Short takes on this week's news
SAP to offer try-before-you-buy hosted
software
SAP has developed a range of on-demand hosted software for
mid-size companies, building on the tentative steps it made towards
CRM on-demand last year. SAP CEO Henning Kagermann said the
software would be offered under a new "try-run-adapt" model to
allow firms to test it before buying it.
www.computerweekly.com/221402
Sun signs deal with Intel to run Solaris on Xeon
chips
Despite the success of its relationship with AMD, Sun has
confirmed its commitment to the rival Xeon processor with a new
alliance with Intel. Under the agreement, Intel will support Sun's
Solaris operating system. Users of PC servers running either the
AMD Opteron or the Intel Xeon chip will now be able to run
Solaris.
www.computerweekly.com/221358
Julian Graves upgrades to nationwide MPLS
Wan
Food retailer Julian Graves is implementing an MPLS Wan as part
of its nationwide Epos upgrade programme across 300 outlets. It
replaces a modem dial-up system, which polled stores for sales data
from the tills. The Wan enables the retailer to see real-time sales
information and is improving the communication between stores.
www.computerweekly.com/221429
Watson Wyatt speeds up test data extraction
Global consulting firm Watson Wyatt has deployed GridTools'
subset database generator, a tool designed to improve the way
applications are tested. The company previously extracted test data
from its production database each time an application was tested,
but this took hours. The GridTools product has sped up the
process.
www.computerweekly.com/221427
Smartphones and PDAs 'to be targeted by
hackers'
Mobile banking and payment initiatives are set to be targeted by
hackers, according to financial services consultancy TowerGroup.
Although most mobile phones are potential targets, smartphones and
wireless PDAs are particularly attractive to fraudsters, given
their ability to support PC-like applications such as web browsing
and instant messaging, said the TowerGroup.
www.computerweekly.com/221361
Plan for the very worst, Socitm warns
councils
The Society of IT Management has warned councils that they must
plan for worst-case scenarios, and assume that key services could
be interrupted and facilities destroyed, when formulating disaster
recovery plans.
www.computerweekly.com/221422
Wal-Mart signs deal with Microsoft and
Novell
Wal-Mart has signed an agreement with Microsoft and Novell to
improve support of its mixed server environment, which comprises
Windows and Novell's open source platforms.
www.computerweekly.com/221354
Security warning on reusable software bug
A warning issued by consultancy Secunia about an ActiveX bug has
highlighted the risk of running third-party reusable software
components within applications. Secunia said the bug could be
exploited by remote attackers to take over users' systems.
www.secunia.com/advisories/23475
Commit to IT review now, scientist tells NHS
chief
Computer scientist Martyn Thomas has called on NHS chief
executive David Nicholson to commit to an independent review of the
NHS IT programme within two weeks. Thomas was speaking at a
conference in London to discuss the future of the programme.
computerweekly.com/blogs/Tony_Collins
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