IT Week (UK) articles from October 2006

IT Week (UK) archives from October 2006

Itil fuels rise in CMDB uptake.(configuration management databases)(Brief article)
October 2, 2006... Byline: James Murray Itil fuels rise in CMDB uptake n Adoption of configuration management databases (CMDB) capable of tracking the state of firms' IT environments is accelerating as more large companies embrace Itil standards for...

Tool wipes data from lost laptops.
October 2, 2006... Byline: Daniel Robinson Tool wipes data from lost laptops Daniel Robinson Remote access firm LogMeIn is developing a tool to help prevent disclosure of sensitive information from lost or stolen laptops. Due in early 2007, the...

Web applications widen skills gap.
October 2, 2006... Byline: James Murray Web applications widen skills gap Ivan Martin, chairman of FDM, offers strategies to tackle the problem and keep key staff IT Week: As a provider of IT staffing, training and services solutions, does FDM Group...

BSA spins a piracy yarn.
October 2, 2006... Byline: James Murray BSA spins a piracy yarn The BSA's software piracy statistics may be accurate but they are being used in a misleading way The Business Software Alliance's recent calls for higher fines for firms using...

Price moves muddy on-demand pitch.
October 2, 2006... Byline: Martin Veitch Price moves muddy on-demand pitch Business software vendors are borrowing ideas from their software-as-a-service rivals Software-as-a-service (Saas) firms have so far enjoyed a honeymoon period as watchers...

Firms can prosper from a richer web experience.
October 2, 2006... Byline: Tim Anderson Firms can prosper from a richer web experience From Ajax to wikis, Web 2.0 technologies are turning the internet into a highly interactive platform for doing business The term Web 2.0 was popularised by the...

Nokia's E61 stands up to BlackBerry.
October 2, 2006... Byline: Daniel Robinson Nokia's E61 stands up to BlackBerry The E61's qwerty keypad and support for push email will appeal to mobile executives With its keyboard and support for push email, Nokia's Symbian-based E61 smartphone is...

Got to pick a packet or two?
October 2, 2006... Got to pick a packet or two? It was crucial in The Matrix and network packet analysis can be critical to a firm's performance too Anybody who's seen the classic Wachowski brothers film The Matrix and has used a network packet analyser...

Mobiles print out using fax.
October 2, 2006... Byline: Daniel Robinson Mobiles print out using fax n A new web service allows travelling workers to print emails and attachments from mobile devices using the nearest available fax machine, eliminating the need to carry a printer. ...

Tools strengthen web marketers.
October 2, 2006... Byline: Phil Muncaster Tools strengthen web marketers Phil Muncaster Online marketers were given new tools designed to make their campaigns more effective last week, with the launch of the latest version of Coremetrics' namesake...

Expert predictions cover dark side of the internet.
October 2, 2006... Byline: David Neal Expert predictions cover dark side of the internet David Neal A report published last week that asked hundreds of technology experts for their views on how the internet will function in 2020 found that most...

Cisco delivers datacentre boost.
October 2, 2006... Cisco delivers datacentre boost Dave Bailey Network giant Cisco last week launched new datacentre hardware, software and a guide for IT managers on datacentre design and implementation, to give its Service-Oriented Network Architecture...

ForeScout ups access control.
October 2, 2006... ForeScout ups access control n Network access control (NAC) vendor ForeScout Technologies last week launched version 6.0 of its CounterACT product and two new appliances that run the software. ForeScout is targeting the branch office with...

Airline loosens notebook rules.
October 2, 2006... Airline loosens notebook rules Virgin Atlantic appears to have backtracked on the extent of its restrictions on laptop usage, saying it will only limit Dell and Apple laptop usage after checking their battery numbers to see if they were...

Microsoft affirms Vista deadline.
October 2, 2006... Microsoft affirms Vista deadline Martin Veitch Microsoft insists it will hit its November target for shipping Windows Vista and Office 2007 to volume-licensing business users, despite various reports suggesting that security issues or...

Orange's FMC service set to compete with BT Fusion.
October 2, 2006... Orange's FMC service set to compete with BT Fusion Dave Bailey Orange has announced that its residential fixed/mobile convergence (FMC) service will go live in the UK later this year. Called Unique, the service will be available to...

Users drive Web 2.0 revolution.
October 2, 2006... Users drive Web 2.0 revolution Experts argue that Web 2.0 pioneers will be rewarded with greater customer loyalty At a recent roundtable debate hosted by IT consultancy Conchango, industry experts discussed the impact of Web 2.0...

Do believe the hype.
October 2, 2006... Do believe the hype E-businesses must embrace Web 2.0 today so that they can satisfy the more demanding users of tomorrow As much as any journalist would like to claim they are above such things, much of the media loves it when...

The case for breaking up Fast.
October 2, 2006... The case for breaking up Fast Only by separating its auditing and consulting arms can Fast dispel the whiff of conflicted interests It's a pitched battle the likes of which Washington and Wall Street have never seen... On one side:...

Who will pick up W3C's baton?
October 2, 2006... Who will pick up W3C's baton? Official guardian of web standards W3C is sleeping on the job and the internet is suffering as a result In an idle moment, I tapped bbc.co.uk into the W3C's markup validation service. It failed validation...

Law site profits from sound investment.
October 2, 2006... Law site profits from sound investment Legal experts at law firm FJG have found an appreciative audience for their podcasts Like many businesses, law firm Fisher Jones Greenwood (FJG) had a web site full of varied content that it...

Innovations empower business users.
October 2, 2006... Innovations empower business users IBM's David Boloker says Web 2.0 can turn non-technical users into app designers As CTO for emerging internet technologies at IBM, can you describe some of your current projects? David Boloker:...

Device beefs up security for mobile users.
October 2, 2006... Byline: Phil Muncaster Device beefs up security for mobile users Phil Muncaster n Security appliance specialist Yoggie Security Systems launched a new device last week designed to boost the security of mobile and remote users...

Mind your language.(information technology services industry)
October 2, 2006... Mind your language Jargon is a handy tool in many professions, but when it comes to IT the temptation to misuse it is strong This magazine recently carried a story concerning a survey that discovered a communications gap between IT...

USB stick offers net telephony.
October 2, 2006... USB stick offers net telephony n Vonage will this week ship in the UK what it describes as the world's smallest phone. The V-Phone is effectively a 256MB USB memory stick with a socket for the bundled microphone and headset, and...

Intel makes power play with quad-core chips.
October 2, 2006... Intel makes power play with quad-core chips Daniel Robinson Intel is accelerating its march towards more integrated processors and greater power efficiency, with the imminent launch of quad-core chips and plans to offer lower-cost...

Vendors cry foul on Vista security.
October 2, 2006... Vendors cry foul on Vista security Phil Muncaster Security vendors last week urged Microsoft to reconsider its decision to block access to its 64bit Windows Vista kernel. They argued that it could lead to many enterprise security...

EU-compliant storage.
October 2, 2006... EU-compliant storage Dave Bailey EMC and partners have begun offering a storage system aimed at meeting guidelines set by the EU's Data Retention Directive. The storage giant said IT managers of large enterprises as well as...

Security package unifies controls.
October 2, 2006... Security package unifies controls Grisoft will today release a new security suite for Windows PCs combining antivirus protection with a desktop firewall and tools to combat spyware, Trojans and spam. AVG Internet Security 7.5 includes...

Group pushes Wi-Fi limits.
October 2, 2006... Group pushes Wi-Fi limits Martin Courtney Wireless equipment vendors have teamed up to accelerate sharing of government-restricted wireless spectrum, with previously unavailable frequencies in the 2.4-3.4GHz band earmarked for fixed...

Vendors bolster virtual offerings.
October 2, 2006... Vendors bolster virtual offerings Martin Courtney and Martin Veitch Storage and server leaders last week unveiled new virtualisation infrastructure offerings to help firms manage consolidation projects. IBM has boosted the capacity of...

Waterstone's begins new clicks and mortar chapter.
October 2, 2006... Waterstone's begins new clicks and mortar chapter David Neal Bookseller Waterstone's has relaunched its web site following the May announcement that it would sever its relationship with Amazon.co.uk. The site relaunched last Wednesday...

Windows Vista security goes to the wire.
October 3, 2006... Windows Vista security goes to the wire Martin Veitch An eleventh-hour attempt to restore order to Microsoft's Vista security strategy descended into chaos late last week with key partners unable to participate in a conference call...

Easier encryption management.
October 9, 2006... Easier encryption management Phil Muncaster PGP Corporation and Ingrian Networks both announced major new products with improved encryption capabilities last week. The releases are designed to make it easier for firms to manage the...

IBM expands Tivoli tools.
October 9, 2006... IBM expands Tivoli tools Phil Muncaster IBM Tivoli has launched a range of new service management software and online tools to help enterprises better manage their IT environments, reduce costs and boost productivity. The Capacity...

Salesforce plans micro-integration.
October 9, 2006... Byline: Martin Veitch Salesforce plans micro-integration Component software is Marc Benioff's next step to challenge other software giants Salesforce.com chief executive Marc Benioff is characteristically bullish about the latest...

Are quad-core PCs too much, too soon?
October 9, 2006... Byline: Daniel Robinson Are quad-core PCs too much, too soon? The need for increasingly powerful desktop kit may encourage managers to look beyond the PC The IT market moves particularly fast, and sometimes even seasoned...

BlackBerry Pearl is miniature gem.(Research in Motion Ltd.)
October 9, 2006... Byline: Daniel Robinson BlackBerry Pearl is miniature gem RIM's latest device puts the usual BlackBerry features into a more compact phone The BlackBerry Pearl from Research In Motion (RIM) is a compact handset that offers the...

Well-designed intranets prove their worth.(Interview)
October 9, 2006... Well-designed intranets prove their worth Communications expert Paul Miller explains how to get more value from an intranet IT Week: As chairman and founder of the Intranet Benchmarking Forum, can you explain the purpose of your...

Cable offers speed and protection.
October 9, 2006... Cable offers speed and protection Dave Bailey Structured cabling firm Systimax today launched its first shielded cable design in Europe. The Systimax GigaSpeed X10D Foiled Twisted Pair (FTP) supports the IEEE 802.3an 10GBase-T standard...

Monitoring system aids application performance.(Brief article)
October 9, 2006... Monitoring system aids application performance Dave Bailey Network Physics last week launched its new NP-3000 NetSensory Appliance to help firms improve the performance of applications on the network. The NP-3000 appliance runs an...

Technology multiplies business risk.
October 9, 2006... Byline: James Murray Technology multiplies business risk Chris Potter of PricewaterhouseCoopers offers tips to improve IT risk management IT Week: IT is often seen as a benefit for businesses, but to what extent does it also pose...

Companies crave simpler security.
October 9, 2006... Byline: Phil Muncaster Companies crave simpler security Phil Muncaster Over three-quarters of UK firms want a unified view of their IT security infrastructure, but are being held back by budgetary constraints and a lack of...

Juniper jumps to the defence of small offices.(Brief article)
October 9, 2006... Juniper jumps to the defence of small offices it week staff n Network vendor Juniper last week launched nine new Secure Services Gateway appliances for branch offices. "We're introducing six fixed form-factor SSG 5 models, two modular...

How data rules will burden business.
October 9, 2006... How data rules will burden business The EU's Data Retention Directive poses a major technological and managerial challenge IT managers in many types of firm may have to adjust practices to comply with the EU's Data Retention Directive...

Cheap blades rival desktop PCs.
October 9, 2006... Byline: Daniel Robinson Cheap blades rival desktop PCs Daniel Robinson ClearCube Technology is aiming its PC blade architecture at a wider range of firms by introducing cheaper blade designs and new technology to enable its blades...

Igel packs VoIP into first quad-screen thin clients.
October 9, 2006... Byline: Daniel Robinson Igel packs VoIP into first quad-screen thin clients Daniel Robinson Thin client maker Igel technology has added new terminals to form what it claims is the broadest range in the world. The new models...

Suite gives CIOs insight into performance of IT.
October 9, 2006... Byline: James Murray Suite gives CIOs insight into performance of IT James Murray IT governance specialist Troux Technologies will today launch a suite featuring reporting functionality from business intelligence (BI) software...

Can Itanium go from zero to hero?
October 9, 2006... Can Itanium go from zero to hero? Would a change of name help to clarify the versatile Itanium chip's role in the minds of IT managers? If Intel changed the name of the Itanium to the Chameleon, would its reputation among buyers and...

Smaller firms afraid to take plunge with blogs.
October 9, 2006... Byline: Phil Muncaster Smaller firms afraid to take plunge with blogs Phil Muncaster Nearly half of small and medium-sized firms understand the business benefits of corporate blogs, but only three percent have plans to start one,...

Websense checks outbound data.
October 9, 2006... Byline: Phil Muncaster Websense checks outbound data Phil Muncaster Content filtering and web security firm Websense has announced plans to boost its offerings by adding outbound security capabilities, as new research released...

Toshiba makes HD-DVD writer for laptop use.
October 9, 2006... Byline: daniel robinson Toshiba makes HD-DVD writer for laptop use IT Week staff n Toshiba has announced the first HD-DVD writer designed to fit into a laptop, and said it expects sample shipments to begin by the end of 2006....

E-businesses need a survival mode.
October 9, 2006... E-businesses need a survival mode Firms without contingency plans to cope with a major internet outage may be dicing with death Technology is wonderful. We all agree on that, otherwise I wouldn't be writing this column and you wouldn't...

SpikeSource opens up Europe.
October 9, 2006... SpikeSource opens up Europe James Murray SpikeSource, a US-based open-source application provider, last week announced a series of new partnerships as it completed the official launch of its European operations. SpikeSource...

BI vendor strengthens portable reporting tool.
October 9, 2006... BI vendor strengthens portable reporting tool James Murray Business intelligence (BI) software specialist Information Builders has upgraded its portable BI system, WebFocus Active Reports, to increase scalability and improve...

ExaProtect and Solsoft to merge.(Brief article)
October 9, 2006... ExaProtect and Solsoft to merge Security event management vendor ExaProtect will today merge with policy management specialist Solsoft, and the duo now plan to develop a unified console. The deal will see Solsoft's security...

Shortages in key skills start to bite James Murray n The UK IT skills shortage continued to worsen during the first quarter of the year, according to the latest report from technology skills body E-skills UK. The quarterly skills bulletin, published l.
October 9, 2006... Byline: James Murray Shortages in key skills start to bite James Murray n The UK IT skills shortage continued to worsen during the first quarter of the year, according to the latest report from technology skills body E-skills...

What do you really want from Santa?
October 9, 2006... What do you really want from Santa? Preparations for the festive season have started already, so it is time to write a Christmas wishlist You know you're getting old when policemen look like boys, you're the only person you know who...

A world of opportunity for wireless.
October 9, 2006... A world of opportunity for wireless In rural Italy and other areas beyond the reach of ADSL, high-speed wireless is going down a storm This month's column finds me in rural Italy, both celebrating and cursing the arrival of 3G mobile...

HP bolsters range of Windows handhelds.
October 9, 2006... HP bolsters range of Windows handhelds Daniel Robinson HP has introduced three new iPaq handhelds based on Windows Mobile 5.0 software -- a compact PDA phone, a model designed for satellite navigation, and a media-centric handheld. ...

NHS puts IT in the casualty ward.
October 9, 2006... NHS puts IT in the casualty ward The broad goals of the NHS Connecting for Health programme are laudable, so what is going wrong? As a consultant, I'm naturally loath to endorse the views of other consultants. But I can believe former...

Switch delivers PoE for branches.
October 9, 2006... Switch delivers PoE for branches Allied Telesis's latest Layer 2 PoE switch has a rich set of features and a superior GUI Launched in May and costing [pounds sterling]1,100 + VAT, Allied Telesis's AT-8000S is a 48-port, 10/100Mbit/s,...

Agreement lets Icann set own agenda it week staff n Internet oversight body the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (Icann) has signed a new agreement with the US government, setting out principles for the next three years of internet gov.
October 9, 2006... Byline: Phil Muncaster Agreement lets Icann set own agenda it week staff n Internet oversight body the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (Icann) has signed a new agreement with the US government, setting out...

When web users turn nasty.
October 9, 2006... When web users turn nasty Businesses that do not protect customers' privacy may be stoking the fires of anti-internet revolt Following on from my column a couple of weeks ago, I have had rather a lot of emails from disgruntled BT...

App performance issues make ISPs tackle spam.
October 9, 2006... App performance issues make ISPs tackle spam Martin Courtney Internet service providers (ISPs) are to take more responsibility for stripping spam and other malicious traffic from enterprise customers' wide area network (WAN) links,...

Third-party patch threat.
October 9, 2006... Third-party patch threat Dave Bailey and Phil Muncaster As details emerged this month of zero-day threats affecting Microsoft and Apple, experts warned against applying third-party patches for such flaws, because they might introduce...

Tesco expands online portfolio.
October 9, 2006... Tesco expands online portfolio Phil Muncaster Tesco demonstrated its dominance outside of its core food business last week, announcing a move into the PC software market as well as an impressive set of results for its online retail...

Mac users face Skype flaw n Mac users making VoIP calls on Skype using versions earlier than 1.5.0.80 may see systems compromised by a format string flaw when parsing malformed universal resource identifiers (URIs). Attackers could crash affected systems.
October 9, 2006... Mac users face Skype flaw n Mac users making VoIP calls on Skype using versions earlier than 1.5.0.80 may see systems compromised by a format string flaw when parsing malformed universal resource identifiers (URIs). Attackers could crash...

IBM revamps mainframe.
October 9, 2006... IBM revamps mainframe Dave Bailey IBM last week announced a five-year, $100m initiative to make its System z mainframes easier to program and control. The scheme is also intended to automate application development and deployment onto...

PeopleSoft EFM is given refresh.
October 9, 2006... PeopleSoft EFM is given refresh Oracle last week released PeopleSoft Enterprise Financial Management 9, offering more web services support and integration with Fusion middleware products. The update boosts the product's financial...

Rugged laptop cleans up.
October 9, 2006... Rugged laptop cleans up Daniel Robinson Itronix has announced it is shipping the smallest and lightest fully rugged laptop in the world, the GoBook XR-1. Aimed at staff in harsh environments, the laptop can be totally immersed in...

Fujitsu affected by battery recall.
October 9, 2006... Fujitsu affected by battery recall Fujitsu has joined the list of vendors with laptop battery problems and is recalling some 287,000 notebook PCs. The addition of Fujitsu means that nearly every laptop manufacturer has had to recall...

Strike in Bangalore hub.
October 9, 2006... Strike in Bangalore hub James Murray Companies using offshore development sites based in India's main technology hub of Bangalore were hit by an unexpected disruption last week after local activists called a 12-hour strike over a...

IT careers withered by ageism.
October 9, 2006... IT careers withered by ageism Madeline Bennett and James Murray More than a third of IT staff are unaware of new legislation to outlaw ageism in the workplace, despite many feeling technology sector employment and recruitment favours...

Experts urge action over datacentre energy use.
October 9, 2006... Experts urge action over datacentre energy use James Murray IT directors were last week advised to do more to reduce energy consumption as new evidence emerged highlighting the financial cost of energy-guzzling hardware. According...

Policy wonk gets top job at Ofcom.(Brief article)
October 9, 2006... Policy wonk gets top job at Ofcom n Ofcom has appointed former government aide Ed Richards as its new chief executive, with watchers saying he will use his political experience to address media-telecoms convergence. Richards joined the...

Ajax coders gain tools and support.
October 9, 2006... Ajax coders gain tools and support Phil Muncaster IBM last week announced new developer resources and contributions to several popular toolkits for Ajax-based web site development. Meanwhile, other firms also announced new releases to...

Vista activation system cripples pirate PCs.
October 9, 2006... Vista activation system cripples pirate PCs Daniel Robinson and James Murray Microsoft has detailed a new anti-piracy system for Windows Vista, Longhorn server and future software products. Dubbed the Software Protection Platform, it...

Search engine gains BI edge n Enterprise search specialist Endeca stepped up its push into the business intelligence (BI) market last week with the launch of a new version of its Information Access Platform (IAP), featuring enhanced visualisation and data.
October 16, 2006... Byline: James Murray Search engine gains BI edge n Enterprise search specialist Endeca stepped up its push into the business intelligence (BI) market last week with the launch of a new version of its Information Access Platform (IAP),...

Carr advises firms to pay less for IT.
October 16, 2006... Byline: James Murray Carr advises firms to pay less for IT Controversialist Nicholas Carr reiterates claims that IT delivers no competitive edge Nicholas Carr, the controversial author of the 2003 Harvard Business Review article...

Secrets of the Dragons' Den.
October 16, 2006... Byline: Lem Bingley Secrets of the Dragons' Den Two partners from Advent Ventures give an insight into the mind of the tech investor IT Week: As partners at Advent Ventures, could you explain how a venture capital (VC) company...

Will anti-piracy move benefit firms?
October 16, 2006... Byline: Daniel Robinson Will anti-piracy move benefit firms? Anti-piracy controls in Windows Vista will disable PCs without a valid activation code Microsoft's new anti-piracy controls for Windows Vista may stop illegal copies of...

Improve access to increase success.(Laconie Watson of Nomensa)(Interview)
October 16, 2006... Byline: phil muncaster Improve access to increase success LA[c]onie Watson of Nomensa urges firms to improve web accessibility and usability IT Week: As head of accessibility at web usability and accessibility specialist Nomensa,...

Smart fraudsters move in-house.(Interview)
October 16, 2006... Byline: Phil Muncaster Smart fraudsters move in-house David Porter of Detica warns that today's IT fraudsters could be working in your firm IT Week: As head of security and risk at IT security consultancy Detica, can you explain...