organisers say is the first trial of its kind in the UK.Wimax (World Interoperability for Microwave Access) is expected to support broadband...

Science site eases pain of development.(Brief article)
September 12, 2006... The Science Photo Library is using a pre-release version of a new open source technology to simplify the development of an e-commerce website based on web services technologies. To avoid a complex implementation using Soap (Simple Object Access...

Councils shortlisted in IT Excellence Awards.(Brief article)
September 12, 2006... Computer Weekly reportercomputer.weekly@rbi.co.ukEast Riding of Yorkshire Council, Hertfordshire County Council and West Lothian Community Health & Care Partnership have been selected as finalists for the 2006 Local Government IT Excellence...

Database analysis system proves a safe bet for rapid return at the Tote.(using Alterian Marketing Suite )(Brief article)
September 12, 2006... Lindsay Clarklindsay.clark@rbi.co.ukThe Tote, one of the UK's largest bookmakers, is reaping the benefits of a new database analysis tool it ?installed in May.The Alterian Marketing Suite has enabled faster delivery of management information to...

Who protects the information our critical infrastructure relies on?(Discussion)
September 12, 2006... Brian Runcimancomputer.weekly@rbi.co.ukA recent BCS Thought Leadership Debate discussed who owns the UK's critical national information infrastructure and how it is protected. The information necessary for the operation of the critical national...

BFI opens film library to web searches.(British Film Institute contracts with Sigmer Technologies )(Brief article)
September 12, 2006... The British Film Institute has rolled out a database to handle its enormous library covering world cinema, film and television, and present it on a searchable website. The system was developed by Sigmer Technologies using the Lamp (Linux,...

News.(IT professionals surveyed for 'Is team spirit vital for effective IT')(Brief article)
September 12, 2006... Is team spirit vital for effective IT? Yes: 85%No: 15%The Big Question is an initiative between Computer Weekly and recruitment consultancy PSD. Each week we put the Big Question to top IT professionals to get their take on a current talking...

Bank of Scotland overhaul aims for compliance gains.(Brief article)
September 12, 2006... Christian Annesleychristian.annesley@rbi.co.ukThe corporate banking division of Bank of Scotland is preparing a major overhaul of its accounts processing systems after bedding in a new datawarehouse.The accounts processing update, which will...

Start-ups create IT salary hotspot in Cambridge.(Brief article)
September 12, 2006... Will Hadfieldwill.hadfield@rbi.co.ukCambridge has become a hotspot for IT professionals as competition among rapidly expanding high-tech companies push up salaries for the most in-demand skills.Brett Budden, director of permanent recruitment at...

Spotlight on business value metrics.(Brief article)
September 12, 2006... Computer Weekly reportercomputer.weekly@rbi.co.ukThe demands of demonstrating quantifiable business value from IT have placed the spotlight increasingly on metrics - what and how much to measure, and how to use those measurements most...

Health datacentre back online.(Computer Sciences Corp. and National Health Service to restore patient data systems )(Brief article)
September 12, 2006... Cliff Sarancliff.saran@rbi.co.ukCSC and NHS Connecting for Health have taken more than a month to restore patient data systems to the local service provider's primary datacentre in Maidstone.Hospitals in the North West and the West Midlands had...

News.(Lynn Billings)
September 12, 2006... Will the real Taylors of Derby please stand up?The convoluted and occasionally disastrous meanderings of government IT projects clearly occupy the minds of more than just MPs and computer journalists. While not quite reaching the outrage of...

News.
September 12, 2006... dpm's diaryc p boundMondayWe have now managed to secure the funds necessary to stave off the threat of redundancies, but there are two outstanding issues. The first is the rehabilitation of Charlie, whose weak-kneed quiescence in the face of...

DWP scraps core benefits processing programme.(Department for Work and Pensions )
September 12, 2006... Tony Collinstony.collins@rbi.co.ukThe Department for Work and Pensions has cancelled a ?141m core IT programme less than three months after giving an assurance to parliament that new funding for aspects of the scheme had been approved.Shadow...

Using CSS to bring style to web development work.(Cascading Style Sheets)
September 12, 2006... Nick Langleycomputer.weekly@rbi.co.ukWhat is it?Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) is a style sheet format for HTML documents endorsed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). It is used to define layouts, fonts, colours and other aspects of web...

Be clear about.(Department for Work and Pensions drops its decision to invest in IT systems)(Brief article)
September 12, 2006... he decision by the Department for Work and Pensions to drop its ?140m Benefits Processing Repayments IT project could be much more than just another central government IT failure.It could offer a chance to examine how effectively the...

Morrisons boosts supply links with EDI.(Electronic Data Interchange )(Brief article)
September 12, 2006... Antony Savvascomputer.weekly@rbi.co.ukSupermarket chain Morrisons is rolling out an electronic trading system to more closely integrate its supply chain systems with suppliers.The Spectrum 3 system from Freeway Commerce uses an Electronic Data...

SOA will fail without governance, warns Gartner.(service oriented architecture)(Brief article)
September 12, 2006... Cliff Sarancliff.saran@rbi.co.ukService oriented architecture (SOA) projects will fail unless they are tightly managed and audited, analyst firm Gartner has warned.Addressing an audience of 400 business users and IT heads at the SAP World Tour...

Insurers raise pension stakes with detailed private sector alternative.
September 12, 2006... Christian Annesleychristian.annesley@rbi.co.ukInsurers have responded to the government's white paper on the planned new pensions saving system by setting out a detailed alternative to be run by the private sector. Published in May, the white...

News.(J.P. Morgan Chase and Co. (New York, New York) accidentally throws out customer information)(European Commission antitrust rulings delays Microsoft corp.'s Windows Vista)(Virgin Megastores using Neolane V4 )
September 12, 2006... In briefVirgin Megastores to have single customer viewVirgin Megastores has gone live with marketing communications software to give the retailer a single view of customer activity across its websites and enable better targeted marketing...

News.
September 12, 2006... in briefTesco delays launch of non-food online service Tesco has delayed the launch of Tesco Direct, its non-food web ordering service, after suffering IT problems. It had been scheduled to launch the service last week. No new go-live date has...

SOA as a catalyst for better IT governance.(service oriented architecture)
September 12, 2006... Service oriented architecture (SOA) is generally recognised today as an important way to improve business flexibility and better align business and IT. It does this by using formally defined software interfaces to increase the reusability of...

how to work smarter.(internet telephony)
September 12, 2006... Within the next few years, 75% of phone calls will be made over an IP network. The converged network is here today. The question for IT directors is not whether to switch to a converged IP network for voice and data, but when to...

the voip revolution.(voice over ip)
September 12, 2006... Converged voice and data networks are revolutionising IT infrastructure. They offer IT directors the cost savings that come from using a single network, and at the same time preparing organisations for a new generation of applications.According...

News.(open source software licensing)(Brief article)
September 12, 2006... Is free software pioneer one of your IT greats?A one-time hacker who has latterly become a political activist might sound an unlikely candidate for inclusion in any pantheon of IT greats. But what if that hacker was Richard Stallman, founder of...

Hard disc reaches 50th anniversary.(International Business Machines Corp.'s storage unit)
September 12, 2006... Cliff Sarancliff.saran@rbi.co.ukIBM unveiled the world's first hard disc 50 years ago this week. The IBM 350 disc storage unit was rolled out in 1956 as part of the IBM 305 Ramac business computer. It offered storage capacities of five, 10, 15...

Open tool makes it easier to develop web services.(Brief article)
September 12, 2006... Lindsay Clarklindsay.clark@rbi.co.ukAn open source tool, due to be completed in the next few months, is promising to simplify the way web services are developed.The open source Restlet project aims to give developers an easier way to use Soap...

What recycling rules mean for users.(computer peripherals industry)
September 12, 2006... Lindsay Clarklindsay.clark@rbi.co.ukImproving financial governance has been high on the agenda for most IT directors in recent years, but environmental governance is still generally neglected by IT departments. However, with spiralling energy...

Business focus needed as basic IT skills move offshore, says report.
September 19, 2006... Bill Goodwinbill.goodwin@rbi.co.ukIT professionals need to become more business focused, as the trend to offshore outsourcing of basic IT skills continues, a government-sponsored study has concluded. Research by Ovum for the Department of Trade...

News.(training to information technology workers)(Brief article)
September 19, 2006... A third of firms will not train staffTash Shifrincomputer.weekly@rbi.co.ukMore than 30% of employers refuse to provide training to develop the skills of their staff, according to the Trades Union Congress.A TUC report found that 35% of...

News.(best places to work for IT professionals)(Brief article)
September 19, 2006... Do you work in a winning IT department?Computer Weekly today begins this year's search for the UK's Best Places to Work in IT.The Best Places to Work Awards, now in their fourth year, are ?designed to showcase and encourage best working...

Are you enjoying work in a winning IT department?
September 19, 2006... Bill Goodwinbill.goodwin@rbi.co.ukNow in its fourth year, Computer Weekly's Best Places to Work in IT Awards have become established as the leading showcase for the UK's best IT departments. The awards aim to identify and encourage best...

Housing Corp's blueprint.(searching for IT services industry)
September 19, 2006... Bill Goodwinbill.goodwin@rbi.co.ukThe Housing Corporation has put out a tender for a managed IT infrastructure to support 405 staff in nine offices as part of a major IT modernisation programme.The project aims to provide the Housing...

Government to get extra MS discount.(Microsoft.OGCbuying.solutions)(Brief article)
September 19, 2006... Antony Savvascomputer.weekly@rbi.co.ukThe government's procurement arm has received an additional ?1m discount on the cost of software for the public sector from Microsoft.OGCbuying.solutions, the trading arm of the Office of Government...

Offshoring offers greater.(Norwich Union PLC outsourcing to Tata Consultancy Services and Wipro Ltd.)
September 19, 2006... Christian Annesleychristian.annesley@rbi.co.ukNorwich Union is outsourcing 500 IT jobs in an effort to build greater flexibility into its IT base to better deal with peaks and troughs in demand, the company has said.More than two-thirds of the...

News.(Microsoft Corp. issued patches to Internet Explorer )(Brief article)
September 19, 2006... Third patch released for Explorer bugAntony Savvascomputer.weekly@rbi.co.ukMicrosoft has attempted for the third time to fix a security vulnerability in its Internet Explorer browser, after the previous two attempts failed to make the browser...

Royal Mail sets up online system to support new post pricing structure.(with the help of Selectica Inc.)
September 19, 2006... Arif Mohamed arif.mohamed@rbi.co.ukThe Royal Mail has implemented an online pricing application to handle the changes it made to its letter and package pricing last month. The changes in the pricing structure, the first in 100 years, link the...

IT and change management central.(Wirral Council's IT systems)(signed contract with Fujitsu Services)
September 19, 2006... Computer Weekly reportercomputer.weekly@rbi.co.ukWirral Council is placing new IT systems at the heart of an overhaul of the way it deals with the people and the communities it serves.The council is working on three projects in conjunction with...

Alpha plots retail course with SAP.(Alpha Airports Group PLC)(Brief article)
September 19, 2006... Cliff Sarancliff.saran@rbi.co.ukUse of a pre-configured "blueprint" application and visits to customer reference sites played key roles in the decision-making stage of Alpha Airports Group's implementation of a new SAP retail system.The group,...

BCS awards spotlight companies that encourage women's role in IT.(British Computer Society)
September 19, 2006... Justin Richardscomputer.weekly@rbi.co.ukWomen now make up less than 20% of the UK's 1.2 million IT workforce, so the announcement of this year's GCS Women in IT Award medallists is a timely reminder to all IT employers that opportunities for...

Insurer boosts network to support apps.(Benfield Group Inc.)(Brief article)
September 19, 2006... Christian Annesleychristian.annesley@rbi.co.ukReinsurance broker Benfield has rolled out Wan acceleration technology to assign bandwidth intelligently to key applications across its principal global offices.The firm said growing pressure on the...

Choosing a route to agile systems.(business process management software)
September 19, 2006... Miya Knights computer.weekly@rbi.co.ukOrganisations increasingly regard their IT infrastructures as a series of systems to support operational business processes. To drive down cost and improve the management and speed of business change, they...

EMC unveils service oriented vision.(EMC Corp. (Hopkinton, Massachusetts) acquired RSA Security Inc.)
September 19, 2006... Arif Mohamed arif.mohamed@rbi.co.ukEMC is to release a new breed of system and information management tools. However, it needs to carry out extensive integration first.The storage supplier has gone through a highly acquisitive stage where it...