IT Week (UK) articles from March 2007

IT Week (UK) archives from March 2007

Double the processing muscle.
March 5, 2007... Double the processing muscle IT Week Labs puts six of the latest Intel-based 2U rack servers through their paces Rack servers are ideal for businesses that need to pack powerful processing solutions for web serving, high-performance...

IT overtime goes unpaid.
March 5, 2007... IT overtime goes unpaid Madeline Bennett IT professionals work an extra six hours per week in unpaid overtime, a report from the Trades Union Congress (TUC) has revealed. The TUC released the figures on the eve of its Work Your...

When backups fall down.
March 5, 2007... Byline: Lem Bingley When backups fall down Recovery specialists can resurrect otherwise lost data on damaged disks -- for a price Most well-managed firms ensure that critical data is backed up, but some may still occasionally need...

New group to push labelling.
March 5, 2007... Byline: Phil Muncaster New group to push labelling n Web content labelling organisation the Internet Content Rating Association (ICRA) has launched a new pan-European body with the aim of increasing online safety and encouraging firms...

Updates bolster email defences.
March 5, 2007... Byline: Phil Muncaster Updates bolster email defences Phil Muncaster Antivirus and content security specialist Trend Micro last week made a raft of upgrades to both its InterScan range of products and its ScanMail tool for...

Be thankful the good old days are gone.(DOS and Microsoft Windows)
March 5, 2007... Byline: Kelvyn Taylor Be thankful the good old days are gone Revisiting DOS and early Windows reveals just how far IT has come in less than two decades Just before Vista officially launched in January, I was approached by a public...

Denial of service threatens everybody.
March 5, 2007... Denial of service threatens everybody Attackers are finding more fiendish ways to generate spam and bring down vital networks Media interest in distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks seems to be fading, and you could be forgiven...

Giant boost for Green Grid scheme.
March 5, 2007... Byline: James Murray Giant boost for Green Grid scheme James Murray The push to develop more environmentally friendly IT departments gained fresh momentum last week after Intel and Microsoft threw their weight behind the formal...

Parallels to meld PC and Mac worlds IT WEEK staff n Virtualisation firm Parallels has released an update to its software for Mac OSX that enables applications running in a Windows virtual machine to appear as if they are on the host desktop instead. Th.
March 5, 2007... Byline: Daniel Robinson Parallels to meld PC and Mac worlds IT WEEK staff n Virtualisation firm Parallels has released an update to its software for Mac OSX that enables applications running in a Windows virtual machine to appear...

ICT degrees not essential n Over half of IT chiefs do not consider IT degrees to be important for graduate recruits, according to a new report out today. The survey of 1,000 IT chiefs from business- and government-backed skills body E-Skills UK, found tha.(Information and Communication Technology)(E-Skills UK)(Brief article)
March 5, 2007... Byline: James Murray ICT degrees not essential n Over half of IT chiefs do not consider IT degrees to be important for graduate recruits, according to a new report out today. The survey of 1,000 IT chiefs from business- and...

FingerPIN offers scans in place of passwords.(Brief article)
March 5, 2007... Byline: daniel robinson FingerPIN offers scans in place of passwords Daniel Robinson UK-based FingerPIN will this week make available a security tool of the same name that enables Windows users to log in using a sequence of...

It's time Gartner got real.(advice to information technology workers)
March 5, 2007... It's time Gartner got real The analyst firm's latest advice to IT managers about system upgrade cycles verges on the fanciful Gartner's assertion that most IT managers are unable to see past the vendors' smoke and mirrors or work out...

Virtualisation tests IT managers.(Brief article)
March 5, 2007... Virtualisation tests IT managers Martin Courtney Increased use of virtual servers and desktops in enterprise environments will bring significant management and network problems, say experts. Many firms are looking to boost...

Time for a memory upgrade.(using cell phones)
March 5, 2007... Time for a memory upgrade Will the mobile phone in your pocket one day recall more about your life than you do? My central processing unit is getting a bit behind the cutting edge these days, and my system keeps throwing up memory...

Infoblox aims to secure IDs n Large enterprises needing to secure and scale network identity services could be tempted by new systems from Infoblox. The network identity vendor has introduced a high-end appliance, the Infoblox-2000, which it says can serv.
March 5, 2007... Byline: Dave Bailey Infoblox aims to secure IDs n Large enterprises needing to secure and scale network identity services could be tempted by new systems from Infoblox. The network identity vendor has introduced a high-end...

High-speed WAN links six cities.
March 5, 2007... Byline: Dave Bailey High-speed WAN links six cities Dave Bailey Internet service provider Viatel will today unveil high-performance wide area network services covering six major European business centres. Viatel's VTL Wavenet...

OpenID still open to abuse.
March 5, 2007... OpenID still open to abuse Excitement about an open-source single sign-on scheme must not trump security concerns The big news at Carson's Future of Web Applications conference in London last month was the momentum building for OpenID,...

Manchester gets ahead of the game.(Manchester Metronet, wireless broadband services)
March 5, 2007... Byline: Dave Bailey Manchester gets ahead of the game Some companies are not waiting for "jam tomorrow" in the shape of newer, faster WiMax standards Anyone who's read Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking Glass knows the Red...

Firms ignoring e-discovery law.
March 5, 2007... Firms ignoring e-discovery law James Murray Many US firms with operations in the UK are at risk of major fines and legal sanctions under new US legislation that requires them to disclose all relevant electronic documents relating to...

Salesforce hopes to supplant Bloomberg.(Salesforce.com Inc. is developing Salesforce Wealth Management Edition )(Brief article)
March 5, 2007... Salesforce hopes to supplant Bloomberg Martin Veitch Salesforce.com is taking aim at Bloomberg with a forthcoming version of its customer relationship management (CRM) service designed for financial brokers. Salesforce Wealth...

Lightning syncs notes in a flash.(notes taking software from Corel Corp.)(Brief article)
March 5, 2007... Lightning syncs notes in a flash Corel is approaching hosted desktop software from a new angle with a disk-based note-taking application that can be linked to online storage and other services. Called Lightning, the program is...

Mobile data: it's high time carriers faced the music.
March 5, 2007... Mobile data: it's high time carriers faced the music The idea that operators will one day make more money from data than voice is tosh n It's not quite as easy as it once was to astonish me, but one stat from last week managed it. ...

BSA tries to be good cop.(Business Software Alliance)(Brief article)
March 5, 2007... BSA tries to be good cop Phil Muncaster Anti-piracy organisation the Business Software Alliance (BSA) last week revealed how it plans to work more closely with IT managers to resolve licensing issues. Speaking to IT Week, the BSA...

Dell to certify Suse on business PCs.
March 5, 2007... Dell to certify Suse on business PCs Martin Veitch Dell is to certify Suse Linux on business desktop and laptop PCs in a partial climb-down brought on by customer demand, and has confirmed that the offering will apply globally. ...

Adobe to release Acrobat 3D beta.(Adobe Systems Inc.)(Brief article)
March 5, 2007... Adobe to release Acrobat 3D beta Adobe will this month release a public beta of Acrobat 3D Version 8, the next version of its tool for embedding 3D models in PDF documents. The new version highly compresses 3D models for email transmission...

Trading Standards enters anti-piracy fray.
March 5, 2007... Trading Standards enters anti-piracy fray James Murray Firms using unlicensed software could face greater risk of detection and prosecution from next month as new legislation extends the powers of Trading Standards officers to police...

Adobe to offer free Photoshop.
March 5, 2007... Adobe to offer free Photoshop n Adobe plans to offer a free, hosted version of its popular Photoshop image-editing software within the next six months. Adobe's Michael O'Neill said hosted editions of its digital imaging and digital...

Oracle boosts BI to lure SAP users.
March 5, 2007... Oracle boosts BI to lure SAP users James Murray Oracle continued its consolidation of the business applications market last week with the announcement it is to acquire business intelligence (BI) software specialist Hyperion for about...

Energy Star for green servers due this year.
March 5, 2007... Energy Star for green servers due this year Martin Veitch The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is aiming to create an Energy Star badge for power-efficient servers by the end of the year, but other components must follow to...

UK starved of open-source skills.
March 5, 2007... UK starved of open-source skills Madeline Bennett The UK government is biased against the use of open-source technology, a situation that could limit the computing skills of the future workforce, according to experts attending the...

More flexibility for call centres.
March 5, 2007... More flexibility for call centres Firms seeking more flexible contact centre capabilities could be tempted by a new hosted system called BT Avaya OnNet, which launches today. OnNet is a pay-as-you-go service aimed at companies with...

AMD offers graphics platform.
March 5, 2007... Byline: Daniel Robinson AMD offers graphics platform Daniel Robinson AMD is making it easier to build desktop systems around its processors by introducing a motherboard chipset with embedded ATI graphics functions. This makes a...

Will course of BI union run smoothly?(business intelligence)(Oracle Corp. acquired Hyperion Software Corp.)
March 12, 2007... Byline: James Murray Will course of BI union run smoothly? James Murray Oracle has secured broad approval for its proposed $3.3bn acquisition of business intelligence (BI) specialist Hyperion, despite rivals' claims that it faces...

E-learning versus the classroom.
March 12, 2007... E-learning versus the classroom E-learning has assumed an increasingly important role in staff development and IT training, but demand for traditional classroom-based courses remains strong While the debate about where the next...

Hosted applications are on the rise.(online software like Google Apps Premier Edition)
March 12, 2007... Byline: Daniel Robinson Hosted applications are on the rise Online productivity suites could do away with Microsoft Office and even dispense with the desktop PC Interest in hosted applications that can deliver productivity...

Watch your datacentre grow greener.(minimise the electricity consumption)
March 12, 2007... Byline: James Murray Watch your datacentre grow greener Making the IT department pay for its electricity bills is a sure way to foster energy efficiency Does your company's datacentre have responsibility for its electricity bills?...

IT illiteracy lowers productivity.
March 12, 2007... IT illiteracy lowers productivity Having the right IT skills for the job can improve staff efficiency, but over seven million employees are in need of basic IT training and employers are dragging their feet It may not seem like a top...

IT sector must attract young talent.(says Madeline Bennett)
March 12, 2007... IT sector must attract young talent Today's tech-savvy youth could help ease the UK's IT skills problems, so it is essential that the IT industry does more to inspire the MySpace generation to enter the sector, argues Madeline Bennett...

12GB USB disk can run apps n Verbatim has updated its range of USB pocket hard drives with a 12GB version for carrying large volumes of files or transferring data from one system to another. The Hi-Speed Store 'n' Go USB 2.0 HD devices are based on 1in.
March 12, 2007... Byline: Daniel Robinson 12GB USB disk can run apps n Verbatim has updated its range of USB pocket hard drives with a 12GB version for carrying large volumes of files or transferring data from one system to another. The Hi-Speed...

Breaking up with an ISP is never easy.
March 12, 2007... Byline: Alan Stevens Breaking up with an ISP is never easy New Ofcom rules have failed to create a smooth path when switching between broadband providers February 14 2007 was supposed to be a red letter day for the ever-growing...

Degree or not degree?(information technology workers)
March 12, 2007... Degree or not degree? Faced with an array of training options, IT graduates and workers are finding it difficult to determine which skills they need to have and how best to acquire them Despite an apparent industry-wide skills...

Online learning suits busy worker.
March 12, 2007... Online learning suits busy worker Systems analyst Nigel Briant describes his experience gaining an online MSc in IT IT Week: What made you decide to do an MSc in IT? Nigel Briant: I initially did a BA in finance and began working...

Virtualisation needs a valid licence.(software license)
March 12, 2007... Virtualisation needs a valid licence Virtualisation lets firms squeeze more value from their IT investments, but licensing issues could prove costly I've been messing about with VMware's virtualisation technology, and I have to say I'm...

VMware gears up for remote working.(VMware ACE Management Server 2.0)(Brief article)
March 12, 2007... Byline: Daniel Robinson VMware gears up for remote working Daniel Robinson VMware has made available a public beta of an updated version of VMware ACE, a tool that lets IT departments deploy locked-down virtual machines to...

Updated voice plus video kit n Competition in the unified communications sector intensified last week as both Cisco and Nortel released updates to their core unified comms architectures at the spring VoiceCon conference in Orlando, Florida. Cisco unveile.
March 12, 2007... Byline: Dave Bailey Updated voice plus video kit n Competition in the unified communications sector intensified last week as both Cisco and Nortel released updates to their core unified comms architectures at the spring VoiceCon...

Appliance does detective work.(Network Instruments L.L.C. introduced Observer 12.0)
March 12, 2007... Byline: Dave Bailey Appliance does detective work Dave Bailey Network Instruments last week launched Observer 12, the latest version of its enterprise network troubleshooting package, which boasts new functionality for monitoring...

Green IT is not a black-and-white issue.
March 12, 2007... Green IT is not a black-and-white issue Technology's energy consumption is subject to intense scrutiny, but it is too early to allot blame There has been plenty of debate recently over IT, its impact on the environment and its record...

Europeans lack basic IT skills.
March 12, 2007... Europeans lack basic IT skills Madeline Bennett Almost 40 percent of women and 30 percent of men in the UK are unable to carry out basic IT tasks, such as moving a file or copying and pasting text, according to a study by the European...

Red Hat builds up tools.(partnered with Exadel )(Brief article)
March 12, 2007... Red Hat builds up tools Martin Veitch Linux giant Red Hat is partnering with Exadel to bolster its software stack through tools for creating rich applications. Exadel will open-source all its products and slot its Ajax4jsf project...

Samsung ships hybrid disk drive.
March 12, 2007... Samsung ships hybrid disk drive Samsung is shipping hybrid drives that incorporate Flash memory to speed up the boot cycle of Windows Vista laptops. The MH80 Series hybrid disks are 2.5in drives available in 80GB, 120GB and 160GB...

NTL set to challenge BT.
March 12, 2007... NTL set to challenge BT Dave Bailey NTL:Telewest last week unveiled its integrated corporate network, which it said is capable of meeting the demands of all but the largest of UK businesses. "We're ready to take on BT," said...

Adobe to unveil CS3 this month n Adobe is to formally announce its much-awaited Creative Suite 3 (CS3) product on 27 March, in a move that will be the precursor to a flood of software and hardware upgrades among creative professionals. The software giant.
March 12, 2007... Adobe to unveil CS3 this month n Adobe is to formally announce its much-awaited Creative Suite 3 (CS3) product on 27 March, in a move that will be the precursor to a flood of software and hardware upgrades among creative professionals. The...

Class struggle is alive and well in the mobile market.
March 12, 2007... Class struggle is alive and well in the mobile market The condescending way carriers treat pay-as-you-go customers is a disgrace n Does your business have a tradesman's entrance? I'm not thinking of a loading dock, or a delivery...

Remote access via USB.(LogMeIn Ignition)(universal serial bus)(Brief article)
March 12, 2007... Remote access via USB Daniel Robinson LogMeIn is supplementing its browser-based remote access tool with a new viewer application that can be carried around on a USB Flash disk, making it easier for mobile workers to access their...

Suite supports green initiatives.
March 12, 2007... Suite supports green initiatives Phil Muncaster in San Diego Enterprise resource planning (ERP) specialist Lawson Software last week announced that it plans to expand its portfolio into the on-demand delivery space, bolster its...

Council sites criticised.(Socitm study)(Brief article)
March 12, 2007... Council sites criticised David Neal Many UK local authority web sites have poor accessibility and are difficult to use, according to the annual Better Connected study from public sector IT body Socitm. Council sites were also...

High-profile staff desert Microsoft.
March 12, 2007... High-profile staff desert Microsoft Microsoft's attempts to advance in search technology appear to have hit another roadblock after it was reported that a high-profile executive is leaving the company. Christopher Payne, vice-president...

Quest helps Microsoft push interoperability message.
March 12, 2007... Quest helps Microsoft push interoperability message Martin Veitch and Madeline Bennett Performance-optimisation specialist Quest Software has become the first software licensee for Microsoft's Work Group Server Protocol Program...

Microsoft aims for IP telephony everywhere.
March 12, 2007... Microsoft aims for IP telephony everywhere Daniel Robinson and Martin Courtney Microsoft last week predicted that lower-cost IP telephony products will brush aside integration fears to dramatically boost uptake of the technology. It...

UN to harmonise e-waste schemes.
March 12, 2007... UN to harmonise e-waste schemes James Murray The UN is to publish global guidelines governing eco-friendly recycling and disposal of electronic waste, as part of a new initiative announced last week and backed by IT giants such as HP,...

Google updates desktop search.(Google Desktop 5.0)(Brief article)
March 12, 2007... Google updates desktop search n Google has released a beta of the latest version of its desktop search tool, adding a preview of search results and built-in security alerts. Other enhancements in Google Desktop 5 include a redesigned...

Dial MS for VoIP.
March 12, 2007... Dial MS for VoIP The cost of doling out top-of-the-range IP telephony handsets to hundreds of employees can be considerable, so installing software-based VoIP clients on desktop PCs and handing out headsets will always look cheap, no...

ClickTracks measures up n Web analytics firm ClickTracks Analytics last week released a new version of its web metrics service. The firm said it is designed to appeal to a broader range of enterprises. ClickTracks 6.5 features a redesigned processing eng.
March 12, 2007... Byline: phil muncaster ClickTracks measures up n Web analytics firm ClickTracks Analytics last week released a new version of its web metrics service. The firm said it is designed to appeal to a broader range of enterprises. ...

SMS reaches out to shoppers.
March 12, 2007... Byline: Phil Muncaster SMS reaches out to shoppers Phil Muncaster Digital communications firm Broca has launched a new SMS application designed to give retailers and service providers a sales and marketing channel and an easier...

Glastonbury has the right idea about ID.
March 12, 2007... Byline: David Neal Glastonbury has the right idea about ID The application process for the summer festival suggests a way of giving ID cards popular appeal I have a feeling that many summers ago I went to the Glastonbury music...

Code inspector detects IP threats.
March 19, 2007... Byline: Martin Veitch Code inspector detects IP threats Mark Tolliver sees a growing need for software intellectual property management tools San Francisco-based Palamida first came to many people's attention during SCO's legal...

Green IT can be a right turn-off.(datacenters energy consumption)
March 19, 2007... Green IT can be a right turn-off Deliberately powering down servers to save energy is not such a daft idea, and new technology can help It is easy to imagine IT managers bursting into hysterical giggles at the suggestion that...

Expect another Flash in the pan.
March 19, 2007... Byline: Daniel Robinson Expect another Flash in the pan Solid-state laptops were a flop in the past, so why are PC vendors keen to resurrect the concept? Recent reports suggest Apple is developing a laptop computer that makes use...

Can laptops defend the network?
March 19, 2007... Byline: Dave Bailey Can laptops defend the network? The day when unified threat management capabilities can be hard-wired into laptops may not be that far off A couple of years ago I reviewed a personal firewall appliance the size...

How to ride the IT rollercoaster.("The Business Leadership of Technological Change" from Chartered Management Institute )
March 19, 2007... How to ride the IT rollercoaster A new guide for business leaders explains how best to exploit rapid technological changes Chief executives must take responsibility for driving technological change within their organisations, according...

Admin tool shows ads.
March 19, 2007... Admin tool shows ads n Network management startup Spiceworks has released a new version of what it claims is the first free "ad-supported" IT management software. Spiceworks said it makes money through technology ads displayed with...

Green ERP could be a winner.
March 19, 2007... Green ERP could be a winner Lawson may have stolen a march on other vendors with its corporate social responsibility initiative Hype is endemic in the IT industry. Whether it's a product that can make your firm compliant with all major...

Phishing catches out retailers.
March 19, 2007... Byline: Phil Muncaster Phishing catches out retailers Phil Muncaster Phishing attacks continued to rocket last year, according to studies released last week, presenting banks and online retailers with a growing challenge to their...

WebEx puts PCs on the phone.
March 19, 2007... Byline: Daniel Robinson WebEx puts PCs on the phone Daniel Robinson WebEx has released a remote access tool that enables workers to use their phone or other mobile device to access files and other important information from their...

Domain holds safety clue.
March 19, 2007... Byline: Phil Muncaster Domain holds safety clue n Web sites with a .info suffix are more likely to harbour threats than other sites, according to web security specialist McAfee. The firm's Mapping the Mal Web report estimates that...

Skills fix requires a female touch.
March 19, 2007... Byline: Madeline Bennett Skills fix requires a female touch Madeline Bennett There will be a shortfall of 300,000 qualified IT staff across Europe by 2010, the European Commission has warned. As a result, firms are being urged to...

Always keep a troubleshooter handy.(with Fluke OptiView Series III)
March 19, 2007... Byline: Dave Bailey Always keep a troubleshooter handy Fluke's portable OptiView can detect problems on both wired and wireless networks Fluke's upgraded OptiView Series III integrated network analyser (INA), which launched in...

Mandriva's Linux beta aims for a smooth mix.
March 19, 2007... Byline: Daniel Robinson Mandriva's Linux beta aims for a smooth mix Daniel Robinson Mandriva has made available a beta version of its forthcoming enterprise desktop Linux distribution, Mandriva Corporate Desktop 4.0. The firm is...

Is transport IT on the right road?(for road pricing)
March 19, 2007... Is transport IT on the right road? The focus of transport technology policy should be on improving efficiency, not monitoring journeys Last year we all learned about "food miles" and the carbon emissions generated when we eat foods...

Buyers shunning iSCSI for SANs.
March 19, 2007... Buyers shunning iSCSI for SANs IT week staff The global market for external disk-based storage systems grew eight percent over the past 12 months, with network attached storage (NAS), storage area network (SAN) and, increasingly, iSCSI...

Virtual route to backing up n Start-up Vizioncore introduced a disaster recovery offering to the UK and Ireland last week designed to provide small to medium-sized firms with a cost-effective alternative to running standby servers. Vizioncore Disaster Rec.
March 19, 2007... Virtual route to backing up n Start-up Vizioncore introduced a disaster recovery offering to the UK and Ireland last week designed to provide small to medium-sized firms with a cost-effective alternative to running standby servers. ...

HP desktop models cut power bills IT Weeek staff n HP has launched energy-efficient desktop PCs that can reduce overall system power consumption by as much as 52 percent and cut a company's annual electricity bill by about $13.60 ([pounds sterling]7) per desktop, acco.
March 19, 2007... Byline: Daniel Robinson HP desktop models cut power bills IT Weeek staff n HP has launched energy-efficient desktop PCs that can reduce overall system power consumption by as much as 52 percent and cut a company's annual...

The quick and the dead.(Rasmus Lerdorf at the Carson Future of Web Applications conference )
March 19, 2007... The quick and the dead However good the design, users won't come back if web applications are not fast enough Rasmus Lerdorf, the inventor of PHP, addressed the Carson Future of Web Applications conference in London last month. PHP is...

Firms offered IP telephony help.
March 19, 2007... Firms offered IP telephony help Martin Courtney IP communications specialist SAS Group last week launched a unified communications (UC) consultancy service, while BT launched a service to help firms move from analogue to UC systems....