IT Week (UK) articles from February 2006

IT Week (UK) archives from February 2006

Orange rolls out nationwide stopgap for 3G.
February 6, 2006... Byline: Martin Courtney. Orange last week become the only UK mobile operator to roll out a nationwide mobile data service based on Enhanced Data-rates for GSM Evolution (Edge) technology, offering business users a way of filling in gaps in...

IBM to refresh pSeries servers.
February 6, 2006... IBM is preparing a major update of its pSeries range of Unix servers, and will rename the range System p5. The hardware changes are likely to be similar to those IBM made to the iSeries line last week, when it relaunched the range under the...

SAP makes splash in CRM hosting.
February 6, 2006... Byline: Martin veitch. SAP has made its big move into hosted customer relationship management (CRM) tools. The German giant's CRM On-Demand Solution is aimed at large and mid-market firms and is hosted by partner IBM. The service has a...

Oracle plots integration and support for Siebel.
February 6, 2006... Byline: Martin Veitch. Oracle gained control of Siebel Systems last week and enlarged on its plans to integrate functionality and target specific industry processes while continuing to support the needs of users. In an open letter,...

IT chiefs thrive in business role.
February 6, 2006... Byline: James Murray. Firms that grant IT chiefs a senior position in business management are more likely to have high-performing technology departments, according to a report to be published next week by US business consultancy The...

Group tackles spyware.
February 6, 2006... Byline: Dave Bailey and Madeline Bennett. A group of security companies is trying to establish an industry standard for spyware and a testing methodology to determine what constitutes spyware. The alliance, which includes McAfee,...

Easier low-end storage.(EMC Computer Systems (UK) Ltd.)(Brief Article)
February 6, 2006... Byline: James Murray. EMC will today refresh its storage hardware and software for mid-market and smaller companies, to make it easier for resource-strapped IT departments to install and manage their own storage systems. The old EMC...

Modest IP skills limit networks.
February 6, 2006... Many firms are lacking in Internet Protocol (IP) skills, which makes it hard for them to deploy and manage complex networking applications such as unified messaging, according to recent research. In a survey of European data and telecoms...

Symbian phones link to Exchange.
February 6, 2006... Byline: Daniel Robinson. DataViz will today make available its RoadSync software so Symbian phones can exploit the push email capabilities in Exchange 2003 Service Pack 2. The move is designed to offer companies running Exchange a...

Monitors stop data leaks.(InfoWatch plans internal threat management system in the UK)(Brief Article)
February 6, 2006... Byline: Madeline Bennett. InfoWatch, a company founded by Russian antivirus specialist Kaspersky Lab, plans to launch its flagship internal threat management system in the UK by the end of the year. The system is designed to prevent firms'...

RSA outlines 2006 strategy.
February 6, 2006... RSA Security last week revealed its strategy for the coming year, including plans for new authentication technology and systems. The firm's new head of international sales, Richard Turner, said that RSA is committed to working with...

More tough handhelds for field staff.(Casio launched its new handheld computers)(Brief Article)
February 6, 2006... Byline: Daniel Robinson. Casio is among several vendors shipping new Windows-based handhelds for demanding environments such as warehouses, retail outlets and delivery vehicles. The Casio IT-600 is designed to give staff in particular...

Security watch - Sun backup flaws.
February 6, 2006... Several flaws have been found in versions 7.1, 7.1L, 7.2 and 7.2L of Sun's StorEdge Enterprise Backup Software (EBS) as well as versions 6.0 and 6.1 of its Solstice Backup packages. Attackers could exploit the flaws to execute arbitrary code on...

Security watch - Symantec Sygate threat.
February 6, 2006... Certain builds of versions 3.5, 4.0 and 4.1 of Symantec Sygate Management Server (SMS) have an input validation flaw in the authentication servlet that attackers could exploit to overwrite SMS account passwords. This could allow attackers to...

Security watch - Cisco VPN 3000 patch alert.
February 6, 2006... Cisco's VPN 3000 series concentrators contain a flaw in the HTTP service, enabled by default, which remote attackers could exploit to cause a denial of service. Cisco said that specially crafted HTTP requests could cause affected systems to...

Security watch - GFI updates MailEssentials.
February 6, 2006... Security software vendor GFI has launched MailEssentials 12. The upgrade features PURBL, a real-time phishing blocklist, and the software also scans for phishing keywords and treats messages containing such keywords as spam. The software runs...

Security watch - ISA Server 2004 SP2 arrives.
February 6, 2006... Microsoft has issued Service Pack 2 for its Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) Server. The main new features in SP2 include Background Intelligent Transfer Service (Bits) cacheing for efficient file transfer; HTTP compression for faster...

Controls cut printer downtime.
February 6, 2006... Byline: Phil Muncaster in New York. Printer and document management specialist Ricoh last week outlined plans for major new systems to reduce the cost and improve the manageability of firms' printing. Part of the strategy will be the...

Ofcom praises BT for progress in unbundling.
February 6, 2006... Byline: Martin Veitch. As the UK closes in on 250,000 lines from local-loop unbundling, an Ofcom board member has praised BT's conduct and said its responsiveness has helped to create a more level playing field for other carriers. ...

Microsoft goes public with IE7.
February 6, 2006... Microsoft has pushed Internet Explorer 7 into public beta testing. The release is intended for developers and IT professionals and marks the first time this version of the browser has been available for general download. IE7 testers will...

HP systems reduce energy bills.
February 6, 2006... Byline: Martin Veitch. HP last week released power management and cooling systems to reduce datacentre energy bills that have been bloated by increased energy consumption and rising tariffs. Like systems from rivals such as IBM, HP's...

Easier app deployment.
February 6, 2006... Byline: Roger Howorth. Softricity, a specialist in desktop application virtualisation, has signed a deal with Microsoft so Softricity's server-based toolset can be integrated into Microsoft's SMS software distribution system. ...

Cognos training closes BI skills gap.(Business intelligence)(Brief Article)
February 6, 2006... Byline: James Murray. Business intelligence (BI) specialist Cognos last week revealed it may launch a new training scheme for IT professionals working with BI technology, to head off a potential skills shortage. Graham Walter, Cognos's...

Comment - IT alone cannot ensure compliance. Archiving and document management will be found wanting if another Enron comes along.(Column)
February 6, 2006... Byline: Martin Veitch. Don't despair now that Pete the Freak, Jodie, Barrymore and Gorgeous George are off our screens, the denouement of the Enron scandal should have enough to keep us appalled in grim fascination for the next few months....

The harsh truth behind vendor guff. Vendors that persist in spouting vague marketing jargon such as 'availability' are usually hiding something.
February 6, 2006... I was idly flicking through a computer magazine last week when it struck me just how much this industry now wallows in nonsense, ambiguity and hyperbole. Take for example the use of the word "availability". This common expression is essentially...

Enterprise Week - IBM renames and revamps iSeries.
February 6, 2006... Byline: Roger Howorth in Minnesota. IBM has announced a major update to its iSeries business computers with new models that use its latest 2.2GHz Power5+ chip. IBM has also updated the iSeries operating system to provide better...

Enterprise Week - Developers can now test WinFX GUI design tools.
February 6, 2006... Byline: Roger Howorth. Microsoft last month issued its first Community Technology Preview of Interactive Designer, which was previously codenamed Sparkle. Interactive Designer is a user interface design tool that is part of Microsoft's...

Enterprise Week - Avocent buys rival to beef up KVM line.
February 6, 2006... Byline: IT Week staff. Keyboard, video and mouse (KVM) kit specialist Avocent has announced it will acquire rival Cyclades in a $90m deal that should complete later this spring, subject to regulatory approval. Russell Stevens, Avocent...

Enterprise week - Comment - Carbon chips offer gecko strength. Chips featuring carbon nanotubes will spawn massively powerful systems that consume less energy.
February 6, 2006... Byline: Roger Howorth. What do pencils, diamonds and computer memory all have in common? It turns out that soon all three may be made from the same basic material, which is carbon. We are about to see a massive technology shift in the...

Internet week - Enterprise search gains analytic edge.(FastSearch Corp. launches Fast Enterprise Search Vendor 5.0)(Brief Article)
February 6, 2006... Byline: Phil Muncaster. Enterprise search vendor Fast will today launch version 5.0 of its ESP search tool, designed to return faster, more accurate results. Fast ESP 5.0 features new Contextual Insight technology, which combines...

Internet week - E-traders fail at tracking.
February 6, 2006... Byline: Dave Bailey. Half of online retailers and financial firms say they monitor the performance of their transactional web sites, but only six percent track the experiences of end-users, and many are losing a lot of business as a...

Internet week - Comment - Can Google repair its tarnished image? The search giant's decision to censor its Chinese site is just the latest in a string of PR disasters.
February 6, 2006... Byline: David Neal. The news that Google has launched a self-censored, government-friendly version of its search page in China is more than a little bit shocking, but it's not the tip of the iceberg, it is just another chunk of the glacier...

Internet week - E-commerce Analysis - Xmas rush exposes site shortcomings. Research indicates that four out of 10 online consumers encountered problems.
February 6, 2006... Byline: Phil Muncaster. Online retailers saw a large boost in sales over Christmas and New Year, according to several new reports last month, but experts say some traders' web sites are still not prepared for such spikes in demand and are...

Client week - Lenovo to add 3G wireless to ThinkPads.
February 6, 2006... Byline: Daniel Robinson. PC maker Lenovo plans to add 3G connectivity to its ThinkPad laptop range from the second quarter of 2006. The move, in partnership with Vodafone, will also let customers upgrade to the faster High-speed Downlink...

Client week - Nokia pushes dual-mode phones and FMC services.
February 6, 2006... Byline: Martin Courtney. Nokia is set to unveil five more mobile devices with both 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity before the summer, and some are likely to debut at next week's 3GSM show in Barcelona. The handset maker would not reveal...

Client week - Comment - Software patents: not here, thank you. The BlackBerry legal dispute shows that US-style technology patents are bad news for customers.
February 6, 2006... Byline: Daniel Robinson. A few issues ago, IT Week ran an interview with a Microsoft executive who put the case for software patents. He argued that patents drive progress in other fields, and so the same should apply with software. ...

Client week - Acer TravelMate 3012 - Review - Dual-core laptop packs a punch. Acer's ultra-portable offers good performance and connectivity, plus a VoIP handset.
February 6, 2006... Byline: Daniel Robinson. Acer's TravelMate 3012 is one of the first laptops based on Intel's dual-core mobile platform. It crams most of the features needed by mobile staff into a lightweight system, but its design puts the emphasis very...

Network week - Kit speeds up and secures WANs.(Juniper Networks Inc. introduces gateways)(Riverbed Technology introduces hardware equipment)
February 6, 2006... Byline: Dave Bailey. Juniper Networks and application acceleration hardware vendor Riverbed Technology are both launching new hardware today to help firms protect and get more value from their WAN connections at offices in the UK and...

Network week - Modular IPS system offers performance and flexibility.
February 6, 2006... Byline: Dave Bailey. 3Com's TippingPoint division last week announced details of its M60 intrusion prevention system (IPS) hardware aimed at large enterprises and service providers. The kit will compete with Cisco's Catalyst 6500 switches....

Network week - Telcos take lead in VoIP provision.
February 6, 2006... Byline: IT Week staff. Telecoms carriers in Europe are now supporting more voice over IP (VoIP) minutes than providers of free PC-to-PC VoIP services such as Skype, according to new figures from broadband management firm Sandvine. The...

Management week - Document guard checks senders.
February 6, 2006... Byline: James Murray in Nice. Document management software specialist Workshare will today unveil new tools to help firms control the distribution of sensitive information. The move comes just days after US identity verification firm...

Management week - Managers call for rethink on offshore organisation.
February 6, 2006... Byline: James Murray. Failure to involve human resources (HR) professionals when moving IT and business functions offshore is contributing to low staff morale at many firms that have adopted the model, according to a new survey. Almost...

Management week - Broadband fuels rise of reliable hosts.
February 6, 2006... Byline: IT Week staff. The need for business continuity and the ubiquity of broadband is leading to an upsurge in managed technology services. That is the view of Bill Henry, chief executive at managed services and hosted software provider...

Network week - Comment - Wireless overcomes speed restrictions. Fibre and DSL are the leading technologies for fast connections, but wireless will have a growing role.
February 6, 2006... Byline: Bill Pechey. Reliable, high-speed access to the internet is vital for many businesses and is becoming very important for home users too. Everyone is interested in improving peak speed and throughput, so it is useful to think...

Network week - Advances to rev up fibre.
February 6, 2006... Byline: Martin Courtney and Dave Bailey. Researchers are testing a new type of optical network that could help Europe's telecoms carriers deal with increased internet traffic by sending more data further over existing fibre connections. ...

Management week - Comment - Big-headed ideas for mobile systems. It is time to think large and ambitious, not small and niche, for mobile enterprise applications.
February 6, 2006... Byline: James Woudhuysen. Debates on mobile IT tend to be rather dynamic. At a Mobile Web 2.0 discussion in the City of London on 19 January, in front of 200 people, speakers are in combative mood. We need more events like this in IT. ...

Management week - Business performance management Interview - BPM pulls IT and finance together. Cartesis' John Taylor explains the role of business process management systems.
February 6, 2006... Byline: Phil Muncaster. As director of industry solutions for business performance management (BPM) vendor Cartesis, can you say how demand is growing? No organisations are wielding blank cheque books, but most of the larger companies...

Carbon chips offer gecko strength.
February 6, 2006... Carbon chips offer gecko strength Chips featuring carbon nanotubes will spawn massively powerful systems that consume less energy What do pencils, diamonds and computer memory all have in common? It turns out that soon all three may be...

Software patents: not here, thank you.
February 6, 2006... Software patents: not here, thank you The BlackBerry legal dispute shows that US-style technology patents are bad news for customers A few issues ago, IT Week ran an interview with a Microsoft executive who put the case for software...

Dual-core laptop packs a punch.
February 6, 2006... Dual-core laptop packs a punch Acer's ultra-portable offers good performance and connectivity, plus a VoIP handset Acer's TravelMate 3012 is one of the first laptops based on Intel's dual-core mobile platform. It crams most of the...

Wireless overcomes speed restrictions.
February 6, 2006... Wireless overcomes speed restrictions Fibre and DSL are the leading technologies for fast connections, but wireless will have a growing role Reliable, high-speed access to the internet is vital for many businesses and is becoming very...

Advances to rev up fibre.
February 6, 2006... Advances to rev up fibre Martin Courtney and Dave Bailey Researchers are testing a new type of optical network that could help Europe's telecoms carriers deal with increased internet traffic by sending more data further over existing...

IT alone cannot ensure compliance.
February 6, 2006... IT alone cannot ensure compliance Archiving and document management will be found wanting if another Enron comes along Don't despair now that Pete the Freak, Jodie, Barrymore and Gorgeous George are off our screens, the denouement of...

The harsh truth behind vendor guff.
February 6, 2006... The harsh truth behind vendor guff Vendors that persist in spouting vague marketing jargon such as 'availability' are usually hiding something I was idly flicking through a computer magazine last week when it struck me just how much...

IBM renames and revamps iSeries.
February 6, 2006... IBM renames and revamps iSeries Roger Howorth in Minnesota IBM has announced a major update to its iSeries business computers with new models that use its latest 2.2GHz Power5+ chip. IBM has also updated the iSeries operating...

Avocent buys rival to beef up KVM line IT Week staff n Keyboard, video and mouse (KVM) kit specialist Avocent has announced it will acquire rival Cyclades in a $90m deal that should complete later this spring, subject to regulatory approval. Russell St.(Brief article)
February 6, 2006... Avocent buys rival to beef up KVM line IT Week staff n Keyboard, video and mouse (KVM) kit specialist Avocent has announced it will acquire rival Cyclades in a $90m deal that should complete later this spring, subject to regulatory...

Developers can now test WinFX GUI design tools.
February 6, 2006... Developers can now test WinFX GUI design tools Roger Howorth Microsoft last month issued its first Community Technology Preview of Interactive Designer, which was previously codenamed Sparkle. Interactive Designer is a user...

Can Google repair its tarnished image?
February 6, 2006... Can Google repair its tarnished image? The search giant's decision to censor its Chinese site is just the latest in a string of PR disasters The news that Google has launched a self-censored, government-friendly version of its search...

Xmas rush exposes site shortcomings.
February 6, 2006... Xmas rush exposes site shortcomings Research indicates that four out of 10 online consumers encountered problems Online retailers saw a large boost in sales over Christmas and New Year, according to several new reports last month, but...

Document guard checks senders.
February 6, 2006... Document guard checks senders James Murray in Nice Document management software specialist Workshare will today unveil new tools to help firms control the distribution of sensitive information. The move comes just days after US...

Broadband fuels rise of reliable hosts IT Week staff n The need for business continuity and the ubiquity of broadband is leading to an upsurge in managed technology services. That is the view of Bill Henry, chief executive at managed services and hosted.(Brief article)
February 6, 2006... Broadband fuels rise of reliable hosts IT Week staff n The need for business continuity and the ubiquity of broadband is leading to an upsurge in managed technology services. That is the view of Bill Henry, chief executive at managed...

Managers call for rethink on offshore organisation.
February 6, 2006... Managers call for rethink on offshore organisation James Murray Failure to involve human resources (HR) professionals when moving IT and business functions offshore is contributing to low staff morale at many firms that have adopted...

Kit speeds up and secures WANs.
February 6, 2006... Kit speeds up and secures WANs Dave Bailey Juniper Networks and application acceleration hardware vendor Riverbed Technology are both launching new hardware today to help firms protect and get more value from their WAN connections at...

Telcos take lead in VoIP provision IT Week staff n Telecoms carriers in Europe are now supporting more voice over IP (VoIP) minutes than providers of free PC-to-PC VoIP services such as Skype, according to new figures from broadband management firm Sand.
February 6, 2006... Telcos take lead in VoIP provision IT Week staff n Telecoms carriers in Europe are now supporting more voice over IP (VoIP) minutes than providers of free PC-to-PC VoIP services such as Skype, according to new figures from broadband...

Modular IPS system offers performance and flexibility.
February 6, 2006... Modular IPS system offers performance and flexibility Dave Bailey 3Com's TippingPoint division last week announced details of its M60 intrusion prevention system (IPS) hardware aimed at large enterprises and service providers. The kit...

Big-headed ideas for mobile systems.
February 6, 2006... Big-headed ideas for mobile systems It is time to think large and ambitious, not small and niche, for mobile enterprise applications Debates on mobile IT tend to be rather dynamic. At a Mobile Web 2.0 discussion in the City of London...

BPM pulls IT and finance together.
February 6, 2006... BPM pulls IT and finance together Cartesis' John Taylor explains the role of business process management systems As director of industry solutions for business performance management [BPM] vendor Cartesis, can you say how demand is...

Nokia pushes dual-mode phones and FMC services.
February 6, 2006... Nokia pushes dual-mode phones and FMC services Martin Courtney Nokia is set to unveil five more mobile devices with both 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity before the summer, and some are likely to debut at next week's 3GSM show in Barcelona....

Lenovo to add 3G wireless to ThinkPads Daniel Robinson n PC maker Lenovo plans to add 3G connectivity to its ThinkPad laptop range from the second quarter of 2006. The move, in partnership with Vodafone, will also let customers upgrade to the faster H.
February 6, 2006... Lenovo to add 3G wireless to ThinkPads Daniel Robinson n PC maker Lenovo plans to add 3G connectivity to its ThinkPad laptop range from the second quarter of 2006. The move, in partnership with Vodafone, will also let customers...

E-traders fail at tracking.(Brief article)
February 6, 2006... E-traders fail at tracking Dave Bailey Half of online retailers and financial firms say they monitor the performance of their transactional web sites, but only six percent track the experiences of end-users, and many are losing a lot...

Enterprise search gains analytic edge Phil Muncaster n Enterprise search vendor Fast will today launch version 5.0 of its ESP search tool, designed to re turn faster, more accurate results. Fast ESP 5.0 features new Contextual Insight technology, whi.(Brief article)
February 6, 2006... Enterprise search gains analytic edge Phil Muncaster n Enterprise search vendor Fast will today launch version 5.0 of its ESP search tool, designed to return faster, more accurate results. Fast ESP 5.0 features new Contextual...

Monitors stop data leaks.
February 6, 2006... Monitors stop data leaks Madeline Bennett InfoWatch, a company founded by Russian antivirus specialist Kaspersky Lab, plans to launch its flagship internal threat management system in the UK by the end of the year. The system is...

RSA outlines 2006 strategy.
February 6, 2006... RSA outlines 2006 strategy RSA Security last week revealed its strategy for the coming year, including plans for new authentication technology and systems. The firm's new head of international sales, Richard Turner, said that RSA is...

More tough handhelds for field staff.
February 6, 2006... More tough handhelds for field staff Daniel Robinson Casio is among several vendors shipping new Windows-based handhelds for demanding environments such as warehouses, retail outlets and del- ivery vehicles. The Casio IT-600 is...

HP systems reduce energy bills.
February 6, 2006... HP systems reduce energy bills Martin Veitch HP last week released power management and cooling systems to reduce datacentre energy bills that have been bloated by increased energy consumption and rising tariffs. Like systems from...

Cognos training closes BI skills gap.
February 6, 2006... Cognos training closes BI skills gap James Murray Business intelligence (BI) specialist Cognos last week revealed it may launch a new training scheme for IT professionals working with BI technology, to head off a potential skills...

Ofcom praises BT for progress in unbundling.
February 6, 2006... Ofcom praises BT for progress in unbundling Martin Veitch As the UK closes in on 250,000 lines from local-loop unbundling, an Ofcom board member has praised BT's conduct and said its responsiveness has helped to create a more level...

Microsoft goes public with IE7.
February 6, 2006... Microsoft goes public with IE7 Microsoft has pushed Internet Explorer 7 into public beta testing. The release is intended for developers and IT professionals and marks the first time this version of the browser has been available for...

Orange rolls out nationwide stopgap for 3G.
February 6, 2006... Orange rolls out nationwide stopgap for 3G Martin Courtney Orange last week become the only UK mobile operator to roll out a nationwide mobile data service based on Enhanced Data-rates for GSM Evolution (Edge) technology, offering...

SAP makes splash in CRM hosting.
February 6, 2006... SAP makes splash in CRM hosting Martin veitch SAP has made its big move into hosted customer relationship management (CRM) tools. The German giant's CRM On-Demand Solution is aimed at large and mid-market firms and is hosted by partner...

IBM to refresh pSeries servers.
February 6, 2006... IBM to refresh pSeries servers n IBM is preparing a major update of its pSeries range of Unix servers, and will rename the range System p5. The hardware changes are likely to be similar to those IBM made to the iSeries line last week,...

Oracle plots integration and support for Siebel.
February 6, 2006... Oracle plots integration and support for Siebel Martin Veitch Oracle gained control of Siebel Systems last week and enlarged on its plans to integrate functionality and target specific industry processes while continuing to support the...

Group tackles spyware.
February 6, 2006... Group tackles spyware Dave Bailey and Madeline Bennett A group of security companies is trying to establish an industry standard for spyware and a testing methodology to determine what constitutes spyware. The alliance, which...

Easier low-end storage.
February 6, 2006... Easier low-end storage James Murray EMC will today refresh its storage hardware and software for mid-market and smaller companies, to make it easier for resource-strapped IT departments to install and manage their own storage systems....