IT Week (UK) articles from April 2008

IT Week (UK) archives from April 2008

AMD feels it has cores for optimism.
April 7, 2008... Byline: Daniel Robinson AMD feels it has cores for optimism AMD server and workstation vice president Randy Allen explains the delay to its quad-core Opteron processor and how the company is planning to keep arch-rival Intel at bay ...

Minimising risks, maximising opportunities.
April 7, 2008... Minimising risks, maximising opportunities Ernst & Young's Seamus Reilly explains how IT leaders can fend off threats and facilitate change Phil Muncaster IT Week: As head of information security in northern Europe for...

Real dangers lurk in virtual worlds.
April 7, 2008... Byline: Dave Bailey Real dangers lurk in virtual worlds Legitimate businesses are looking to cash in on virtual worlds A- and so are crooks Virtual worlds are great, aren't they? What bliss to be able to disappear for a few hours...

Miniature laptop is hampered by Vista.(HTC Shift)(Product/service evaluation)
April 7, 2008... Miniature laptop is hampered by Vista While the Shift has some obvious strengths, it is poorly suited to Vista and has a low battery life Daniel Robinson The HTC Shift is a device best described as an ultra-small laptop with an...

Departments pass green buck.
April 7, 2008... Departments pass green buck New research suggests that the vast majority of IT departments in the UK are still only paying lip service to environmental issues David Neal Organisations are under increasing pressure to adopt...

Identity schemes must put usersi?1/2 needs first.
April 7, 2008... Identity schemes must put users' needs first ID schemes that fail to deliver real benefits in a way that users find convenient are unlikely to prosper As every systems analyst and programmer knows, records in computer systems need an...

Wireless rises to university challenge.
April 7, 2008... Wireless rises to university challenge The University of Birmingham has built one of the biggest campus WLANs in the UK Dave Bailey The University of Birmingham is one of the biggest in England, with 30,000 undergraduate and...

Web junk chokes chips.
April 7, 2008... Web junk chokes chips Despite advances in chips, PCs are struggling to cope with all the rubbish that the web throws up "There has been no need for any increase in computing power on the desktop for some time." So said Gartner analyst...

EDA making progress.
April 7, 2008... EDA making progress Progress Software's Sonic ESB 8.0 will push event-driven architecture into mainstream Rosalie Marshall Progress Software has fleshed out its roadmap, promising the next major release of its Sonic ESB software...

Data security chiefs advised to focus on risk.
April 7, 2008... Data security chiefs advised to focus on risk Security chiefs gathered in Amsterdam last week were urged to spend less time fighting fires and more time thinking strategically Phil Muncaster Chief information security officers...

Office Open XML gets thumbs up from ISO.
April 7, 2008... Office Open XML gets thumbs up from ISO Madeline Bennett Microsoft's Office Open XML (OOXML) document format standard has finally gained approval as an ISO standard after intense public wrangling. The result will be widely...

Intel boosts mobile web performance.
April 7, 2008... Intel boosts mobile web performance Daniel Robinson Intel's spring developer conference in Shanghai last week showcased its forthcoming range of processors for mobile devices. The spotlight fell on chips for mobile internet devices...

Windows Mobile gears up for the enterprise.
April 7, 2008... Windows Mobile gears up for the enterprise Daniel Robinson Microsoft has updated its Windows Mobile platform for smartphones, adding significantly more enterprise features. These include an improved browser and integration with Active...

Parallels simplifies datacentre virtualisation.
April 14, 2008... Byline: Roger Howorth Parallels simplifies datacentre virtualisation Parallels' Virtuozzo 4.0 virtualisation suite boasts an improved user interface and better tools for configuring and moving workloads Roger Howorth ...

Updates turn from boon to burden.
April 14, 2008... Byline: Daniel Robinson Updates turn from boon to burden Automatic software updates are beginning to conflict with users' best interests Just about every piece of software seems to have the ability to automatically update itself...

Fraudsters may be about to meet their match.
April 14, 2008... Fraudsters may be about to meet their match After some false starts, has the security industry finally come up with an antifraud scheme that works? I'm reading a rather good book at the moment. Of course, it's not as good as Bravo Two...

How IT supports CAi?1/2s business.
April 14, 2008... How IT supports CA's business The vendor's IT chief explains how a simplified software stack and business-focused training is paying dividends Phil Stunt, vice president for international IT at software giant CA, has come through some...

Colleges merge systems for mutual benefit.
April 14, 2008... Byline: Rosalie Marshall Colleges merge systems for mutual benefit An IT overhaul has cut costs and improved performance at the University of West Scotland Rosalie Marshall The University of West Scotland (UWS) was formed in...

The future according to Intel.
April 14, 2008... Byline: Daniel Robinson The future according to Intel Tom Kilroy, vice president of Intel's Digital Enterprise Group, explains the role new processor technologies will play in the ongoing evolution of enterprise IT Daniel Robinson...

firms see the benefit of service management.
April 14, 2008... Byline: Phil Muncaster Itil 3 prompts firms to revisit their IT service strategies The Itil 3 framework has been widely praised, but what impact is it having on firms' helpdesk and IT management plans? Phil Muncaster and David Neal...

Why audio beats video.
April 14, 2008... Why audio beats video The failure of mobile videoconferencing has saved users from a lot of frustration and pain You'll have noticed, perhaps, that video conferencing by mobile phone is not a routine business tool. But why not? Five...

Experts lambast fraud protection system.
April 14, 2008... Experts lambast fraud protection system Visa and MasterCard secure payment tools could be exploited by fraudsters Phil Muncaster Payment experts have criticised the security and usability of identity verification payment systems...

Process modelling suite gets usability makeover.
April 14, 2008... Process modelling suite gets usability makeover Rosalie Marshall Business process management (BPM) firm Lombardi has updated its on-demand Blueprint process documentation tool with new functions designed to make it simpler to use. ...

IBM and Google aim to boost Web 2.0 uptake.
April 14, 2008... IBM and Google aim to boost Web 2.0 uptake Firms target non-technical users David Neal IBM and Google both released tools last week designed to boost corporate use of Web 2.0 technologies. IBM said Mashup Center, due for a...

HP targets firms with low-cost mini laptop.
April 14, 2008... HP targets firms with low-cost mini laptop Daniel Robinson HP has entered the emerging market for low-cost miniature laptops with its own product, the HP 2133 Mini-Note PC. Like the Asus Eee PC, this is priced for the education market,...

Vista SP1 update set to automatic.
April 14, 2008... Vista SP1 update set to automatic Daniel Robinson Microsoft will begin pushing out Vista SP1 to users via its Automatic Update service this week, following comments made by Bill Gates that suggested the next major Windows version might...

Poor processes imperil data.
April 21, 2008... Byline: Gareth Morgan Poor processes imperil data While malicious attacks tend to grab the headlines, the prime causes of data breaches are usually more mundane At the RSA security conference in San Francisco earlier this month,...

CIOs must be comfortable with change.
April 21, 2008... Byline: Phil Muncaster CIOs must be comfortable with change The BBC's Keith Little explains how he is helping to support the organisation's transformation Phil Muncaster The BBC's chief information officer, Keith Little, began...

Back to the future for enterprise desktops.
April 21, 2008... Byline: Daniel Robinson Back to the future for enterprise desktops Technologies such as virtual desktops and blade PCs are reviving the centralised computing model Daniel Robinson The benefits of server virtualisation are...

An early warning of the dangers of ID schemes.
April 21, 2008... Byline: Kelvyn Taylor An early warning of the dangers of ID schemes The idea of all-encompassing electronic ID schemes was setting off alarm bells as far back as 1970 One of my most prized possessions is a collection of copies of...

Time to get with the Web 2.0 programme?
April 21, 2008... Time to get with the Web 2.0 programme? Giving staff access to Web 2.0 tools should have a positive impact on performance I've had quite the 2.0 month these past four weeks. I have been talking to a lot of firms about Web 2.0, or, if...

The virtual world is your oyster.
April 21, 2008... The virtual world is your oyster Business conducted in virtual worlds could be a big opportunity for enterprises in the future, but the new environment must be thoroughly tested before its public debut Dave Bailey While the...

No hiding from the boss.(Microsoft Corp.)(Column)
April 21, 2008... No hiding from the boss Advances in GPS-enabled handsets have taken a worrying turn for the UK's road warriors I think it's time to market my "personal Faraday cage" for truant executives. It's easy: you make a call to your office...

Amazon to offer flexible storage.
April 21, 2008... Amazon to offer flexible storage IT Week staff Online retailer Amazon is to add more enterprise-class features to its Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) service. The new features will provide persistent storage volumes that exist...

Microsoft plots its embedded future.
April 21, 2008... Microsoft plots its embedded future Software giant spreads its wings to target specific device categories Daniel Robinson Microsoft is to release new embedded platforms targeted at specific device categories, including satellite...

Ofcom unveils plan to promote optical fibre.
April 21, 2008... Ofcom unveils plan to promote optical fibre New building projects seen as key Dave Bailey Ofcom last week announced proposals designed to promote optical fibre rollouts to new office developments. In a speech given at the...

New business laptops are light on the arm and wallet.
April 21, 2008... New business laptops are light on the arm and wallet IT Week staff More small-form factor laptops are set to hit the market. NEC's Versa S9100 features a 12in SuperShine screen and weighs 1.25kg. It is based on a 1.2GHz Intel Core...

Economic gloom puts pressure on IT budgets.
April 21, 2008... Economic gloom puts pressure on IT budgets Rosalie Marshall The worsening global economic outlook is starting to take its toll on IT budgets, with evidence emerging that a quarter of firms are already cutting IT spend. Indian...

Infosec to highlight new threats.
April 21, 2008... Infosec to highlight new threats Phil Muncaster The Infosecurity Europe trade show kicks off in London's Olympia this week, with industry leaders poised to highlight the growing difficulty of securing highly sensitive enterprise data....

Glenn Morgan is head of information programme management for Heathrow T5.(Interview)(Brief article)
April 28, 2008... Glenn Morgan is head of information programme management for Heathrow T5 How many people do you manage? I have a team of 14 directly under me but I work with a virtual team of more than 500 IT professionals. What does your job...

Innovation comes as standard.
April 28, 2008... Innovation comes as standard Accenture CIO Frank Modruson explains how he standardised systems across the company and introduced Web 2.0-based collaboration tools David Neal Frank Modruson has worked at management consulting and...

Shared platform boosts service delivery.
April 28, 2008... Byline: Rosalie Marshall Shared platform boosts service delivery Castle Morpeth and Alnwick councils have cut costs, increased efficiency and improved services to their residents by implementing a shared CRM system Rosalie...

Immature file formats should be kept inside.
April 28, 2008... Byline: Tim Anderson Immature file formats should be kept inside Despite recent ISO approval, Microsoft's Office XML formats are not yet ready for use beyond the firewall "Be liberal in what you accept, and conservative in what you...

Hard-working laptop puts strain on battery.
April 28, 2008... Byline: Daniel Robinson Hard-working laptop puts strain on battery The Precision M2300 has plenty of punch but users should not stray too far from the mains Daniel Robinson Dell's Precision M2300 is a mobile workstation PC...

Experience trumps youthful exuberance.
April 28, 2008... Experience trumps youthful exuberance Firms must resist calls to indulge the techno-whims of the MySpace generation Back in October 2001, the American educationalist Marc Prensky suggested that there was a fundamental difference...

Firms line up to push high-speed wireless.
April 28, 2008... Byline: Dave Bailey Firms line up to push high-speed wireless Dave Bailey A raft of high-performance wireless kit was unveiled last week as vendors battled to tempt firms into deploying next-generation WLANs based on the 802.11n...

Security professionals aim to end data breaches.
April 28, 2008... Byline: Phil Muncaster Security professionals aim to end data breaches Increasing sensitivity about corporate reputations is spurring action on leaks Phil Muncaster Preventing data breaches is the highest priority for today's...

Logica to axe UK jobs.(Brief article)
April 28, 2008... Byline: Gareth Morgan Logica to axe UK jobs The troubled services group is to axe 500 back-office staff from its UK arm Gareth Morgan Embattled Anglo-Dutch IT services group Logica is to cut 1,300 jobs as it wrestles with the...

Long road to 802.11n Wi-Fi.
April 28, 2008... Long road to 802.11n Wi-Fi The choice of high-performance 802.11n systems on the market was greatly increased last week, with wireless vendors Aruba, Meru, Ruckus and Trapeze all stepping up to the plate to show off their latest wares....

Microsoft keeps cloud and client data in sync.
April 28, 2008... Byline: Gareth Morgan Microsoft keeps cloud and client data in sync Gareth Morgan Microsoft has fleshed out its "software plus services" strategy by unveiling its new online service, Live Mesh, designed to synchronise users' data...

Windows XP update may hit Vista sales.
April 28, 2008... Byline: Daniel Robinson Windows XP update may hit Vista sales Daniel Robinson Microsoft will make its Service Pack 3 (SP3) update for Windows XP available for download today. The move may convince some firms that XP is still...

Web app tools empower users.
April 28, 2008... Web app tools empower users Google and IBM are looking to turn non-techies into mashup maestros, but is this something IT chiefs either want or need? David Neal IBM and Google have recently upped the ante with their Web 2.0...

Natural assets give storage boost.
April 28, 2008... Natural assets give storage boost Iceland's unique geography is proving a hit when it comes to providing eco-friendly archive storage solutions Dave Bailey One of the biggest conundrums facing large enterprises is the...