Computer Weekly Editor's Blog

Hi I'm James Garner and I'm the web editor on ComputerWeekly.com. I joined Computer Weekly in April 2007 and have been focused on redesigning the website since then.

It's been a long seven-and-a-half months, but sometime over the next couple of days - as long as nothing goes seriously wrong - we will relaunch the site. I am really proud of the work we have done to improve the site and I hope you enjoy it. All feedback is welcome.

ComputerWeekly.com has four excellent pieces of analysis on HMRC's loss of 25 million personal data records on a CD.

It is a worrying development for individuals, like myself, who have data stored by HMRC because they claim child tax credits. Do I need to change bank account, because the data could get into the wrong hands allowing criminals to defraud me?

ComputerWeekly.com is evolving. Yes, as you may have already noticed, we’ve had a makeover, but this redesign is more than just a lick of paint.

If you hadn't noticed - ComputerWeekly.com has had a major facelift.

Whenever websites redesign it can be confusing for regular users to find the information they are after or to understand why we have made these changes.

If you want to understand the changes without taking the time to browse through the site then take a look at our video, which is just two minutes and explains all the major changes to ComputerWeekly.com.

Adam Burstow's CIO blog asks for feedback on his company Telereal's website. This is an excellent idea in generating user feedback and reminds me of one of the guiding principles we used when redesigning Computer Weekly.com recently and that is User Centred Design.

If you like reading about the lighter side of IT - then we have just turned our Downtime column from Computer Weekly into its own blog, called imaginatively Downtime. Take a look and if you have any funny IT stories then let us by posting a comment or sending an email to cwdowntime@rbi.co.uk

As it's my last day in the office today, I wanted to wish all ComputerWeekly.com's readers a Happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year.

I hope you all have a great break and enjoy a happy and relaxing time away from the office with your family and friends.

Officially, tomorrow is the last day in the office for our team until the New Year, but we will be periodically updating the site over the festive break - yes some of us will be moofing!

Best Christmas wishes

James

Firstly, here's to a happy and prosperous New Year.

Secondly, what were your favourite blog posts in 2007? I have compiled a list of the top 10 most popular blog posts for 2007 on ComputerWeekly.com.

We have just launched our latest blog - the Networks Generation for those interested in networks and communications, principally from the UK. If stories about WiMax (I couldn't resist linking to this post as I love the headline!), or broadband, etc, etc interest you, then take a look and bookmark it or subscribe to the RSS feed.

It is written by our expert in Networks and Comms JP Kamath (pictured).

Two of Computer Weekly bloggers' will be posting live from two conferences this week. So if you want to know the latest goings on from the Lotusphere 2008 conference then check out Ian White's blog to find out more of the latest from Orlando, Florida.

This week is the first week we have tried this on ComputerWeekly.com, but instead of a video news round-up we have done a podcast round up of the week's news highlights instead.

Have a listen or sign up to receive all CW.com's podcasts by clicking through to our podcasts from this Podomatic badge.

Or take this RSS feed and pop it into your feedreader. You can add ComputerWeekly.com podcast feed to iTunes as well by clicking on the iTunes link in podomatic.

Last week's top five stories on CW.com

If you missed them I'll list them here every week - and it gives you an idea of what everyone else in the senior IT Pro community was interested in as well.

Also if we missed some stories that you wanted us to cover then let me know by email or comment on this blog.

Cliff Saran's article and podcast interview with General Motors CIO Ralph Syzgenda is very interesting and also very useful for aspiring CIOs - take a look at his top tips below or read the interview in full on ComputerWeekly.

Or if you prefer you can download or listen to the podcast interview of Ralph Syzgenda, glodal CIO of General Motors in full.

Here's the top five stories on CW.com last week. If we missed any other stories that you wanted us to cover then let me know by email or comment on this blog.

Last week's top five were as follows:

1. Ryanair to suspend bookings service for four days following OFT ruling on taxes

2. BAA signs outsourcing contract with LogicaCMG

3. Sony Ericsson launch extends reach of Windows Mobile

4. Web 2.0 What does it constitute?

5. Yahoo rejects Microsoft takeover bid

Last week's most popular stories on CW.com - if you missed them a chance to catch them again.

1. Secret Downing Street papers reveal Tony Blair rushed NHS IT

2. Microsoft pulls faulty Windows Vista update

3. Average UK broadband speed under 3mbps, report shows

4. National Consumer Council refers 17 software companies for unfair terms and conditions

5. Staffing and skills crisis the top concern for CEOs and CIOs

When we relaunched ComputerWeekly.com we promised we would look to continually improve the site for our readers, putting you, the user, first. No more standing still: we've gone agile, enabling us to keep rolling out a series of improvements over the course of each year so that the site constantly evolves, improving your experience.

Some of these improvements will be behind the scenes stuff that may have no visual impact, but some - like today's - will mean that if you're used the site you'll really notice the changes.

So today you'll see changes to the homepage and also to the article page - both of which I hope will improve your experience of ComputerWeekly.com.

Computer Weekly was mentioned on the Today programme, BBC's flagship radio news programme this morning for Tony Collins's exclusive story about another potential scandal with the National Programme for IT. If you choose to click on the first link to the Today programme to listen again, you'll need to click on the 6-30-7am link to hear the interview, which was on about 6-50am.

Our story -Patient database open to access by non-qualified NHS staff - was published on Friday and was picked up over the weekend before being featured on the Today programme this morning.

It's also now featured on the BBC's website - GP warning over database access.

And if you want more insight into the story then it is worth visiting Tony Collin's blog - as he has really covered every inch of the NPfIT issue.

At last we have resolved our technical glitches and have been able to roll back the changes we made to the site last Wednesday.

If you haven't seen that post - Todays changes to ComputerWeekly.com - and are interested in what we have done then it is worth reading our explanation.

It's only a month to go and to the day iIll be running the London Marathon 2008 raising money for the YMCA. At least three months of training is now behind me, but the day itself is looming large. Having endured one three hour run already, the prospect of adding another hour and maybe at least another hour, seems a frightening prospect.

I have added my fundraising widget to this blog and if you want to sponsor me then please do - it's a good cause and if I smash my target of £1200 and make £2000 then I will grow a moustache as well - but no rhino suit as getting round the 26.2 miles is going to be hard enough.

Alastair Darling
Originally uploaded by laspood

Philip Virgo's When It Meets politics blog post tells us what he is looking for from Darling's first budget to help the ICT sector - we'll let you know later whether any of his wishes have been met.

These were the top five most read stories on ComputerWeekly last week.

1. Police build national database of mugshots to help CCTV policing

2. Hackers attempt to spread malware via Trend Micro website

3. NHS IT scheme spends £1.5bn less than expected

4. Siemens profits warning marks unsettled period for IT services

5. Half of schoolchildren use Facebook during lessons, study says

What was hot the site last week - well not suprisingly it was Heathrow and Terminal 5 dominated, what with the baggage-handling glitches for the grand opening on Thursday.

The top five most read stories on ComputerWeekly.com last week were

1. Baggage-handling system glitch mars Heathrows T5 opening

Additional links: BAA's terminal 5 baggage woes

2. IT workers being bullied, says union

3. Sainsbury eyes £440m saving after bringing IT back in-house

Blog link: The cost of priavacy: Biometrics at Heathrow Termnial 5

4. BAA suspends fingerprint biometrics security system at Heathrow Terminal 5

5. Guess that kit competition round one Business on the move

Yesterday's post mentioned that ComputerWeekly was running a few April Fool's stories to celebrate - well you clearly liked them as they all were well read. One reader swallowed the Government rental databse to turn spare rooms into lets story as they mailed in asking for more information.

The others, incase you didn't spot them were: RFID scheme scrapped in favour of implants for infants

and: Golden oldies save corporate's time

Do you love solving maths problems? Well if you do, then take part in our weekly maths brain teaser from the Puzzler.

I just been pointed to this graph about the growth in the number of websites online and how we got from one back in December 1990 to 100,000 in 1996 to the 162 million there is now.

It is an interesting graph even if most of us are already well aware that the internet has become a mighty busy place.

One irreverant thought that I had as I looked at this graph was how many powerpoint presentations on "how you make yourself heard online" that I'll see this graph appear in, in the coming months?

The most read article on ComputerWeekly last week was Ofcom's assessment of Facebook.

Ofcom measures Facebook phenomenon

Next was Tony Collins's story on a new PC deal that would save the public sector billion of pounds - PC deal could save public sector billions

Troubles at Heathrow's T5 continued to attract plenty of interest and Rebecca Thomson's story that IT experts were tackling the baggage handling systems problems was the third most poular on the site - IT experts tackle baggage system problems at Heathrows Terminal 5

I'm not 100% sure that the chip you are given when you register for the London Marathon is an RFID chip, but once attached to your shoe the chip ensures that each runner's race time is recorded.

It marks the point from when you cross the start line to the finish line and ensures accuracy of time recording and that everyone who finishes can get an official time.

What were the stories that got your heart beating that little bit faster last week on ComputerWeekly last week.

The most read was Shell's lessons on outsourcing

1. Shell offers lessons on outsourcing contracts

We have just released a new video about combating spam in the workplace and I'm really proud of the way we've put it together... It's a departure from our talking heads' videos and is a bit more creative and therefore, I hope, more compelling viewing.

Let us know what you think.

Tomorrow sees the start of Infosec 2008. I'm going to be at the show for most of the next two days and will hopefully post a couple of times from the event.

Computer Weekly will be of course be reporting on Europe's biggest security event and any breaking news from the show.

We'll also be conducting some video interviews of some key speakers, such as Bruce Schneier and Microsoft's Ed Gibson as well as giving you a flavour of the event if your not there by getting some vox pops. If you want to see what's in store or find out more about the event then catch our show preview pages.

And I mean hot as in sweaty, but it's also very busy.

So far we have interviewed Vinny Gullotto and Ed Gibson from Microsoft and Ray Stanton from BT and we have plenty more video interviews lined up for this afternoon. The PRs are relentless and once they see your badge they are pushing their clients at you!

So far what have we learned - well there has been a twelve-fold increase in the number of large UK companies finding unauthorised outsiders on their internal networks.

And talking to a couple of experts cyber crime is getting ever more sophisticated and organised and threats remain large and significant.

Nothing new there and of course everyone would say that here - it's a conference built on IT security compromises threatening businesses and individuals' livelihoods.

Anyway most go... more later

Day one and we have busy rushing around a very warm Olympia filming interviews. Overall for us it has been a good day, but hard work! In between the video work there isn't much chance to catch up with any big announcements.

I posted earlier about the fact that a Government survey found that more outsiders are being found on the inside of company's networks and beyond the firewall.

Employees as always remain a high risk and lost and stolen kit remains a key reason for security breaches, particularly as more of us use laptops and take confidential data home on our hard drives and then leave their bag in the luggage compartment of the train, as I very nearly did this morning!

Today we are going off site shortly to speak to Clive Room of Portcullis to get his view of the show so far and what is everyone talking about in the pub (that's where his stand is!!).

I'm also hoping we can interview Detective Superintendent Charlie McMurdie of the E-Crime Unit. David Lacey will be interviewing Bruce Schneier later and we'll be covering the CREST announcement on the launch of the Security Testing Association, involving end users Lloyds TSB, Aviva and the NHS.

Action packed stuff.

One aside.

I love the irony that I'm posting this from the press office on an unsecured wireless network... at Europe's biggest security conference!

One thing I've noticed over the past few days is the huge growth in video interviews. Almost every publication is doing them, us included, and some vendors are doing live TV shows as well, such as McAfee below, to get the punters onto their stands.

I've just been to a session that discussed the future of the e-Crime Unit, which the police are looking to set up to tackle online crime. It's been a bit of a "will it" "won't it" story so far, but progress is being made.

Detective Superintendent Charlie McMurdie, who is heading up the e-Crime project, said today that it hasn't actually got its funding from the government yet, the Home Office is considering the business cases as we speak, but she was fairly bullish that it would.

She expects to know more in a few weeks time, but can't be 100% sure it will get the green light.

Let's hope that's a case of "don't count your chickens before they're hatched" as internet crime is growing at such an alarming rate that the £5.3m the police are asking for seems a drop in the ocean to the size of the problem.

Reading this blog? Read others too? Comment on some? Or perhaps you blog yourself? Well, ComputerWeekly.com is searching for the best blogs from and about the UK industry, and to do that, we need your help.

Whether you're a blogger, a commenter, or just a reader, we want to know what blogs are in your favourites folder, or have got you hitting the subscribe button in your RSS reader. Just email ITblogs@computerweekly.com with the URLs of your nominations, or visit our Blog Awards web page for more information, and a full list of the categories.

You can even nominate your own blog. And everyone who sends in a nomination will be entered into our prize draw for a £50 Amazon voucher. (Don't worry, we won't use your email address for anything else, only to contact you should you win.)

However, if you're still not convinced by this whole blogging business, take a few minutes to watch this video from CommonCraft: Blogs in Plain English (over the jump). It may not convince you to browse the blogs, but you'll understand why others do - and if you remember Fingerbobs, you'll love the homespun approach to animation, too!

Your favourite story was JP Kamath's video review of the new Aldo £600 notebook, which he recommends as a good purchase for students, but not for professionals.

1. Video review £600 Aldi Medion Akoya MD 96640 multimedia notebook

What have been the most interesting stories for your peers in the past week? Here's last week's top five:

I can't wait to watch fellow ComputerWeekly blogger Ian White star in 'The Real Hell's Kitchens: Tonight' on ITV1 on Friday (23 May) at 8pm... Ian was put through his paces as the programme investigated the stress levels of different professions. So watch on Friday to see how Ian represented teh IT profession... good on you Ian for having a go!