IT Week (UK) articles from December 2005

IT Week (UK) archives from December 2005

Compliance budgets threatened by OFR cut.
December 5, 2005... Byline: James Murray. The government's decision to scrap new corporate reporting requirements may encourage companies to slash IT budgets for compliance, experts warned last week. Operating and Financial Review (OFR) rules would have...

Landgrab begins for.eu domains.
December 5, 2005... - Firms wanting to use new.eu domains for their corporate web sites should take advantage of this week's initial registration period, as experts warned it could prove difficult to challenge cyber-squatters after the event. The sunrise...

Sun frees more code before Niagara.(Brief Article)
December 5, 2005... Byline: Martin Veitch. Advancing on a broad front, Sun has made its Java Enterprise System (JES) middleware available at no cost, and is set to detail availability of long-awaited Niagara-based servers that promise an energy-efficient leap...

Comment - Microsoft pushes users down path to 64bit. The software giant's decision to make Exchange 12 and other programs 64bit-only will force many IT buyers into unscheduled server purchases.(Column)
December 5, 2005... Byline: Martin Veitch. Microsoft chose the recent IT Professional Forum in Barcelona to announce that the next version of Exchange and several other programs will no longer be developed to work as 32bit programs. Instead, you'll need a...

Pair join range of tough laptops.
December 5, 2005... Panasonic will this month ship two new Toughbook ruggedised laptops. The lightweight devices are aimed at business travellers who want durable hardware. The CF-W4 and CF-T4 have magnesium casings and special protection for their 12.1in...

Skype 2.0 adds video calling.
December 5, 2005... Skype last week launched a beta version of its next-generation internet telephony application, adding integrated video calling that may pose further problems for IT managers trying to control peer-to-peer (P2P) applications. The new...

Novell and HP boost ID software.
December 5, 2005... Byline: Phil Muncaster and James Murray. Novell will today launch a major upgrade to its Identity Manager software that it said will save firms time and money by automating password management. HP is also looking to boost its identity...

IT chiefs overburdened by supplier contracts.(Brief Article)
December 5, 2005... Byline: Madeline Bennett. Many IT chiefs still have to manage contracts with a large number of vendors, despite efforts over the last few years to reduce the number of suppliers, according to new research by CA. The CIO IT Management...

VMware releases Workstation 5.5.
December 5, 2005... Virtualisation specialist VMware last week announced version 5.5 of its Workstation suite for desktop PCs, which adds support for 64bit host and guest operating systems, plus improved experimental support for Sun Microsystems' Solaris 10...

Giants ramp up grid services.(Brief Article)
December 5, 2005... Byline: Madeline Bennett. Sun and HP boosted their on-demand computing offerings last week by launching storage and try-before-you-buy services to spur uptake among enterprises. The Sun Grid Remote Backup service will offer UK firms...

Mozilla updates Firefox.
December 5, 2005... Byline: Phil Muncaster. The Mozilla Foundation has released a long-awaited update to its open-source Firefox web browser, adding a range of enhancements for usability, security and general performance. The Firefox 1.5 browser was made...

Nokia adds WLAN to 9300 phone.
December 5, 2005... Byline: Daniel Robinson. Nokia has announced an update to its 9300 corporate smartphone that adds 802.11g wireless LAN (WLAN) capability. The 9300i, expected to be available from the first quarter of 2006, retains the clamshell design...

Security Watch - Sun Java problems.
December 5, 2005... - Three flaws have been identified in versions of Sun's Java software development kit and Java runtime environment that could allow attackers to execute arbitrary code with the logged-on user's privileges. The web site below has information on...

Security Watch - Apple's monthly patch.
December 5, 2005... - Apple has released its monthly patch, which fixes 13 flaws in desktop and server versions of Mac OS X 10.3.9 and 10.4.3. These problems could allow attackers to execute arbitrary code, bypass security and set up cross-site scripting attacks....

Security Watch - Panda heap problem.
December 5, 2005... - Many Panda antivirus software titles, including Platinum and Titanium Antivirus, are vulnerable to a heap overflow in the "pskcmp.dll" library that could allow unauthenticated remote attackers to control affected systems and execute arbitrary...

Security Watch - Symantec patches pcAnywhere.
December 5, 2005... - Symantec has issued patches for versions 11.0.1 and 11.5.1 of its pcAnywhere software to fix a remotely-exploitable buffer overflow that occurs before authentication and could cause a denial of service on affected systems. Users are advised...

Security Watch - Tools block IM from PCs.
December 5, 2005... - Security software company Vicomsoft has announced its InterGate Intercept module for PC and Mac systems. It can block the user from accessing all the recognised instant messaging and peer-to-peer applications. The software can also block IP...

Dawn of the.eu top-level domain.
December 5, 2005... Byline: Phil Muncaster. Companies across the European Union will be offered the opportunity to reserve.eu domains related to their trademarks from this Wednesday when the sunrise registration period for the new European top-level domain...

Buyers advised to go to specialists for SOAs.
December 5, 2005... Byline: Roger Howorth. Firms should look to small, specialist vendors to fulfil their long-term requirements for service-oriented architecture (SOA) deployments as leading software vendors cannot deliver on the promise of the technology,...

Spending grows for compliance.
December 5, 2005... Spending on IT for regulatory compliance is likely to grow at twice the rate of overall IT spending in the next few years - leaving some firms with less cash to deploy new technologies, analyst firm Gartner predicted last week. Despite...

Search options advance.(Ardentia introduced NetSearch enterprise search tool)(Endeca net search software)(Brief Article)
December 5, 2005... Byline: Phil Muncaster. Business intelligence (BI) vendor Ardentia and search specialist Endeca used last week's Online Information Show in London to launch new systems to help users access enterprise content through a single interface....

Data law compliance test.(Brief Article)
December 5, 2005... Byline: Madeline Bennett. The British Standards Institute (BSI) Business Information unit is selling a new online assessment service to firms to ensure they comply with the UK Data Protection Act (DPA). The move followed an...

Comment - Information equals life as we know it. The computers that control so much of our world give terrorists an alternative way to cause disaster.(Column)
December 5, 2005... Byline: Neil Barrett. Originally, it was termed the "Digital Pearl Harbour", then it became the "Cyber 9/11" threat. The term changed, but not the threat - that terrorists could exploit computer vulnerabilities to cause a disaster. For...

Comment - Are you a victim of IT DIY? A project at US retailer Home Depot showed the perils of letting departments control their own IT.(Column)
December 5, 2005... Byline: Lem Bingley Last month IT Week's US counterpart eWeek published a case study about an IT project at Home Depot - a sort of American equivalent of B&Q. Apparently the retail chain operates a system whereby agents of around 350...

Enterprise Week - BigFix brings configuration suite to UK.
December 5, 2005... Byline: IT Week staff. - Configuration management specialist BigFix opened its UK office last week. The move enables the firm to provide better support for European customers, which in turn could lead to an increase in the number of BigFix...

Enterprise Week - Access appliance configures PCs.
December 5, 2005... Byline: Roger Howorth. Single sign-on (SSO) specialist Imprivata will today deliver version 3 of its OneSign appliance software. The new edition adds the ability for IT staff to set systems to execute software on client PCs when triggered...

Enterprise Week - Content manager suite finds documents faster.(Enterprise 2005 content lifecycle management system )(Brief Article)
December 5, 2005... Byline: Roger Howorth. Content management and connectivity firm Hummingbird launched its Enterprise 2005 content lifecycle management system at its user conference in London last month. Hummingbird chief executive Barry Litwin said the...

Enterprise Week - Comment - What's next on Intel's business desktop? Intel's Avril technology will package dual-core chips, better manageability and virtualisation support.
December 5, 2005... Byline: Roger Howorth. Intel is promoting its next generation of business desktop technologies, which will come to market next summer in chips codenamed Avril. The key components amount to dual-core processors, Virtualization Technology...

Internet Week - Host to aid marketeers.(Responsewave introduces online marketing suite)(Brief Article)
December 5, 2005... - Hosted relationship marketing specialist Responsewave last week launched in the UK with an online marketing suite, built to help firms create multi-channel campaigns and analyse feedback in real time via a web link. Central to the suite,...

Internet Week - Public web sites lack accessibility.
December 5, 2005... Byline: Phil Muncaster. Only three percent of public service web sites in Europe comply fully with internationally accepted standards for accessibility, according to a survey published by the EU. The research, released by the UK...

Internet Week - Comment - Why EU should rethink ISP data plans. Proposals to force ISPs and telecoms providers to keep more traffic records may simply raise costs.
December 5, 2005... Byline: Tim Anderson. Home secretary Charles Clarke thinks that the police should be allowed to know what we are up to on the internet. He is pushing hard for EU legislation designed to help the police to catch crooks and stop terrorist...

Client Week - Linux phone platform gains VoIP.
December 5, 2005... Byline: Daniel Robinson. Trolltech has updated its Qtopia Phone platform for Linux handsets, adding a voice over IP (VoIP) client and better support for wireless messaging. The move will make it easier for handset makers to build Linux...

Client Week - Wyse forms services arm to support thin computing.
December 5, 2005... Byline: Daniel Robinson. Wyse Technology is to move into services as part of its strategy to expand beyond thin-client hardware. The company said it plans to offer post-sales professional services to help customers obtain the full benefits...

Client Week - Mobile firm gets closer to UK users.
December 5, 2005... Byline: IT week staff. - Mobile maker High Tech Computer (HTC) has opened a European office to work more closely with key carriers and device vendors. The firm also said it expects to deliver models with High-Speed Downlink Packet Access...

Client Week - Comment - Who will dominate office file formats? Advocates of OpenDocument and Open XML often overlook the user's role in promoting standards.
December 5, 2005... Byline: Alistair Dabbs. A survey of Canon photocopier engineers published recently reveals that customer call-outs increase by up to 25 percent in the run-up to Christmas. It seems there is something about the month of December that...

Network Week - Fluke analyser monitors VoIP performance.
December 5, 2005... Byline: Dave Bailey. - Fluke Networks last week upgraded its OptiView Series II Integrated Network Analyser (INA) hardware by adding a number of options, including tools to troubleshoot and maintain converged voice and data networks to...

Network Week - 'Future-proofed' 10GbE switches from Alcatel.
December 5, 2005... Byline: Dave Bailey. Alcatel last week launched a new family of 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GbE) core switches for the next-generation networks of medium-sized and large firms. The Alcatel OmniSwitch 9000 family, which has two members, the...

Network Week - Comment - The wireless MAN cometh?
December 5, 2005... Byline: Dave Bailey. Wireless technology is getting faster, but would most users do better to stick with land-lines? In the past couple of months, two ISPs have announced 20Mbit/s-plus broadband services. Meanwhile others are offering...

Network Week - Traffic analyser adds VoIP checks. Network Instruments Observer 11 Review. NI's Observer packet-analysis system now has more powerful tools and 64bit support.
December 5, 2005... Byline: Dave Bailey. Launched in November, the eleventh version of Network Instruments (NI)'s popular Observer packet-analysis package offers improvements for voice over IP (VoIP) management. This could attract many firms, as converged...

Management Week - Privacy law trips e-government.
December 5, 2005... Byline: James Murray. Legal experts are calling on the government to amend the Data Protection Act (DPA) as a new report raises doubts about the legality of the Government Connect programme, which aims to give citizens a single electronic...

Management Week - IT managers cut corners on best practices of Itil.(Brief Article)
December 5, 2005... Byline: James Murray. More and more firms are using the IT Infrastructure Library (Itil) best-practice framework for service management, but experts last week warned that many are struggling to deliver expected efficiency benefits because...

Management Week - Cybermation automates SLA control.(service-level agreements)(Brief Article)
December 5, 2005... Byline: IT week staff. - Job scheduling and change management specialist Cybermation launched a software tool last week to help IT departments respond more quickly to business changes and meet service-level agreements (SLAs) by...

Management Week - Comment - Secrets of successful outsourcing. If you want to know the best way to tackle outsourcing, it might be best to think about dry cleaning.
December 5, 2005... Byline: Ken Young. Most IT directors have not been trained to pass infrastructure to people in other countries and receive incentives for doing so. If, when many of today's IT leaders were learning their skills 15 to 20 years ago, you...

Management Week - Stop staff fraudsters and save billions. Fraud prevention Analysis.
December 5, 2005... Byline: James Murray. Research shows employee fraud is a growing problem. So how can firms prevent it? Despite a series of reports and warnings in recent years highlighting the scale of the problem, IT managers are still not doing...

Privacy law trips e-government.
December 5, 2005... Privacy law trips e-government James Murray Legal experts are calling on the government to amend the Data Protection Act (DPA) as a new report raises doubts about the legality of the Government Connect programme, which aims to give...

IT managers cut corners on best practices of Itil.
December 5, 2005... IT managers cut corners on best practices of Itil James Murray More and more firms are using the IT Infrastructure Library (Itil) best-practice framework for service management, but experts last week warned that many are struggling to...

Cybermation automates SLA control IT week staff n Job scheduling and change management specialist Cybermation launched a software tool last week to help IT departments respond more quickly to business changes and meet service-level agreements (SLAs) by.(service-level agreements )(Brief article)
December 5, 2005... Cybermation automates SLA control IT week staff n Job scheduling and change management specialist Cybermation launched a software tool last week to help IT departments respond more quickly to business changes and meet service-level...

Host to aid marketeers n Hosted relationship marketing specialist Responsewave last week launched in the UK with an online marketing suite, built to help firms create multi-channel campaigns and analyse feedback in real time via a web link. Central to the.
December 5, 2005... Host to aid marketeers n Hosted relationship marketing specialist Responsewave last week launched in the UK with an online marketing suite, built to help firms create multi-channel campaigns and analyse feedback in real time via a web...

Public web sites lack accessibility.
December 5, 2005... Public web sites lack accessibility Phil Muncaster Only three percent of public service web sites in Europe comply fully with internationally accepted standards for accessibility, according to a survey published by the EU. The...

Why EU should rethink ISP data plans.
December 5, 2005... Why EU should rethink ISP data plans Proposals to force ISPs and telecoms providers to keep more traffic records may simply raise costs Home secretary Charles Clarke thinks that the police should be allowed to know what we are up to on...

Wyse forms services arm to support thin computing.
December 5, 2005... Wyse forms services arm to support thin computing Daniel Robinson Wyse Technology is to move into services as part of its strategy to expand beyond thin-client hardware. The company said it plans to offer post-sales professional...

Information equals life as we know it.
December 5, 2005... Information equals life as we know it The computers that control so much of our world give terrorists an alternative way to cause disaster Originally, it was termed the "Digital Pearl Harbour", then it became the "Cyber 9/11" threat....

The wireless MAN cometh?(metropolitan area network )(Column)
December 5, 2005... The wireless MAN cometh? Wireless technology is getting faster, but would most users do better to stick with land-lines? In the past couple of months, two ISPs have announced 20Mbit/s-plus broadband services. Meanwhile others are...

Are you a victim of IT DIY?
December 5, 2005... Are you a victim of IT DIY? A project at US retailer Home Depot showed the perils of letting departments control their own IT Last month IT Week's US counterpart eWeek published a case study about an IT project at Home Depot -- a sort...

Who will dominate office file formats?
December 5, 2005... Who will dominate office file formats? Advocates of OpenDocument and Open XML often overlook the user's role in promoting standards A survey of Canon photocopier engineers published recently reveals that customer call-outs increase by...

Linux phone platform gains VoIP.
December 5, 2005... Linux phone platform gains VoIP Daniel Robinson Trolltech has updated its Qtopia Phone platform for Linux handsets, adding a voice over IP (VoIP) client and better support for wireless messaging. The move will make it easier for...

Mobile firm gets closer to UK users IT week staff n Mobile maker High Tech Computer (HTC) has opened a European office to work more closely with key carriers and device vendors. The firm also said it expects to deliver models with High-Speed Downlink Pac.
December 5, 2005... Mobile firm gets closer to UK users IT week staff n Mobile maker High Tech Computer (HTC) has opened a European office to work more closely with key carriers and device vendors. The firm also said it expects to deliver models with...

Traffic analyser adds VoIP checks.
December 5, 2005... Traffic analyser adds VoIP checks NI's Observer packet-analysis system now has more powerful tools and 64bit support Launched in November, the eleventh version of Network Instruments (NI)'s popular Observer packet-analysis package...

Secrets of successful outsourcing.
December 5, 2005... Secrets of successful outsourcing If you want to know the best way to tackle outsourcing, it might be best to think about dry cleaning Most IT directors have not been trained to pass infrastructure to people in other countries and...

Stop staff fraudsters and save billions.
December 5, 2005... Stop staff fraudsters and save billions Research shows employee fraud is a growing problem. So how can firms prevent it? Despite a series of reports and warnings in recent years highlighting the scale of the problem, IT managers are...

Search options advance.
December 5, 2005... Search options advance Phil Muncaster Business intelligence (BI) vendor Ardentia and search specialist Endeca used last week's Online Information Show in London to launch new systems to help users access enterprise content through a...

Data law compliance test.
December 5, 2005... Data law compliance test Madeline Bennett The British Standards Institute (BSI) Business Information unit is selling a new online assessment service to firms to ensure they comply with the UK Data Protection Act (DPA). The move...

Fluke analyser monitors VoIP performance Dave Bailey n Fluke Networks last week upgraded its OptiView Series II Integrated Network Analyser (INA) hardware by adding a number of options, including tools to troubleshoot and maintain converged voice and.
December 5, 2005... Fluke analyser monitors VoIP performance Dave Bailey n Fluke Networks last week upgraded its OptiView Series II Integrated Network Analyser (INA) hardware by adding a number of options, including tools to troubleshoot and maintain...

Dawn of the .eu top-level domain.
December 5, 2005... Dawn of the .eu top-level domain Phil Muncaster Companies across the European Union will be offered the opportunity to reserve .eu domains related to their trademarks from this Wednesday when the sunrise registration period for ...

Buyers advised to go to specialists for SOAs.
December 5, 2005... Buyers advised to go to specialists for SOAs Roger Howorth Firms should look to small, specialist vendors to fulfil their long-term requirements for service-oriented architecture (SOA) deployments as leading software vendors...

Spending grows for compliance.
December 5, 2005... Spending grows for compliance Spending on IT for regulatory compliance is likely to grow at twice the rate of overall IT spending in the next few years -- leaving some firms with less cash to deploy new technologies, analyst firm Gartner...

Content manager suite finds documents faster.(introduced by Hummingbird Ltd.)(Brief article)
December 5, 2005... Content manager suite finds documents faster Roger Howorth Content management and connectivity firm Hummingbird launched its Enterprise 2005 content lifecycle management system at its user conference in London last month. ...

Access appliance configures PCs.
December 5, 2005... Access appliance configures PCs Roger Howorth Single sign-on (SSO) specialist Imprivata will today deliver version 3 of its OneSign appliance software. The new edition adds the ability for IT staff to set systems to execute software on...

BigFix brings configuration suite to UK IT Week staff n Configuration management specialist BigFix opened its UK office last week. The move enables the firm to provide better support for European customers, which in turn could lead to an increase in th.
December 5, 2005... BigFix brings configuration suite to UK IT Week staff n Configuration management specialist BigFix opened its UK office last week. The move enables the firm to provide better support for European customers, which in turn could lead to...

Nokia adds WLAN to 9300 phone.
December 5, 2005... Nokia adds WLAN to 9300 phone Daniel Robinson Nokia has announced an update to its 9300 corporate smartphone that adds 802.11g wireless LAN (WLAN) capability. The 9300i, expected to be available from the first quarter of 2006,...

Mozilla updates Firefox.
December 5, 2005... Mozilla updates Firefox Phil Muncaster The Mozilla Foundation has released a long-awaited update to its open-source Firefox web browser, adding a range of enhancements for usability, security and general performance. The Firefox...

Giants ramp up grid services.
December 5, 2005... Giants ramp up grid services Madeline Bennett Sun and HP boosted their on-demand computing offerings last week by launching storage and try-before-you-buy services to spur uptake among enterprises. The Sun Grid Remote Backup...

Novell and HP boost ID software.
December 5, 2005... Novell and HP boost ID software Phil Muncaster and James Murray Novell will today launch a major upgrade to its Identity Manager software that it said will save firms time and money by automating password management. HP is also looking...

IT chiefs overburdened by supplier contracts.
December 5, 2005... IT chiefs overburdened by supplier contracts Madeline Bennett Many IT chiefs still have to manage contracts with a large number of vendors, despite efforts over the last few years to reduce the number of suppliers, according to new...

VMware releases Workstation 5.5.
December 5, 2005... VMware releases Workstation 5.5 Virtualisation specialist VMware last week announced version 5.5 of its Workstation suite for desktop PCs, which adds support for 64bit host and guest operating systems, plus improved experimental...

Compliance budgets threatened by OFR cut.
December 5, 2005... Compliance budgets threatened by OFR cut James Murray The government's decision to scrap new corporate reporting requirements may encourage companies to slash IT budgets for compliance, experts warned last week. Operating and...

Landgrab begins for .eu domains.
December 5, 2005... Landgrab begins for .eu domains n Firms wanting to use new .eu domains for their corporate web sites should take advantage of this week's initial registration period, as experts warned it could prove difficult to challenge cyber-squatters...

Sun frees more code before Niagara.
December 5, 2005... Sun frees more code before Niagara Martin Veitch Advancing on a broad front, Sun has made its Java Enterprise System (JES) middleware available at no cost, and is set to detail availability of long-awaited Niagara-based servers that...

Microsoft pushes users down path to 64bit.
December 5, 2005... Microsoft pushes users down path to 64bit The software giant's decision to make Exchange 12 and other programs 64bit-only will force many IT buyers into unscheduled server purchases Microsoft chose the recent IT Professional Forum in...

Skype 2.0 adds video calling.
December 5, 2005... Skype 2.0 adds video calling Skype last week launched a beta version of its next-generation internet telephony application, adding integrated video calling that may pose further problems for IT managers trying to control peer-to-peer (P2P)...

Mobile development trade-offs.
December 5, 2005... Mobile development trade-offs When creating mobile apps, IT staff may need to consider a wide range of devices and requirements The development of mobile applications to support remote working poses particular challenges -- because...

Stay-at-home staff save cash.
December 5, 2005... Stay-at-home staff save cash When courier firm Addison Lee outgrew its call centre it looked for a secure system that would let booking staff work from home and so reduce the need for office space London-based courier service Addison...

Central control simplifies admin.(Citrix Systems Inc. interviewed Chris Mayers )(Interview)
December 5, 2005... Central control simplifies admin Citrix senior architect Chris Mayers explains some of they ways that remote access technologies can deliver security, reliability and manageability for firms and users IT Week: Why are more firms now...

When should work go offshore?
December 5, 2005... When should work go offshore? Offshoring might deliver big savings, but issues of culture and infrastructure need to be addressed first Some firms can greatly reduce their staff costs if they use secure remote access systems...