IT Week (UK) articles from July 2006

IT Week (UK) archives from July 2006

British is best for call centres.
July 2, 2006... Byline: Phil Muncaster British is best for call centres UK companies could be losing money and harming customer relations by moving their call centre operations offshore, according to a new report by Compass Management Consulting. ...

Host tracks project status.(BuildOnline)(Brief article)
July 3, 2006... Byline: James Murray Host tracks project status n Hosted document management software specialist BuildOnline launched a new project management product last week. And though it focuses on the construction industry, the firm hinted it...

Knowing what to keep inside is the key to successful outsourcing.
July 3, 2006... Byline: James Murray Knowing what to keep inside is the key to successful outsourcing Jonathan Cooper-Bagnall says in-house staff can make or break an outsourcing deal IT Week: Your company, PA Consulting, recently published...

Handset offers a fuller web experience.
July 3, 2006... Byline: Daniel Robinson Handset offers a fuller web experience Nokia has added support for IM and VoIP to its latest Linux-based Internet Tablet device When Nokia introduced its 770 Internet Tablet in 2005, many industry watchers...

How to make vendors turn green.(Column)
July 3, 2006... Byline: Kelvyn Taylor How to make vendors turn green Only sustained pressure from buyers will lead to more environmentally-friendly IT equipment I am not an advocate for eco-warriors. On a good day I might wish for time machines...

Are hackers a force for good?
July 3, 2006... Byline: Roger Howorth Are hackers a force for good? A leading US academic journal argues that the criminalisation of all hackers is counterproductive Hackers are an endangered species, and special measures are needed to ensure...

Apps testing breaches data law.
July 3, 2006... Byline: James Murray Apps testing breaches data law James Murray Almost half of IT departments are failing to comply with the Data Protection Act (DPA) because they use live customer data to test applications without customers'...

Linux moves towards unified APIs.
July 3, 2006... Byline: Daniel Robinson Linux moves towards unified APIs Daniel Robinson The Portland Project has released a beta version of its programming interfaces for the Gnome and KDE Linux environments. This is designed to boost...

IPass clients roam Thames.(Thames Online)(Brief article)
July 3, 2006... Byline: Daniel Robinson IPass clients roam Thames n Network access aggregator iPass has been selected as a roaming partner by Thames Online, a service provider operating a Wi-Fi mesh network along a 10-mile stretch of the river Thames....

Microsoft plots unified IP comms.(Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 )
July 3, 2006... Microsoft plots unified IP comms Daniel Robinson Microsoft has detailed its strategy to bring together email, instant messaging, voice and web conferencing in a single system, in an effort to simplify business communications. ...

ECopy scanning suite advances.
July 3, 2006... Byline: Roger Howorth ECopy scanning suite advances Roger Howorth Document image specialist eCopy last week announced a major upgrade to its scanning and distribution suite and a new deal that will see eCopy's tools being sold by...

Duo to protect software rights.
July 3, 2006... Byline: Roge Howorth Duo to protect software rights n Intellectual property specialist Black Duck Software has made a deal with IT services giant Atos Origin to bundle the Black Duck ProtexIP suite with Atos's consulting, systems...

Novell chief may target management software.
July 3, 2006... Novell chief may target management software Martin Veitch The new chief executive of Novell is likely to make acquisitions to strengthen the company's hand in management tools. Ron Hovsepian, confirmed as the replacement for Jack...

DIARY DATES 11 July IT Outsourcing Financial Services London a[euro][sup.1] www.tinyurl.com/f6ofl 14-17 AUGUST LinuxWorld San Francisco a[euro][sup.1] www.linuxworldexpo.com 18-19 SEPTEMBER Gartner IT Security Summit 2006 London a[euro][sup.1] www.gartner.com/events 21 SEPTEMBER IDC IT Securi.(Diary entry)
July 3, 2006... DIARY DATES 11 July IT Outsourcing Financial Services London a[sup.1] www.tinyurl.com/f6ofl 14-17 AUGUST LinuxWorld San Francisco a[sup.1] www.linuxworldexpo.com 18-19 SEPTEMBER Gartner IT Security...

Mobile comms moves up a gear.
July 3, 2006... Mobile comms moves up a gear With its lower latency and faster transmissions, Super 3G could usher in new real-time mobile apps In the US there is a company that will send a message into space for you. For a mere $99 you can get a...

Security cannot be left to market forces.
July 3, 2006... Security cannot be left to market forces Calls are growing for regulations to penalise vendors if they ship insecure or bug-ridden software Would you cross a bridge built by a software developer? No, thought not. And nor would Mary Ann...

The fine art of shoulder surfing.
July 3, 2006... The fine art of shoulder surfing Many hackers download their tools but traditionalists skilled in shoulder surfing still pose a threat Every hacker remembers the trick with which they first started their illegal but admittedly exciting...

IBM blades use less electricity.
July 3, 2006... IBM blades use less electricity IBM last week announced a new BladeCenter HS21 blade server, which it said would significantly reduce the power consumed by a rackful of blade servers. The server is based on Intel's 32bit low-power Core...

Microsoft asset controls.
July 3, 2006... Microsoft asset controls Martin Veitch Microsoft is to offer customers a new tool to manage software assets as it paves the way for a rush of upgrades to its biggest-selling programs late this year. The SAM (Software Asset...

Indian fraud hits HSBC.
July 3, 2006... Indian fraud hits HSBC James Murray The practice of processing customer data at offshore sites came under fire last week after a security breach at HSBC's Bangalore facility led to a reported [pounds sterling]233,000 being stolen from...

Woodcrest gives Intel more power.
July 3, 2006... Woodcrest gives Intel more power Martin Veitch Intel has introduced its dual-core Xeon 5100 series processor family, which it said will make it the leader for performance and power-efficiency. Previously known as Woodcrest, this chip...

Search firm offers business focus.
July 3, 2006... Search firm offers business focus Phil Muncaster Web search engine Accoona launched in Europe last week hoping to attract corporate users by providing more accurate results through its artificial intelligence technology. ...

Government web sites beat the private sector.
July 3, 2006... Government web sites beat the private sector Phil Muncaster Public sector web sites are outperforming their private sector counterparts according to the latest report from web performance monitoring specialist Site Confidence. A...

Site clicks with tennis fans.
July 3, 2006... Site clicks with tennis fans IBM is helping Wimbledon to deliver an ace online service IT Week: As managing consultant and senior producer of Web Application Services and Digital Content Innovation at IBM, can you explain your role at...

Let Microsoft clear up its own mess.
July 3, 2006... Let Microsoft clear up its own mess Cheap and effective security products from Microsoft would benefit users who have up to now been poorly served by the antivirus industry It's bad enough that Microsoft is getting in to all aspects of...

Microsoft shelves WinFS.
July 3, 2006... Microsoft shelves WinFS Daniel Robinson Microsoft has revealed it will not now release the WinFS relational file system as an add-on for Windows Vista. Some of the technology will instead find its way into future releases of SQL Server...

Adobe enhances developer tools.
July 3, 2006... Adobe enhances developer tools Adobe has upgraded its Flash Player software, and released new technology and tools to help developers create rich web applications. The Adobe Flex 2 product range includes a free, entry-level Flex 2...

Grid standard bearers merge to speed uptake.
July 3, 2006... Grid standard bearers merge to speed uptake it week staff Peace has broken out in grid computing with two leading standards groups combining to form one entity, backed by networking vendors keen to cash in by tailoring equipment to...

Corporate IT set to go greener.
July 3, 2006... Corporate IT set to go greener Martin Courtney and Martin Veitch The combined pressures of environmental legislation, rising energy costs and uncertainty over power sources are forcing UK firms and IT vendors to find ways to use less...

EU mulls telco shakeup.
July 3, 2006... EU mulls telco shakeup Dave Bailey A European commissioner last week announced plans to encourage more competition in the telecoms industry, and put forward a proposal for new EU regulators for telecoms and wireless spectrum. In a...

EMC to acquire RSA Security.
July 3, 2006... EMC to acquire RSA Security n Storage giant EMC has agreed to buy digital security specialist RSA Security for just under $2.1bn. EMC said the deal -- which is expected to close in the autumn -- would provide the firm with identity,...

Mobile WiMax chips on the horizon.
July 3, 2006... Mobile WiMax chips on the horizon Martin Courtney Mobile WiMax devices that provide roaming staff with 1Mbit/s to 4Mbit/s of mobile bandwidth may be commercially available this time next year, after both Intel and Fujitsu announced new...

Ethernet offering cuts WAN costs.
July 3, 2006... Ethernet offering cuts WAN costs Dave Bailey Corporate network provider Easynet last week launched a new Ethernet in the First Mile (EFM) access system aimed at pan-European enterprises. Called EtherStream, the new service will run...

Service puts rollout plans to the test.
July 3, 2006... Service puts rollout plans to the test IT week staff n Network simulation and assurance vendor Shunra Software and application acceleration vendor Expand Networks have teamed up to help firms achieve desired service levels when rolling...

Devices let admin staff fine-tune app delivery.
July 3, 2006... Devices let admin staff fine-tune app delivery Dave Bailey Blue Coat is upgrading its Mach5 application acceleration architecture for its SG series of WAN optimisation appliances. This will allow more granular bandwidth management to...

Complaints catch up with Fast anti-piracy.
July 3, 2006... Complaints catch up with Fast anti-piracy Phil Muncaster The Federation Against Software Theft (Fast) has defended its business practices following renewed criticism from IT Week readers. However, a legal expert said firms should think...

Fedora 7 offers taste of RHEL features to come.(Red Hat Enterprise Linux)(Red Hat Inc.)(Brief article)
July 4, 2006... Byline: Martin Courtney Fedora 7 offers taste of RHEL features to come Martin Courtney The final version of the Fedora 7 Linux open-source operating system was officially released last week. Fedora 7 will merge Fedora Core and...

BI vendors join the hosted party.
July 10, 2006... BI vendors join the hosted party Cognos and other vendors of business intelligence tools are building hosted systems Cognos became the latest business intelligence (BI) software vendor to talk up its credentials as a provider of hosted...

Switches take role of security kit.
July 10, 2006... Switches take role of security kit Martin Courtney Standalone network security appliances could soon disappear, as vendors instead integrate security technology at the switch level. Symantec last week announced the availability of...

Microsoft bridges rival document formats.
July 10, 2006... Microsoft bridges rival document formats Martin Veitch Peace may be breaking out between the Microsoft-backed Open XML and the rival OpenDocument Format (ODF) after the software giant said it would lead an effort to create translation...

Online apps take on office tasks.(Google Spreadsheets)
July 10, 2006... Online apps take on office tasks Web-based productivity tools provide a flexible, low-cost alternative to traditional apps Online business applications in fields such as salesforce automation, customer relationship management (CRM) and...

Windows sails off course to stop pirates.
July 10, 2006... Byline: Daniel Robinson Windows sails off course to stop pirates Microsoft's platform may lose ground if its anti-piracy system causes difficulties for legitimate users Microsoft caused some fuss lately when it was discovered that...

Study weighs costs of poor data security.
July 10, 2006... Byline: James Murray Study weighs costs of poor data security it week staff n Breaches of data security have little impact on the share prices of affected firms, according to a new report, though other consequences -- such as...

Bangalore improves infrastructure for IT.
July 10, 2006... Byline: James Murray Bangalore improves infrastructure for IT James Murray Experts have welcomed news that officials in India's technology hub Bangalore are preparing to tackle the city's massive infrastructure problems with...

Enterprises like to feel supported.
July 10, 2006... Byline: Martin Banks Enterprises like to feel supported A new survey of IT buyers' preferences suggests good support services are still highly prized For many firms, the price of IT hardware is less important than its reliability...

ISPs urged to block spam n Most spam comes from Chinese and Korean IP addresses, but the amount via Polish and French ISPs is close behind, acc ord ing to security vendor Trend Micro. Trend's Dave Rand said ISPs should do more to prevent spam leaving thei.
July 10, 2006... Byline: Roger Howorth ISPs urged to block spam n Most spam comes from Chinese and Korean IP addresses, but the amount via Polish and French ISPs is close behind, according to security vendor Trend Micro. Trend's Dave Rand said...

MySpace invaders threaten business.(Column)
July 10, 2006... MySpace invaders threaten business The popular MySpace social networking site could have a harmful impact on unwary companies I have never really understood the MySpace thing. I thought that maybe it is because I am too old. But, I...

SunGard linked with Misys bid.(SunGard Data Systems Inc.)(Brief article)
July 10, 2006... SunGard linked with Misys bid Martin Veitch After one services giant, CSC, withdrew itself from a potential sale this month, another, Misys, is declining to comment on stories suggesting that it could be acquired by SunGard. CSC...

Data czar warns web site.
July 10, 2006... Data czar warns web site david neal The UK's data protection watchdog last week issued its first cease and desist order to a web site. The web site's operator must now stop using certain personal information or face a court case. ...

Europe domain hits two million.
July 10, 2006... Europe domain hits two million Over two million .eu web addresses have been registered since the domain name was launched in December, making it the third most popular domain in Europe. According to Eurid, which manages the .eu...

NAS vendors offer more choice.
July 10, 2006... NAS vendors offer more choice Roger Howorth UK firms gained new storage options last week following the launch of a European operation by clustered network-attached storage (NAS) vendor Isilon Systems and a range of low-end NAS systems...

EC wants ID framework.(European Commission)(Brief article)
July 10, 2006... EC wants ID framework James Murray European identity management standards are needed to protect users from ID theft and tackle other forms of fraud, according to speakers at last week's annual Information Assurance Advisory Council...

Toxin law threatens supply chain.
July 10, 2006... Toxin law threatens supply chain Martin Veitch The EU's Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) directive, which took effect at the start of this month, could have some short-term impact on pricing and availability of electronics...

IBM to access ThinkVantage.
July 10, 2006... IBM to access ThinkVantage Lenovo and IBM Global Technology Services have signed a deal to give IBM access to Lenovo's ThinkVantage technologies. The move will help the services giant reduce the cost of managing PC systems at customer...

Judge weakens SCO case.
July 10, 2006... Judge weakens SCO case Martin Veitch A US court order granting in part IBM's motion to limit SCO's claims against IBM over Linux and intellectual property is being widely interpreted as a heavy blow to the Unix and Linux developer and...

Tool maps power usage.(Brief article)
July 10, 2006... Tool maps power usage Martin Veitch IT configuration management firm Tideway Systems is factoring energy into the roster of metrics it measures. The company will this week publish guidelines to help IT departments improve the way they...

Going green will keep firms in the pink.
July 10, 2006... Going green will keep firms in the pink There are good reasons for companies to pay more than lip service to corporate social responsibility For a long time, corporate social responsibility has been treated contemptuously in the UK....

Documents, documents everywhere...
July 10, 2006... Documents, documents everywhere... Will adopting the latest format help companies to manage the growing mountain of documents? The release of Microsoft's latest Office 2007 beta highlights the looming standards battle between...

On-demand service helps firms to host web events.
July 10, 2006... On-demand service helps firms to host web events Phil Muncaster Citrix Online is offering a new system to help companies host web seminars and other online events without the need for extensive support from IT staff. The...

Zombie PCs pose biggest test for ISPs IT WEEK STAFF n ISPs say the spam sent by zombie PCs is their biggest challenge and the biggest threat to their business users' security, according to the results of a survey published this week by StreamShield Netwo.
July 10, 2006... Zombie PCs pose biggest test for ISPs IT WEEK STAFF n ISPs say the spam sent by zombie PCs is their biggest challenge and the biggest threat to their business users' security, according to the results of a survey published this week by...

EC consults on RFID tags.
July 10, 2006... EC consults on RFID tags Madeline Bennett The European Commission (EC) has launched a public consultation on radio frequency identification (RFID) wireless tag systems, to establish the need for standards in areas such as privacy and...

Datanomic revs data cleansing.
July 10, 2006... Datanomic revs data cleansing Data cleansing specialist Datanomic will today unveil DN:Director, a new data quality management suite featuring an enhanced user interface and improved functionality to identify inaccurate or duplicated...

BSA defends whistleblower ploy.
July 10, 2006... BSA defends whistleblower ploy James Murray The Business Software Alliance (BSA) has come under fire following its recent scheme to increase the maximum reward for tip-offs about software piracy to [pounds sterling]20,000. Critics said...

Software brain-drain threatens economy.
July 10, 2006... Software brain-drain threatens economy Martin Veitch A new report warns that UK software development could decline like manufacturing unless urgent steps are taken. The report, Developing The Future, published by a working party...

UK PC maker Elonex sold off.
July 10, 2006... UK PC maker Elonex sold off n Elonex, once a giant among UK computer makers, was last week sold off by Deloitte, which had been handling the company since it went into administration last month. Although primarily a vendor of desktops...

WAN service adds IP voice options.
July 10, 2006... WAN service adds IP voice options DAVE BAILEY Network systems provider Exponential-e last week unveiled its PowerVoice service to help large and medium-sized firms converge data and voice services over their existing wide area network...

ISP bolsters Wi-Fi offering.
July 10, 2006... ISP bolsters Wi-Fi offering n Wireless ISP The Cloud last week launched its Ultra WiFi service, offering unlimited broadband Wi-Fi access for [pounds sterling]11.99 a month under a 12-month subscription, or [pounds sterling]11.99 per week...

Big suppliers start to think small.
July 10, 2006... Big suppliers start to think small Networking giants are eyeing the small business market, but will their offerings find favour? When it comes to networking, smaller firms are used to making do with expensive hand-me-downs of larger...

Metastorm advances BPM suite.
July 10, 2006... Byline: James Murray Metastorm advances BPM suite James Murray Ten months after acquiring rival CommerceQuest, business process management (BPM) software specialist Metastorm will tomorrow launch its first fully integrated suite...

Forrester issues services warning.(information technology services in Europe)(Brief article)
July 11, 2006... Byline: Phil Muncaster Forrester issues services warning Phil Muncaster European IT service providers are lagging behind their competitors in India and North America in their efforts to establish global service delivery,...

Clean up your data.
July 17, 2006... Byline: James Murray Clean up your data John Lord of Dun & Bradstreet discusses data quality IT Week: How much damage can poor data do to your business? John Lord: Everybody knows the old clichA[c] about rubbish in, rubbish...

Whitehall fears ID plans unviable.
July 17, 2006... Byline: James Murray Whitehall fears ID plans unviable James Murray The government's controversial identity (ID) card scheme is facing renewed criticism after a leaked email exchange between senior civil servants revealed there...

Wyse puts new spin on terminals.
July 17, 2006... Byline: Daniel Robinson Wyse puts new spin on terminals Wyse Streaming Manager serves Windows and applications to diskless workstations Wyse Technology's Wyse Streaming Manager (WSM) enables firms to operate a network of diskless...

T-Mobile gives email the push.
July 17, 2006... Byline: Daniel Robinson T-Mobile gives email the push Daniel Robinson T-Mobile has announced the availability of a push email service for customers using its Windows Mobile 5.0 handsets. The service is available for companies...

Focus on IT costs loses sight of value IT Week staff n UK IT departments lag behind their European counterparts in their willingness to measure how IT performance affects their wider business, according to a recent survey of 300 IT decision-makers in the.
July 17, 2006... Byline: James Murray Focus on IT costs loses sight of value IT Week staff n UK IT departments lag behind their European counterparts in their willingness to measure how IT performance affects their wider business, according to a...

Widescreen is a washout for business.
July 17, 2006... Byline: Alistair Dabbs Widescreen is a washout for business Why are new displays increasingly widescreen, in a world still dominated by A4 business documents? Apple's launch of a specially configured iMac for schools not only...

Open-source toolset for easier disk partitioning.
July 17, 2006... Byline: Roger Howorth Open-source toolset for easier disk partitioning Roger Howorth Open source developers released new versions of the Gnome Partition Editor (GParted) earlier this month. Though they have the look and feel of...

Laziness is the mother of invention.(Viewpoint essay)
July 17, 2006... Laziness is the mother of invention From tax tables to rocket science, computers were created to make the lazy person's life easier I have this theory that all the truly great inventions were made by people too lazy, too weak or too...

Sun revs up high-end x64 servers.
July 17, 2006... Byline: Roger Howorth Sun revs up high-end x64 servers Roger Howorth Sun Microsystems announced three ground-breaking new high-end x64-based servers last week. Paul Leonard, Sun's datacentre manager, said the three new models...

BEA boosts systems for collaboration it week staff n Java giant BEA last week announced a significant upgrade to its portal design and server offerings. Martin Percival, BEA's technical evangelist for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, said the improve.
July 17, 2006... Byline: Roger Howorth BEA boosts systems for collaboration it week staff n Java giant BEA last week announced a significant upgrade to its portal design and server offerings. Martin Percival, BEA's technical evangelist for Europe,...

Fabric keypad for handhelds n UK firm Eleksen has introduced a fabric keyboard for use with smartphones and PDAs. The device offers a full-size key layout for typing, but can be rolled up into a lightweight bundle that can be carried anywhere. The ElekTex.
July 17, 2006... Byline: Daniel Robinsn Fabric keypad for handhelds n UK firm Eleksen has introduced a fabric keyboard for use with smartphones and PDAs. The device offers a full-size key layout for typing, but can be rolled up into a lightweight...

Longhorn simplifies directory enquiries.
July 17, 2006... Byline: Roger Howorth Longhorn simplifies directory enquiries A visualisation tool in the Windows Server update should make it easier to use Active Directory If you spend time battling against Microsoft Active Directory (MAD), I...

European rivals beat UK for flexible working.(Brief article)
July 17, 2006... Byline: James Murray European rivals beat UK for flexible working James Murray The belief that the UK has a more flexible workforce than its European counterparts is looking increasingly outdated as UK organisations lag...

How long can ISPs ignore spam?(Internet service providers)
July 17, 2006... How long can ISPs ignore spam? Network operators and ISPs are better placed than their long-suffering users to stop scams and spam Fraud and spam are the two great evils of the internet, so it would be reassuring to know that network...