IT Week (UK) articles from January 2007

IT Week (UK) archives from January 2007

Internet presence brings Christmas cheer.
January 8, 2007... Internet presence brings Christmas cheer Phil Muncaster Retailers with a strong online presence are emerging as the winners in the competition for Christmas sales, judging from festive trading figures released last week. Wine...

Council fined for DPA breach.
January 8, 2007... Byline: James Murray Council fined for DPA breach n The importance of responding to information requests made under the Data Protection Act (DPA) was highlighted last month after Liverpool City Council became the first organisation to...

2007 brings new focus for e-commerce.
January 8, 2007... Byline: Phil Muncaster 2007 brings new focus for e-commerce The internet has come of age as a retail channel, now merchants need to maximise potential sales Well, it looks like I've drawn the short straw again. It has fallen to me...

New rules for .uk disputes.(domain names)(Brief article)
January 8, 2007... Byline: Phil Muncaster New rules for .uk disputes n Nominet, the registry for .uk domain names, last week launched a consultation on proposed changes to its Dispute Resolution Service (DRS) that it says will help it to continue...

Click-to-call set to be engaged.
January 8, 2007... Byline: phil muncaster Click-to-call set to be engaged Phil Muncaster Click-to-call technology and multi-channel strategies are set to become major areas of growth in e-commerce over the coming year, according to e-trade...

This will be the year of identity.
January 8, 2007... Byline: Tim Anderson This will be the year of identity Will OpenID and Windows CardSpace finally set us free from the prevalence of insecure web site logins? It seems 2007 will be an interesting year for identity. Currently, it is...

WEEE rules written into UK law.(Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment)
January 8, 2007... Byline: James Murray WEEE rules written into UK law James Murray The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) regulations governing the safe disposal of IT equipment were finally passed into UK law last week, confirming...

Is power really shifting to the people?
January 8, 2007... Is power really shifting to the people? Despite euphoric talk of Web 2.0's empowering qualities, media and IT will remain top-down affairs On the top right quarter of the Yuletide CNN broadcast, a 40-something long-haired but greying...

Broadband competition heats up.
January 8, 2007... Byline: Dave Bailey Broadband competition heats up Dave Bailey Competition in the residential broadband market is set to intensify today as mobile operator Vodafone launches its own service. Called Vodafone at Home, the 8Mbit/s...

Phone supports all Wi-Fi specs.
January 8, 2007... Byline: DAve BAiley Phone supports all Wi-Fi specs n Voice over wireless LAN (VoWLAN) pioneer SpectraLink last week introduced its latest Wi-Fi phone. The vendor said its NetLink 8000 Series devices are the first phones on the market...

Will Office users be rapt with ribbons?
January 8, 2007... Byline: Lem Bingley Will Office users be rapt with ribbons? Microsoft's revolutionary new ribbon menu structure may force employers to retrain bewildered staff Late last month I conducted a short experiment into the usability of...

Could your business fly after flu?
January 8, 2007... Byline: Dave Bailey Could your business fly after flu? IT chiefs will have a vital role to play in preventing a bird flu pandemic from killing the global economy Here's the scenario: a variant of bird flu that we don't have...

Proxima bought in $31m deal.(acquired by Compuware Inc.)(Brief article)
January 8, 2007... Proxima bought in $31m deal IT management software provider Compuware has kicked off 2007 with the acquisition of service management specialist Proxima. The $31m deal, announced last week, will see Proxima's flagship Centauri product...

Law forces email update.(Brief article)
January 8, 2007... Law forces email update James Murray UK firms are being urged to update their web sites and email footers after amendments to the Companies Act that require more corporate information to be disclosed in electronic documents were...

Apple set to show all.(Apple Computer Inc. showing its MacBooks and quad-core desktops at Macworld Exposition)(Brief article)
January 8, 2007... Apple set to show all IT Week staff All eyes will be on Apple today when the firm kicks off another Macworld Expo in San Francisco, where ultra-portable MacBooks and quad-core desktops are expected to be among the highlights. ...

Startup puts Wi-Fi in cars.
January 8, 2007... Startup puts Wi-Fi in cars Martin Veitch A new company is offering to equip cars with Wi-Fi hotspots so that passengers can stay connected in transit without needing to plug in cellular data cards to PCs or other devices. San...

New year sees yet more mergers.
January 8, 2007... New year sees yet more mergers Martin Veitch Cisco agreed to buy IronPort for $830m last week, continuing a flurry of acquisitions that saw 2006 close in much the same vein that ran throughout the year. Cisco's purchase gives the...

Mac OS X flaws to be revealed.(Brief article)
January 8, 2007... Mac OS X flaws to be revealed A pair of security researchers marked New Year by launching a month-long project that they claim will improve the security of Mac systems by revealing their flaws. The Month of Apple Bugs (Moab) project is...

Energy Star specification for servers a step closer.
January 8, 2007... Energy Star specification for servers a step closer James Murray New labels for energy-efficient servers could be in place by 2008 after the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) confirmed late last month that it plans to extend its...

Ultra-mobiles get new lease of life.
January 8, 2007... Ultra-mobiles get new lease of life Martin Veitch Microsoft and partners will put a new face on mobile PCs at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas this week. Bill Gates is expected to show off new approaches to the...

UK firms lose [pounds sterling]5bn to fraud.
January 8, 2007... UK firms lose [pounds sterling]5bn to fraud n Business fraud cost UK firms [pounds sterling]5bn last year, according to accountants BDO Stoy Hayward. Although the official figure in BDO's annual FraudTrack report is [pounds...

Wireless kit cuts monitoring costs.(Emerson Process Management inc. introduced Smart Wireless)
January 15, 2007... Byline: Dave Bailey Wireless kit cuts monitoring costs Dave Bailey Emerson Process Management has announced the European launch of a new range of wireless environmental sensors that aim to cut costs and improve efficiency for...

Councils reduce IT spend.(government spending on information technology)(Brief article)
January 15, 2007... Councils reduce IT spend Madeline Bennett and Phil Muncaster Government IT spending is set to fall dramatically this year, as local authorities focus on efficiency opportunities after making huge investments in e-government...

Itil accreditation body is keen to make its mark.(information technology infrastructure library)(APM Group Ltd.)
January 15, 2007... Itil accreditation body is keen to make its mark James Murray Certification specialist APM Group has pledged to improve the quality of Itil training and make the next generation of exams more accessible. APM was appointed as an...

Put web site usability to the test.
January 15, 2007... Put web site usability to the test Regular reviews help to ensure web sites keep pace with user expectations, says Ben King IT Week: As business development manager for web design agency Bit10, what are the key issues you are...

Good things come in small packages.(HTC S620)(Product/service evaluation)
January 15, 2007... Byline: Daniel Robinson Good things come in small packages HTC's handset features a qwerty keyboard in a more petite package than rival devices HTC's S620 is a Windows Mobile handset that provides a qwerty keyboard and...

UK's WEEE problem is starting to stain.(Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment)
January 15, 2007... Byline: James Murray UK's WEEE problem is starting to stain The delays to the WEEE directive were a disgrace, and the confusion over the new law has only just started As Blair's premiership winds down, another little horror story...

IT poised for Age of Big Information.(chat with Thornton May)(Interview)
January 15, 2007... Byline: James Murray IT poised for Age of Big Information IT futurist Thornton May predicts data-driven revolutions in marketing, health and wealth IT Week: What is the point of studying the future of technology? Thornton May:...

Will Vista's arrival be too little, too late?
January 15, 2007... Byline: Daniel Robinson Will Vista's arrival be too little, too late? The growth in web-based applications may mean the days of monolithic operating systems are numbered Memories of New Year's Eve may be fading, but 2007 has barely...

Firms frustrated by skills dearth.(e-Skills UK survey of information technology workers)
January 15, 2007... Byline: James Murray Firms frustrated by skills dearth James Murray The UK's IT skills crisis is continuing to deepen, according to new research this month from e-Skills UK. The latest quarterly skills bulletin from the...

Portable drive carries desktop.
January 15, 2007... Byline: Daniel Robinson Portable drive carries desktop n Seagate has introduced portable storage devices that let professionals carry their Windows desktop environment around with them. The FreeAgent Go lets users take their Web...

Power to the masses, possibly.
January 15, 2007... Byline: Alan Stevens Power to the masses, possibly Power over Ethernet may make it as a mass-market technology, but only when it can deliver more juice It's been a while coming, but Power over Ethernet (PoE) is the latest...

UK firms keep sending spam n Almost a third of UK firms are failing to comply with privacy laws introduced in the UK three years ago to crack down on spam, a new study has revealed. A core aim of the Privacy and Electronic Communications Directive is to.
January 15, 2007... Byline: Madeline Bennett UK firms keep sending spam n Almost a third of UK firms are failing to comply with privacy laws introduced in the UK three years ago to crack down on spam, a new study has revealed. A core aim of the...

Appliance cuts malware calls.
January 15, 2007... Appliance cuts malware calls Phil Muncaster Anti-virus and anti-spam vendor Sophos last week launched its first web security appliance, designed to stop both known and unknown malicious code at the gateway. According to Sophos,...

A porn suffix would keep office PCs clean.
January 15, 2007... A porn suffix would keep office PCs clean Regardless of any moral or legal arguments, the .xxx suffix will help firms block unsuitable websites The internet practically groans under the weight of suspect sites. Search for anything...

Porn domain revived.(.xxx domain rules )(Brief article)
January 15, 2007... Porn domain revived Phil Muncaster A top-level domain for pornographic web sites could yet be a reality after internet managing body Icann this month issued a revised proposal for the .xxx domain. Supporters of the .xxx suffix...

Tablet works faster, lasts longer.
January 15, 2007... Byline: daniel robinson Tablet works faster, lasts longer Daniel Robinson Nokia has unveiled an updated version of its Linux-based Internet Tablet device, boosting performance and adding refinements to help maintain its internet...

AMR predicts IT budget increases.
January 15, 2007... AMR predicts IT budget increases IT budgets will experience solid growth during 2007, with IT chiefs at small and medium-sized businesses likely to enjoy the biggest increase, a new study from AMR Research has revealed. IT budgets...

Thin clients get dual monitors n Thin client maker IGEL Technology has announced an enhanced version of its Compact series of terminals. Running Linux, Windows XP Embedded or Windows CE, the IGEL 3210 series now offers dual-monitor support. Prices start a.
January 15, 2007... Thin clients get dual monitors n Thin client maker IGEL Technology has announced an enhanced version of its Compact series of terminals. Running Linux, Windows XP Embedded or Windows CE, the IGEL 3210 series now offers dual-monitor...

Our brave new connected world.
January 15, 2007... Our brave new connected world The connected world envisaged by Bill Gates sounds very exciting but will be a nightmare to police The connected world that Bill Gates described at last week's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas is...

ISP protects users from malware and phishing.
January 15, 2007... Byline: Dave Bailey ISP protects users from malware and phishing Dave Bailey Internet services provider Thus last week upgraded security on both its SME and residential services to protect both from web-based security threats. ...

Firms cry out for SOA clarity.
January 15, 2007... Firms cry out for SOA clarity Interest in SOA is high, but the much-hyped technology is still shrouded in mystery A survey published last week by analyst firm Butler Group indicates that many companies are interested in deploying a...

Firms benefit from converging sectors.
January 15, 2007... Firms benefit from converging sectors Growing synergy between corporate IT specialists and consumer electronics firms is a welcome trend Despite frantic scrambling by marketers to distinguish between the two sectors, the fusion of...

Brocade buys specialist in acceleration Dave Bailey n Storage networking vendor Brocade acquired privately held network acceleration technology vendor Silverback Systems last week for around $8m. Brocade's Paul Phillips said, "This is a technology purc.
January 15, 2007... Byline: Dave Bailey Brocade buys specialist in acceleration Dave Bailey n Storage networking vendor Brocade acquired privately held network acceleration technology vendor Silverback Systems last week for around $8m. Brocade's...

The shape of servers to come.
January 15, 2007... The shape of servers to come An innovative new server design from the US raises questions about the direction of high-end computing Here's an interesting thought with which to start the New Year -- are some server hardware vendors...

VMware beta lets OS X access non-Mac apps.(Fusion)(Brief article)
January 15, 2007... VMware beta lets OS X access non-Mac apps IT Week Labs IT Week Labs recently tested a beta release of VMware's Fusion, a desktop virtualisation product for Mac OS X comparable to VMware Workstation but with a distinctly Apple-flavoured...

Teradata and NCR to part company.
January 15, 2007... Teradata and NCR to part company IT WEEK staff Data warehousing provider Teradata, part of retail solution specialist NCR since 1995, is to split from its parent company. The transaction will take six to nine months to complete, and...

Web classes on marketing.
January 15, 2007... Byline: phil muncaster Web classes on marketing n Web analytics specialist ClickTracks will next week launch new online classes for web site owners and marketers covering Pay-Per-Click (PPC) search marketing. The classes, hosted...

Sun and Intel deliver new server options.
January 15, 2007... Sun and Intel deliver new server options IT Week staff n Sun Microsystems has introduced a new blade server based on AMD's dual-core 2.8GHz Opteron 8000 processor, while Intel has launched two new quad-core CPUs designed for...

Siemens joins Salesforce.(Siemens Enterprise Communications introduced Siemens OpenScape)(Brief article)
January 15, 2007... Siemens joins Salesforce Martin Veitch Siemens Enterprise Communications is hopping on the Salesforce.com bandwagon with a conferencing program available on the software-as-a-service giant's AppExchange marketplace for hosted...

Green ideas take root at Dell.
January 15, 2007... Green ideas take root at Dell James Murray IT hardware giant Dell has announced plans for a major new environmental initiative that will see it offer customers the opportunity to offset the carbon emissions generated powering their...

USB drive for wiping PCs.
January 15, 2007... USB drive for wiping PCs Daniel Robinson Security firm BluestSoft has introduced a handy tool to help IT staff securely wipe PC hard drives. DiskDeleter USB 2.2.0 ships on and runs from a USB Flash drive, making it easier to...

M&S online has a merry Xmas.(Marks and Spencer PLC)(Brief article)
January 15, 2007... M&S online has a merry Xmas Marks & Spencer posted its Christmas sales figures last week, showing strong growth in its online business. Internet sales in the 13 weeks to 30 December increased by 70 percent compared with 2005, while...

Vista spawns hardware formats.
January 15, 2007... Vista spawns hardware formats Martin Veitch At last week's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Microsoft and partners previewed new hardware, including ultramobile PCs (UMPCs) and devices with the SideShow auxiliary display,...

It takes a brave person to criticise Steve Jobs.(Apple iPhone)
January 15, 2007... It takes a brave person to criticise Steve Jobs Apple fans did not take kindly to a pundit who dared to suggest the iPhone may flop n You can't argue with Steve Jobs. I don't mean the Apple supremo is always right, because I've been...

Microsoft's first 2007 patches n Microsoft's first "patch Tuesday" of 2007 saw it release three critical patches and one rated important, fixing a total of 10 flaws in its software. The important patch, MS07-001, fixes a flaw in the Brazilian Portuguese g.
January 15, 2007... Microsoft's first 2007 patches n Microsoft's first "patch Tuesday" of 2007 saw it release three critical patches and one rated important, fixing a total of 10 flaws in its software. The important patch, MS07-001, fixes a flaw in the...

Remote access enhanced.
January 15, 2007... Remote access enhanced Daniel Robinson Citrix Online will today release the latest version of its GoToMyPC remote access service. The update is designed to offer greater responsiveness, better support for remote printing and support...

Spam volume soon to double.(Email Systems)(Brief article)
January 15, 2007... Spam volume soon to double Email traffic volume is set to double within the next few months if the recent growth rate in spam messages continues, according to a warning issued last week by Email Systems. The email management...

Households pick up VoIP.
January 15, 2007... Households pick up VoIP Martin Courtney BT announced last week that one million people had registered to use its Broadband Talk and Softphone voice-over-IP (VoIP) services, as growing numbers of residential users and home workers...

UK to get iPhone later this year.
January 15, 2007... UK to get iPhone later this year Daniel Robinson and Martin Veitch Apple lived up to the high expectations at the Macworld conference in San Francisco last week when it unveiled the touch-screen iPhone. Apple chief executive Steve...

SGI to support Windows HPC.
January 15, 2007... SGI to support Windows HPC n SGI last week announced it will release servers based on Microsoft's high-performance computing (HPC) offering, Windows Compute Cluster Server (CCS) 2003, from March. Supercomputing veteran SGI emerged from...

IT drives wedge between workers.
January 15, 2007... IT drives wedge between workers Phil Muncaster A lack of user-friendly technology is exacerbating a digital divide in the workforce and could provoke a backlash among users, warns a study published today by consultancy Deloitte. ...

Big names get behind the mobile internet.
January 15, 2007... Big names get behind the mobile internet Phil Muncaster Web hosting specialist Hostway will release a new tool for building mobile web sites today, following hot on the heels of last week's efforts by Yahoo and Visa to bring greater...

Spotfire updates analytics suite.(Spotfire DXP 1.1)(Brief article)
January 15, 2007... Spotfire updates analytics suite Business intelligence (BI) software specialist Spotfire will tomorrow unveil a major update to its Spotfire DXP analytics suite designed to make it easier for business users to analyse corporate information...

Symbian broadens app support.(Symbian OS 9.1)
January 22, 2007... Byline: Daniel Robinson Symbian broadens app support Daniel Robinson Symbian is to add support for Posix libraries to its smartphone platform, a move that will help developers port existing business applications to run on...

Analyser pinpoints app faults and security holes.(Fluke Networks Optiview Integrated Network Analyser)(Brief article)
January 22, 2007... Byline: Dave Bailey Analyser pinpoints app faults and security holes Dave Bailey Network analysis tools vendor Fluke Networks has upgraded its Optiview Integrated Network Analyser (INA) with new features that focus on managing...

Video calls made easier.(AvistarVOS 8.8 from Avistar Systems Corp.)(Brief article)
January 22, 2007... Video calls made easier James Murray Video conferencing specialist Avistar last week unveiled a major update to its flagship desktop communication suite designed to make it easier for mobile workers to use video capabilities. The...

Firms face freelance tax shakeup.(taxation of information technology freelance)
January 22, 2007... Firms face freelance tax shakeup James Murray Firms that use IT freelancers are being urged to assess their contract payment procedures ahead of legislation due in April that is aimed at closing a tax loophole. Under the Treasury...

Care in the e-community.(Advanced Solutions International's iMIS)(Niroo Rad)(Interview)
January 22, 2007... Byline: Phil Muncaster Care in the e-community An online forum can give a web site a heart, argues Niroo Rad of charity-sector vendor ASI ASI (Advanced Solutions International) is a specialist provider of membership, fundraising...

For councils, it pays to be online.
January 22, 2007... For councils, it pays to be online Bill Sproul of e-trade specialist Gandlake says an online billing service will pay for itself IT Week: As chief technology officer of e-payment specialist Gandlake, what has been your involvement with...

Can IT master business?(Colin Ashurst of Durham Business School)(Interview)
January 22, 2007... Byline: James Murray Can IT master business? Colin Ashurst of Durham Business School thinks it can IT Week: What can IT managers hope to gain by signing up for Durham Business School's new Executive Masters in Business...

Teradata ventures out on its own.(Michael Koehler talks about the split from NCR)(Interview)
January 22, 2007... Teradata ventures out on its own Teradata chief Michael Koehler discusses the data warehousing firm's split from parent NCR IT Week: What was the thinking behind Teradata's spin off from NCR? Michael Koehler: It was a very logical...

Playtime is over for smartphones.
January 22, 2007... Byline: Alistair Dabbs Playtime is over for smartphones Apple's iPhone may be more appealing to professionals than the current stock of inflexible smartphones Some years ago, I worked on a magazine for users of Lotus 1-2-3....

It's hard to score without goalposts.
January 22, 2007... Byline: Martin Veitch It's hard to score without goalposts IT projects get a bad press but this is because not all participants play by the rules IT project failure is rife, judging by the number of articles on huge programmes...

SMEs lag behind in e-commerce.
January 22, 2007... Byline: Phil Muncaster SMEs lag behind in e-commerce Phil Muncaster Many smaller firms are failing to capitalise on the revenue generating potential offered by the internet, according to research released last week by e-commerce...

Is free IT too good to be true?
January 22, 2007... Is free IT too good to be true? Savvy IT managers will question the value of free technology in 2007, according to a new Deloitte report Consultancy Deloitte has been busy making all sorts of predictions about the telecoms and...

Outsourcing costs may fall n Competition between IT outsourcing providers is continuing to intensify, spelling more complex procurement cycles but potentially lower prices for customers. A report earlier this month from sourcing advisory firm TPI found t.
January 22, 2007... Byline: James Murray Outsourcing costs may fall n Competition between IT outsourcing providers is continuing to intensify, spelling more complex procurement cycles but potentially lower prices for customers. A report earlier this...

Flexible IT lets young talent thrive.
January 22, 2007... Byline: James Murray Flexible IT lets young talent thrive James Murray Many firms are in danger of losing out in the increasingly fierce "war for talent" unless they overhaul their workplace technology strategies and deliver more...

Used kit should not go to waste.(network hardware industry and waste management)
January 22, 2007... Byline: Dave Bailey Used kit should not go to waste There are sound economic and environmental arguments for buying second-hand network hardware Ever had a quiet pint down the local rudely interrupted by a dodgy geezer in a...

New courses on web access.
January 22, 2007... New courses on web access n Web consultancy AbilityNet will launch three courses next month. Topics covered will include an introduction to web accessibility and a discussion of the new PAS 78 best practice guide for commissioning...

New mini PC can run Vista.(OQO Model 02)(Windows Vista)(Brief article)
January 22, 2007... Byline: Daniel Robinson New mini PC can run Vista n Hardware firm OQO has unveiled a second-generation model of its ultra-compact PC, adding a faster processor and compatibility with Windows Vista. The OQO Model 02, due to ship by...

Wave goodbye to gesture-free PCs.
January 22, 2007... Wave goodbye to gesture-free PCs In 2017, when you spot members of staff gesticulating at their PCs, it will be more likely that they are hard at work than losing at poker Over the next 10 years, we'll see a lot more use of gestures...

Whitehall faces tug of war over data.
January 22, 2007... Whitehall faces tug of war over data The government is good at demanding information from people but can be pretty hopeless at giving it out We've had some interesting reader responses to a recent IT Week article about amendments to...

Mac gets Raid storage system.
January 22, 2007... Mac gets Raid storage system n Storage Elements has introduced what is says is the first enterprise-level RAID system developed for Mac OS X servers. Mythos iSCSI Storage Server is a hardware-software package that combines the...