IT Week (UK) articles from December 2007

IT Week (UK) archives from December 2007

Where do users figure in M&A calculations?(Mergers and Acquisitions )
December 3, 2007... Where do users figure in M&A calculations? Some vendors act as though selling out is a necessity and is even good for customers, but is that true? It's not surprising that stories about IT mergers and acquisitions tend to do well on...

Why PBXs should be sidelined.
December 3, 2007... Byline: Dave Bailey Why PBXs should be sidelined The only reason to use a PBX is as a backup system, argues Interoute's Gareth Williams IT Week: Why should companies stop using PBXs? Gareth Williams: PBXs suffer from being...

Will Hyper-V be worth the wait?
December 3, 2007... Will Hyper-V be worth the wait? Microsoft's hypervisor will have to perform well if it is to challenge more established rivals Microsoft's release of a server virtualisation product in late 2008 will pitch the software giant against...

Giant shadow looms over VMware.
December 3, 2007... Giant shadow looms over VMware IDC's Chris Ingle assesses Hyper-V's chances against market leader VMware The discussion is moving away from the hypervisor and towards management software. The big question is where customers have...

Nominet sees opportunities and risks.
December 3, 2007... Nominet sees opportunities and risks The UK registry urges firms to protect domain names and looks forward to new gTLDs Experts debated what 2008 will mean for the domain name industry at last month's registrar conference held by .uk...

Are credit agencyi?1/2s plans credible?
December 3, 2007... Are credit agency's plans credible? Credit reference agency Experian will struggle to win trust for its plans to become an identity provider I was fascinated to learn of Experian's plans to become an identity provider. In about a...

Preparing for tomorrowi?1/2s phones.
December 3, 2007... Byline: Daniel Robinson Preparing for tomorrow's phones Mobile workers will enjoy high-speed data and new user interfaces, according to Symbian Symbian is upgrading its smartphone platform to bring to handsets many capabilities...

Why Ii?1/2m cheesed off with the mouse.
December 3, 2007... Byline: Alistair Dabbs Why I'm cheesed off with the mouse The mouse has constrained user interface design for decades A- when will it be replaced? Tea week punt in any-come beauty work flow is the into face beet wean tea machine...

Fusion releases to ride SaaS wave.(Software as a Service )
December 3, 2007... Fusion releases to ride SaaS wave The growing popularity of SaaS sees Oracle commit to the alternative delivery model At its user conference in San Francisco last month, Oracle fleshed out its Fusion applications strategy for a...

Brace yourself for virtualisation.
December 3, 2007... Byline: Alan Stevens Brace yourself for virtualisation Firms considering going down the virtualisation route must ensure their networks are up to the job Virtualisation is great for companies looking for ways to consolidate...

Office faces mounting competition.
December 3, 2007... Office faces mounting competition Martin Veitch Microsoft has yet another rival that would like to take chunks of its share in the market for productivity applications, but so far there has been scant evidence of any weakening in the...

Rival eyes TomorrowNow.(Rimini Street Inc.)
December 3, 2007... Rival eyes TomorrowNow Martin Veitch Rimini Street has confirmed its interest in acquiring TomorrowNow, the SAP-owned, third-party business applications support provider, and plans to set up offices in Europe. The move could give...

Vista-ready desktop saves on space.
December 3, 2007... Byline: Daniel Robinson Vista-ready desktop saves on space The ultra-slim version of HP's dc7800 can fit behind a monitor and cuts energy use The HP Compaq dc7800 is a desktop system designed for mainstream business use and comes...

Watt a waste of electricity.
December 3, 2007... Watt a waste of electricity Even when turned off, PCs use significant amounts of energy The HP Compaq dc7800 ultra-slim desktop is designed with energy saving in mind. It consumes much less power than a standard PC, peaking at about...

Service to guarantee site validity.
December 3, 2007... Service to guarantee site validity David Neal and Phil Muncaster In preparation for yet more growth in seasonal online sales, the Trading Standards Institute will today launch the Howard web tool, an online service that is designed to...

ECM gets a social twist.(Enterprise Content Management)(Alfresco 2.9)(Brief article)
December 3, 2007... ECM gets a social twist Martin Veitch The enterprise content management (ECM) market could be set for some significant changes after this month's release by open-source firm Alfresco of an upgrade that will integrate with social...

UK broadband to reach 50Mbit/s.
December 3, 2007... UK broadband to reach 50Mbit/s Dave Bailey Virgin Media last week revealed plans for 50Mbit/s broadband services covering a third of the UK next year. The announcement, which came as Minister of State for Competitiveness Stephen Timms...

Information tsar expects greater powers.(Information Commissioner's Office )
December 3, 2007... Information tsar expects greater powers Phil Muncaster The UK's privacy watchdog is confident it will be granted yet more resources to enforce the Data Protection Act (DPA), and hopes to recruit staff so that it can provide IT advice...

Salesforce.com expands its horizons.
December 10, 2007... Salesforce.com expands its horizons The software-as-a-service pioneer is still growing and wants to move beyond its core For some time now, sceptics have been predicting the bursting of Salesforce.com's bubble as the on-demand...

SaaS makes its presence felt in new areas.(software as a service)(Brief article)
December 10, 2007... SaaS makes its presence felt in new areas The on-demand model is moving beyond CRM and SFA into a host of new markets Salesforce.com is synonymous with the rise of on-demand software but there is a long queue of other firms wanting...

MySQL grows with flow in corporate IT.(Interview)
December 10, 2007... MySQL grows with flow in corporate IT The open-source database is ideal for Web 2.0 and SaaS, argues MySQL's MA[yen]rten Mickos ITWeek: How many subscriptions does MySQL currently have? MA[yen]rten Mickos: That is not something we...

BlackBerry and Apple: a classic combo.
December 10, 2007... BlackBerry and Apple: a classic combo The iPhone is unlikely to take off in the business market until it supports a BlackBerry application I got my hands on an iPhone recently while setting up email for a colleague. If you have not...

Benefits and pitfalls of being social.
December 10, 2007... Benefits and pitfalls of being social IT and HR must work together to ensure Web 2.0 tools are used responsibly and productively A spate of recent research has highlighted the business benefits of using Web 2.0 tools and social...

Google drives a nail into copperi?1/2s coffin.
December 10, 2007... Byline: Dave Bailey Google drives a nail into copper's coffin News that Google has developed low-cost optical switches raises questions about the future of 10GbE copper A very intriguing news story broke the other day that may have...

SMEs pass the datacentre buck.
December 10, 2007... Byline: Martin Courtney SMEs pass the datacentre buck Mid-sized firms are increasingly turning to third parties to meet their datacentre needs More enterprise IT departments are choosing to outsource datacentre management to third...

Smart Client takes on the might of the desktop PC.
December 10, 2007... Byline: Daniel Robinson Smart Client takes on the might of the desktop PC A new device aims to offer the size and energy benefits of thin clients while retaining the flexibility of Windows PCs Windows PCs continue to dominate the...

Stakeholders lay NGN foundations.
December 10, 2007... Byline: Dave Bailey Stakeholders lay NGN foundations Recent talks suggest the public and private sectors will share the cost of rolling out NGNs The importance of next-generation network (NGN) broadband systems to the future...

Vendors flunk the 64bit question.
December 10, 2007... Vendors flunk the 64bit question Software vendors have known about Vista 64bit for some time, so why have they not updated their products? While most businesses are prudently waiting for the first service pack before rolling out...

A standardised supply chain is in order.
December 10, 2007... A standardised supply chain is in order Vodafone's Detlef Schultz explains how and why he changed the firm's purchasing options Since joining Vodafone four years ago, Detlef Schultz has gained recognition for single-handedly...

Staff in the field leave a smaller footprint.
December 10, 2007... Staff in the field leave a smaller footprint A new mobile job scheduling system is helping Severn Trent Water cut costs and emissions Concerns about the environmental impact of mobile technologies have become well documented over the...

Browsing may never be the same again.(Viewpoint essay)
December 10, 2007... Browsing may never be the same again The iPhone's pinch-and-pull browser could set a trend that would transform the way people access the web I have in my hand a piece of, well, glass, metal, some plastic, and, erm, lithium polymer. A...

Digital content to shape IT of the future.
December 10, 2007... Digital content to shape IT of the future Industry leaders identify digital content and internet usage as the next challenges for IT The chief executives of Intel, Dell and HP all took to the stage at last month's Oracle OpenWorld...

Rivals enhance their admin suites.
December 10, 2007... Byline: Dave Bailey Rivals enhance their admin suites New updates include advances in the management of virtual machines and distributed devices Network managers have been spoilt for choice when it comes to monitoring and...

India to keep outsourcing crown.
December 10, 2007... India to keep outsourcing crown Rosalie Marshall Having transformed the IT services playing field over the past 10 years, India is set to continue its leadership of the offshore outsourcing sector by adapting quickly to the challenges...

Salesforce gets social.
December 10, 2007... Salesforce gets social Martin Veitch Salesforce.com is offering customers the ability to exchange information and create ad-hoc business networks with partners. A new service called Salesforce to Salesforce will let organisations share...

Red Hat takes on messaging middleware giants.
December 10, 2007... Red Hat takes on messaging middleware giants Martin Veitch Red Hat is aiming to offer an alternative source for messaging middleware and bring the low-latency capabilities of modern trading systems and sophisticated business networks...

HMRC fiasco spurs action on security.(Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs )(Brief article)
December 10, 2007... HMRC fiasco spurs action on security Rosalie Marshall The fallout from the HMRC fiasco could yet turn out to be positive for UK security after Information Commissioner Richard Thomas reported an increase in organisations seeking advice...

Model e2 raises UMPCsi?1/2 game.(Ultra-mobile Personal Computers )
December 10, 2007... Model e2 raises UMPCs' game Daniel Robinson OQO has released an updated version of its ultra-mobile PC (UMPC), adding HSDPA mobile broadband capability to the device to enable users to be connected anywhere they go. The new model could...

Tool aids e-discovery.
December 10, 2007... Tool aids e-discovery Phil Muncaster Search giant Autonomy has launched a document preservation tool designed to help IT managers and legal teams in e-discovery and compliance efforts that focus on client devices. Developed by the...

Whatever happened to self-reliance?(Viewpoint essay)
December 17, 2007... Whatever happened to self-reliance? The decline in internal R&D at some of Britain's largest companies augurs ill for the future Invited to present some ideas to a very familiar UK service provider last week, I found few besuited...

Grid computing expands its reach.
December 17, 2007... Grid computing expands its reach Platform Computing chief executive Songnian Zhou explains the lure of grid computing IT Week: How much demand is there for distributed computing power among enterprises? Songnian Zhou: We have...

Hybrid apps put pressure on Office.
December 17, 2007... Byline: Martin Veitch Hybrid apps put pressure on Office Microsoft may react to the rise of web-based apps by releasing its own hybrid suite Attempting to take market share from Microsoft Office has become one of the great follies...

Out of touch with business needs.
December 17, 2007... Byline: Daniel Robinson Out of touch with business needs The iPhone has an impressive user interface but lacks key features for corporate use Apple's iPhone handset sports an advanced touch-driven user interface and an excellent...

VoIP users to benefit from Ofcom ruling.
December 17, 2007... Byline: Bill Pechey VoIP users to benefit from Ofcom ruling A change in Ofcom rules regarding support for 999 calls should lead to improvements to VoIP services Back in the summer I wrote about Ofcom's proposal that certain types...

SOA adds spark to United Utilities.
December 17, 2007... Byline: Martin Courtney SOA adds spark to United Utilities UK utility company wanted to reduce its dependency on legacy mainframes to cut costs Earlier this year, UK utility company United Utilities found itself needing to...

Online success is all in the planning.
December 17, 2007... Byline: Phil Muncaster Online success is all in the planning Firms must not neglect performance planning in their rush to exploit new web opportunities Figures released last month have once again highlighted rapid growth in the UK...

Brainstorming brings flood of ideas.(Lovefilm.com )
December 17, 2007... Byline: David Neal Brainstorming brings flood of ideas Lovefilm.com's William Reeve explains how a "hackathon" helped the firm to innovate When European online DVD rental site Lovefilm.com decided earlier this year that it needed...

HMRC fiasco highlights need for PKI.(Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs)(Public Key Infrastructure)(Interview)
December 17, 2007... Byline: Dave Bailey HMRC fiasco highlights need for PKI OpenTrust chief executive David Terry explains why PKI may finally become ubiquitous IT Week: As chief executive of identity management specialist OpenTrust, what do you...

The day my web site was hacked.(Website overview)
December 17, 2007... The day my web site was hacked An intrusion involving a stolen cookie and an unpatched PHP application has lessons for all site operators A recent Monday morning brought a nasty surprise. A hacker had gained access to a web site I run,...

Windows Server 2008 is a mixed bag.
December 17, 2007... Windows Server 2008 is a mixed bag Application infrastructure more important to end users than the operating system Integration with SQL Server 2008 and Visual Studio 2008, combined with support for Internet Information Services (IIS)...

Netsuite auctions shares.
December 17, 2007... NetSuite auctions shares Martin Veitch Another on-demand software company will go public this week, with NetSuite scheduled to float on Wednesday. The equity available via the buoyant public markets should help ensure a healthy choice...

BlackBerry archive aids compliance.
December 17, 2007... BlackBerry archive aids compliance Daniel Robinson Messaging security firm Gwava will this week unveil a product that can archive all messages and phone logs from a company's BlackBerry users, and make the archive easily accessible for...

Demands for digital police unit grow.(Brief article)
December 17, 2007... Demands for digital police unit grow David Neal and Martin Veitch Calls for a new unit dedicated to policing digital crime are growing. A petition on the 10 Downing Street web site urging the government to establish a taskforce...

Service packs bolster Windows and Office.
December 17, 2007... Service packs bolster Windows and Office Martin Veitch and Dave Bailey IT departments will have a busy period updating clients during the festive season and into the new year as admins get to grips with new service packs for Windows...

Dell unveils Tablet PC.
December 17, 2007... Dell unveils Tablet PC Martin Veitch Dell has unveiled the details of its first Tablet PC, which is due for availability early next year. The Latitude XT has an impressively low weight at below 3.6lb, but comments on the Direct2dell...

IT sector warned over chemical rules.
December 17, 2007... IT sector warned over chemical rules Rosalie Marshall The IT industry must prepare now for legislation on chemicals that will take effect in June next year and have particular consequences for hardware vendors, and possibly IT buyers....

Are UMPCs a business device too far?(Ultra-Mobile Personal Computers)
December 17, 2007... Are UMPCs a business device too far? Although momentum is gathering behind the UMPC, the format is still to find its role in businesses When UMPCs were unveiled early in 2006, they were somewhat less than impressive. Those first models...

Why should users migrate?(using Windows Server 2008)(Brief article)
December 17, 2007... Why should users migrate? Mark Ridley, director of IT at recruitment firm reed.co.uk, delivers his verdict We have been through every version of Windows Server 2008, starting with beta 3 and going live with RC0 in our web server farm...