Your shout: Patents, careers and project management
- Posted:
- 11:31 23 Mar 2005
Have your say at computerweekly.com
On the dangers of software patents
In response to the article "Europe in danger of becoming a
haven for plagiarism, warn IT firms" (Computer Weekly, 4
November)
When it comes to software and patents, Europe has led the world by
generally not allowing them. Here in the UK, we have allowed them
to a lesser degree.
If we allow patents on software then presumably many thousands of
US and Japanese-held patents will apply here. And you can bet that
these patent holders will then start to try "shaking down" all the
smaller firms: "You pay us £x a year or we'll sue you for
infringement." Or: "We're big. We've got 500 patent lawyers and
deep pockets, can you afford to go to court?"
Its noticeable that there are now small companies set up in the US
specifically to do this kind of thing. They buy a few patents then
go after companies. And this is supposed to help innovation?
In the US patents can be awarded for the simplest of concepts, and
very large corporations have thousands of patents, so it is
probably impossible to verify that an application doesn't infringe
some patent or other - you can't defend yourself without immense
effort.
If the EU is to have any hope of continuing to produce world class
software it must reject calls to allow software (and business)
patents.
David Bolton, Leyton
On the cost of the UK's national ID card scheme
In response to "ID card costs soar as supplier slams
technology" (Computer Weekly, 4 November)
The government's plans for the national ID card scheme get their
share of critics, much of it unfair. Critics would benefit from an
understanding of what is already being done elsewhere with chip ID
cards - such as in Hong Kong.
While we are not a supplier, Maosco is supporting the Hong Kong
Special Administrative Region in its use of the Multos operating
system for the Hong Kong ID card scheme, which has few critics. Its
goals are simple; to improve immigration procedures and allow
better access to government through e-services.
Hong Kong shows that biometrics on ID cards work, and has generated
valuable experience on biometric matching, the use of secure card
technology and the infrastructure to support them
Critics also put too much emphasis on databases. A chip ID card can
validate citizens' credentials without reference to a database in
most cases. Better than matching an identity against a database of
the entire population (a slow process), in Hong Kong you can
identify a legitimate card holder in seconds by using cryptography
between a smartcard and a reader.
And critics exaggerate the cost of a scheme here. If you consider
the scope of the UK scheme and the £14.6m spent on the first
phase of 1.2 million cards in Hong Kong, it is hard to believe that
the UK version would cost anything near the £1bn suggested by
some.
Steve Everhard, chief executive, Maosco
On IT directors getting a place on the board
In response to the article "IT on the board can add to the
bottom line", (Computer Weekly, 21 September)
I am not at all surprised that fewer than 5% of companies have IT
directors on the main board.
Most IT directors focus solely on the next gadget or next 'big
thing' in technology and how it will revolutionise operations - but
a company board member is not likely to be interested.
IT directors who aspire to board status should be looking at
technologies that will provide a monetary return and bring tangible
business benefits to the organisation. The IT director should also
be aware of the compliance issues and ensure the company is not at
risk from regulatory or legal proceedings.
An effective board will recognise if the IT director is visibly
protecting the business interests.
Geoff Webster, chief executive, Fast Corporate
Services
Laurent S'raphin approaches discipline in software development from the idea that "it is not the tools that cause the problem" and blames poor communication. The issue is deeper than this (Computer Weekly, 26 October).
Most IT projects fail because:
- There is inadequate appreciation or specification of what is required to run the business - not what the managers want, nor what the users want, but what the business needs.
- There is no one person responsible for the project. A person with absolute authority for all aspects of the project, from timescales and budget to application scope and design changes, is a necessity.
- The project is changed. This may not be due to inadequate work on the specification, although it often is. It could result from a change in the business environment or losing sight of the project's original goals.
The project manager must make sure that the original project
goal is kept in sight and the specification is maintained against
current business requirements. This does not mean that changes are
outlawed, simply that they do not rule the project, only enhance
it.
It is OK to cancel and restart a project if the business need has
changed so dramatically that it would be quicker to start again
than to modify an obsolete design.
Outsourced developments need not face massive contract penalties or
go back out to tender. Continue the relationship; the outsourced
developer gains a new project and the customer gains
business-experienced project staff with an appreciation of what is
really required.
Graham Hayden, technical director, Real Asset
Management
Encryption can protect your backed up data
A common thread ran through your 26 October issue - when it comes
to protecting sensitive information from falling into the wrong
hands, most organisations have a long way to go.
Ian McGibbon's "Whose data is it anyway?" explained the
implications of third-party service providers gaining access to the
sensitive medical records they are hired to manage. Nick Huber
highlighted the fact that regulations such as Basel 2 and
Sarbanes-Oxley require more companies to keep more data for longer
periods of time, most of it ending up on back-up tapes with little
or no protection. And John Alcock's "Threat from within" showed
that the real security risk often hides inside the company.
A Synstar poll of 700 European IT directors showed security of
their IT systems as their top concern. But when confronted by new
threats most organisations prefer to do what is familiar, not what
is right. Companies are investing more in security measures such as
firewalls and virtual private networks but, with 50%-80% of all
attacks coming from inside the organisation, additional investment
in "perimeter security" produces diminishing returns.
Companies need to use strong authentication measures coupled with
data encryption to separate the ability to manage data from the
ability to read it.
Encrypted sensitive data stored on back-up tapes cannot be read,
even if they fall into the wrong hands, or someone in the
organisation mistakenly grants access rights to the wrong
people.
Joanna Shields, managing director EMEA, Decru
The true value of university IT courses
With regard to "Table helps bosses rate IT courses" (Computer
Weekly, 2 November) I am writing to correct a factual
inaccuracy.
The University of Surrey does not feature at the bottom of the list
as you report, and the data in the table for the University of
Surrey is incomplete and incorrect - for example listing no
students and no staff.
With regard to the current debate on the relevance of computing
degrees to the IT industry the Department of Computing at the
University of Surrey maintains close links with industry within
both teaching and research programmes.
The content of our British Computer Society-accredited courses is
regularly reviewed by members of the department's Industrial
Advisory Board, and is continuously updated to reflect best
practice and current trends.
We are proud of our reputation for the professional development of
computing students. The majority of our students undertake a year
of supervised professional training which we validate using the
BCSUniversities' Professional Development Scheme. The University of
Surrey is consistently among the top universities for graduate
employment, and our computing graduates are highly sought-after by
employers.
Steve Schneider, head, Department of Computing, University of Surrey
