IT Week (UK) articles from July 2008

IT Week (UK) archives from July 2008

CRM gets more personal.
July 7, 2008... CRM gets more personal Vendors such as HP and EMC are developing personalised communications platforms that aim to boost customer loyalty Rosalie Marshall A new generation of customer relationship management (CRM) systems is...

Broadband stakeholders must be more demanding.
July 7, 2008... Broadband stakeholders must be more demanding Enterprise IT managers have a crucial role to play in steering the UK into the broadband fast lane In the past month, broadband has been in the news a lot. Communications watchdog Ofcom...

Mobility options set to grow.
July 7, 2008... Byline: Daniel Robinson Mobility options set to grow Moves to create a unified and royalty-free Symbian platform should result in a wider choice of handsets and applications Daniel Robinson As Symbian celebrates its 10th...

Can Microsoft make it in the super league?
July 7, 2008... Byline: Dave Bailey Can Microsoft make it in the super league? The vendor is determined to make a bigger impact in the supercomputing arena IBM's latest supercomputer, said to be the first to deliver a petaflop of performance A- a...

Mark Richardson is head of IT for online grocery company Ocado, managing a team of 130.(dialogue with Mark Richardson)(Interview)(Brief article)
July 7, 2008... Mark Richardson is head of IT for online grocery company Ocado, managing a team of 130 What does your job entail? Ocado is quite self-sufficient in IT, so it's important that we hire the best people. That means my first...

Missed opportunities.
July 7, 2008... Missed opportunities Would Microsoft's internet strategy be in such a mess if it had listened to IT Week five years ago? Who was it who said: "I believe that sleeping behemoth MSN has far more reason than Google to be worried about...

E-business success is all in the testing.
July 7, 2008... E-business success is all in the testing Firms that cut corners on testing are on a fast track to trouble, says Macro 4's David Chalmers David Neal David Chalmers is a long-serving executive at one of the IT industry's most...

Microsoft to attack VMware from below.
July 7, 2008... Microsoft to attack VMware from below Uptake of the software giant's Hyper-V hypervisor is expected to be strongest among smaller companies, where its affordability is most likely to give it an edge over more sophisticated rivals ...

Icann move to prompt rethink on domains.
July 7, 2008... Icann move to prompt rethink on domains Phil Muncaster Icann's decision to greenlight customised top-level domains (TLDs) is likely to require firms to rethink how they manage their domain name portfolios. The decision, announced...

Monitor covers more kit.(Brief article)
July 7, 2008... Monitor covers more kit Suite enables admin of custom devices Dave Bailey SolarWinds last week upgraded its Orion network performance and troubleshooting package to handle custom devices that are often wired up to large...

PCI update adds extra level to web security.
July 7, 2008... PCI update adds extra level to web security Dave Bailey and Phil Muncaster An update to the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS) came into force throughout Europe last week, requiring businesses to further secure...

O2 unveils iPhone business package.
July 7, 2008... O2 unveils iPhone business package Daniel Robinson O2 has confirmed that it will begin selling Apple's 3G iPhone this Friday, and said it is to offer the device as part of its business handset portfolio for the first time. ...

Web search advances.
July 7, 2008... Web search advances Microsoft and Adobe both made moves last week to offer enhanced search capabilities to web users. Microsoft signed an agreement to buy semantic web search specialist Powerset. Announcing the deal on his blog,...

Inteli?1/2s x86 roadmap leads in all directions.
July 7, 2008... Intel's x86 roadmap leads in all directions Daniel Robinson Intel expects to see Moore's law continue into the near future and also plans for its x86 processor architecture to extend across everything from small embedded devices up to...

Experts point out failings in WEEE scheme.
July 7, 2008... Experts point out failings in WEEE scheme UK exceeds IT kit disposal target but key procedures are not up to scratch Rosalie Marshall IT recycling practices were under the spotlight last week as the WEEE regulations ...

Oracle unveils BEA plan.
July 7, 2008... Oracle unveils BEA plan Phil Muncaster Oracle last week outlined its roadmap for the technologies it acquired with the [pounds sterling]4.3bn purchase of BEA Systems earlier this year, repeatedly reassuring the middleware vendor's...

Is PCI asking too much?(Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard)(Brief article)
July 7, 2008... Is PCI asking too much? More regulation for online retailers came into force last week, courtesy of the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS) section 6.6. The question is will online retailers rush to implement the...

More firms turn to 3G to get data on the move.
July 7, 2008... Byline: Daniel Robinson More firms turn to 3G to get data on the move With bandwidth increasing and connection costs falling, uptake of 3G-enabled laptops is rising Daniel Robinson Laptops with support for 3G mobile networks...

Will XPi?1/2s expiration breathe new life into Vista?
July 14, 2008... Byline: Daniel Robinson Will XP's expiration breathe new life into Vista? Microsoft has cut off the supply of Windows XP, but enterprises are still unwilling to give it up With the end of June came another ending; the cut-off date...

An international enterprise.
July 14, 2008... An international enterprise The head of e-payments specialist Moneybookers explains why the firm decided to move its IT function to Bulgaria David Neal Martin Ott, managing director at London-based online payment services provider...

Scale datacentres one rack at a time.
July 14, 2008... Byline: Dave Bailey Scale datacentres one rack at a time BNT's chief explains why enterprises need to take a new approach to scaling out datacentres Dave Bailey As the price of oil looks set to push through the $150 per barrel...

Will insight lose out to inanity on the mobile web?
July 14, 2008... Will insight lose out to inanity on the mobile web? Mobile web's business potential may be undermined by its more frivilous aspects On the bus above my head, the new Vodafone ads tease me about Facebook on the move. I fight back...

How to foster a spirit of ingenuity.
July 14, 2008... How to foster a spirit of ingenuity Innovation is a crucial part of any business, and the IT department should sit at the heart of delivering and implementing new ideas Rosalie Marshall It has become a truism that...

Things could be worse.
July 14, 2008... Things could be worse Those who predict that the enterprise IT sector is heading for a very rough ride should not lose heart I suppose when a big firm like Siebel has four consecutive quarters where its revenue and profit figures are...

Has the BlackBerry met its match?
July 14, 2008... Has the BlackBerry met its match? Nokia's corporate messaging phone boasts a sleek design, an impressive range of features and good battery life Daniel Robinson Nokia's E71 is a corporate handset designed for messaging with a...

A better deal for the environment.(Interview)
July 21, 2008... A better deal for the environment The new head of corporate information systems at the Environment Agency talks about his career and how he plans to make government IT procurement greener Matthew Lake Simon Pitt thinks he has got...

A cloud of suspicion hangs over online security.
July 21, 2008... Byline: Tim Anderson A cloud of suspicion hangs over online security Online services need stronger security if business users are to entrust their critical data to the cloud There's a lot of hype about IT services living "in the...

Carving out a virtual niche.
July 21, 2008... Byline: Daniel Robinson Carving out a virtual niche While VMware goes head-to-head with Citrix and Microsoft, Parallels is addressing needs overlooked by the bigger vendors Daniel Robinson Virtualisation firm Parallels is...

Lords renew calls for action.
July 21, 2008... Lords renew calls for action The Upper House is refusing to lie down in its fight to convince the government that more must be done to protect personal data Phil Muncaster The House of Lords Science and Technology Committee...

Have TLD strategies been spoilt by choice?
July 21, 2008... Have TLD strategies been spoilt by choice? A ruling by Icann may make it harder for a firm to be the master of its own domain Domain name governance may rank alongside intelligent compression, enterprise resource planning and dynamic...

How to ensure a speedy recovery.
July 21, 2008... How to ensure a speedy recovery Many potential threats to business operations are relatively easy to mitigate through the adoption of certain technologies and best practices, but there are other destructive forces that are harder to...

Centrino 2 promises simpler laptop management.
July 21, 2008... Byline: Daniel Robinson Centrino 2 promises simpler laptop management Intel's new mobile platform also boasts enhanced Wi-Fi and power efficiency Daniel Robinson Intel has finally unveiled Centrino 2, the latest version of...

Academy to boost IT skills.(Brief article)
July 21, 2008... Byline: Phil Muncaster Academy to boost IT skills Phil Muncaster The UK's IT skills body, e-Skills UK, last week unveiled plans for a new National Skills Academy, as part of efforts to improve computer skills among British...

ONStor sets Cougar loose.
July 21, 2008... ONStor sets Cougar loose NAS gateway aims to support virtualisation Dave Bailey Storage vendor ONStor has unveiled a new network attached storage (NAS) gateway platform, the Cougar 6000 series, targeting enterprises looking to...

Firms think twice before outsourcing.
July 21, 2008... Firms think twice before outsourcing Rosalie Marshall Chief information officers (CIOs) have been warned of an impending shake-up in IT outsourcing relationships triggered by today's unsettled business climate. The global economic...

BT gears up for next-generation broadband.
July 21, 2008... BT gears up for next-generation broadband Dave Bailey Businesses are set to benefit from a [pounds sterling]1.5bn network improvement programme by BT that will deliver super-fast broadband services to up to 10 million UK homes by 2012....

LSE benefits from remote possibilities.(London School of Economics)
July 28, 2008... Byline: Daniel Robinson LSE benefits from remote possibilities The London School of Economics' IT department has found remote assistance tools enable it to better support staff and students Daniel Robinson When the...

The decline and fall of the corporate desktop.
July 28, 2008... The decline and fall of the corporate desktop Business and technology changes mean that the standard corporate PC may soon disappear I have rarely met anyone who has a good word to say about that icon of the computer age, that soulless...

The future of enterprise storage.
July 28, 2008... Byline: Daniel Robinson The future of enterprise storage Virtual storage connected by iSCSI offers datacentre managers the most cost-effective way of coping with ballooning enterprise storage requirements, according to Dell Daniel...

Finding out what makes customers click.
July 28, 2008... Finding out what makes customers click Usability expert Mona Patel discusses the role psychology can play in web site design Phil Muncaster Mona Patel has over a decade of experience in the evaluation and design of web sites, and...

Does anything really change in IT?
July 28, 2008... Does anything really change in IT? IT has advanced a lot in the past nine years, but CIO concerns remain largely unchanged This is my last column for IT Week as me and the monkeys are off to pursue some more interesting, erm, pursuits....

Ibukun Adebayo heads up the 20-strong IT team at social care organisation Turning Point.(dialogue with Ibukun Adebayo )(Interview)(Brief article)
July 28, 2008... Ibukun Adebayo heads up the 20-strong IT team at social care organisation Turning Point What does your job entail? I am responsible for formulating Turning Point's IT strategy, and ensuring alignment with our organisational...

Positive feedback.
July 28, 2008... Positive feedback Comments on the web are two-a-penny, but a response from an IT Week reader is priceless One problem never facing "Cut Me Own Throat" Dibber A- a fictional character from Terry Pratchett A- is the question of whether...

Web 2.0 does the business.
July 28, 2008... Web 2.0 does the business Industry insiders believe it is time for IT leaders to harness social networking tools as a means of boosting productivity David Neal and Madeline Bennett Social networking continues to arouse mixed...

Oracle confirms BEA users face hike in fees.
July 28, 2008... Byline: Gareth Morgan Oracle confirms BEA users face hike in fees Gareth Morgan Software giant Oracle has confirmed that BEA customers using multi-core processors can expect licensing fees to rise, as the software maker imposes...

Open-source security questioned.
July 28, 2008... Byline: Dave Bailey Open-source security questioned Dave Bailey Business leaders have been warned by security firm Fortify Software that increased use of open-source software within the enterprise should be approached with "great...