In Depth

In Depth

E-commerce technology

• Business internet providers (for SMEs) – Essential Guide

  There are literally hundreds of UK business internet providers that offer broadband, mobile internet and e-commerce services to SMEs.  Continue Reading

• Competition: Top Web 2.0 woes and social media mistakes

  Competition now closed - you told us your stories of Web 2.0 woes for a chance to win the latest MacBook White 2 or an iPod Nano. Sponsored by Blue Coat Systems.  Continue Reading

• How IT staff can help victims of war-time violence

  The CARE International Three Peaks Challenge, in association with Computer Weekly, is quickly approaching and the charity is urging teams to sign up while they still have plenty of time for fundraising and training.  Continue Reading

• Businesses wary of social media adoption

  Businesses are wary of social networks, with security issues and lack of control over content causing managers the most concern.  Continue Reading

• Web celebrates its 20th birthday

  It was 13 March 1989 when Tim Berners-Lee, working at Cern in Geneva, came up with the concept that became the worldwide web. On that day, Berners-Lee presented his visionary paper on a simple mechanism for allowing the particle physics research ...  Continue Reading

• Mark Kingdon, CEO of Second Life: The advantages of a Second Life

  The Second Life virtual world has shown web users an alternative way to work and play on the internet, compared to browsing and interacting using text, images and multimedia that make-up other Web 2.0 sites. Computer Weekly interviews Mark Kingdon, ...  Continue Reading

• The hyperconnected workforce

  There is a phenomenon called "the hyperconnected" which describes a growing number of people who have intertwined and blurred their private lives with their working lives - we should investigate the phenomenon and understand the hyperconnected ...  Continue Reading

• The world of wikinomics

  Chris Middleton profiles two very different approaches to so-called "wikinomics". One is a small not-for-profit organisation that happens to be the number four web destination in the world, and the other is a West Coast start-up intent on making it ...  Continue Reading

• Web 2.0 profiles

  C hris Middleton profiles two very different approaches to so-called " w ikinomics " . One is a small not-for-profit organisation...  Continue Reading

• Driving business innovation through collaboration

  Collaboration is no longer “nice to have.” In a tightening economic environment, collaboration is becoming a competitive necessity, with technology playing a key role in delivering it.  Continue Reading

• Features list: January 2009 - web 2.0 and business

  ComputerWeekly.com features list for January 2009 - exploring web 2.0 and business.  Continue Reading

• E-bank Japan sets mobile banking example

  Imagine you are a bank with no branches or ATMs, almost three million customers and only 195 employees in total.  Continue Reading

• Storage Expo preview: Why e-mail is a legal timebomb

  E-mail is the data type that nobody wants to know about - it is a huge problem. The storage teams do not want to know, the mail teams do not know how to cope, and the compliance issues grow just as fast as the e-mail volumes. Corporate e-mail is a ...  Continue Reading

• Airline IT - reports from the annual Air Transport IT Summit

  How the airline industry can use IT to improve efficiency and profitability were hot topics at this year's annual Air Transport IT Summit in Brussels.  Continue Reading

• End users 'biggest winners' from HP's acquisition of EDS

  End users could be the big winners following Hewlett-Packard's announcement that it is to acquire outsourcing company EDS for £7.13bn.  Continue Reading

• Web3D: fad or future?

  The truth goes through three stages. First, it's ridiculed, next violently opposed, then finally accepted as self-evident. No...  Continue Reading

• Constant vigilance keeps Stroud & Swindon secure

  "Information security is part of life now for financial services organisations and you have to take it seriously. If the business is linked to any loss of sensitive data, it causes serious reputational damage and you can't afford for that to happen,...  Continue Reading

• Open University studies open access to research

  The internet has sparked a revolution in scholarly communication, the process by which researchers share new ideas and findings. For universities, this raises a number of technical, managerial and financial issues. The experiences of the Open ...  Continue Reading

• Trusted client computing cuts out the operating system to ensure security

  Lloyds TSB recently informed some of its on-line banking customers that their home computers had been infected with a virus which stole passwords. The...  Continue Reading

• LA Fitness frees bandwidth with e-mail monitor

  LA Fitness has freed bandwidth on its network by using auditing software to cut the proportion of personal e-mail on its network from almost 40% to 2%.  Continue Reading

• Cambridge saves time with city-wide digital printing system

  Cambridge University has overhauled its print management systems to allow its 8,000 departmental staff, as well as students from its 31 colleges, to send printing requests digitally to its central reprographics department.  Continue Reading

• Has e-mail become more of a hindrance than a help in your business?

  The Big Question is an initiative between Computer Weekly and recruitment consultancy PSD. Each week we put the Big Question to top IT professionals to get their take on a current talking point.  Continue Reading

• E-mail back-up keeps Arup on move

  Engineering consultant Arup Group has rolled out back-up technology to ensure that 800 engineering specialists can continue to receive e-mails in the event of a server failure.  Continue Reading

• WHSmith News delivers smooth Exchange switch

  WHSmith News has migrated 1,200 email users from Microsoft Exchange 5.5 to Exchange 2003 in one week without incurring any downtime  Continue Reading

• Isle of Wight Council deploys e-mail search programme to meet FoI requests

  Smart projects: Applications under the Freedom of Information Act accelerated by product that searches e-mail threads  Continue Reading

• Short duration is key to e-business project success, survey suggests

  E-business projects have a better success rate than IT projects in general, according to a survey by BCS member John Carroll of Carroll Consultants.  Continue Reading

• Leaked e-mails emphasise divide between business goals and technology in NHS plan

  Could separation threaten the success of £6.2bn IT-led modernisation project?  Continue Reading

• Strategy clinic: How can we spread the security message?

  We are keen to develop a 'security culture' among company staff but are not convinced the e-mails we send around are taken notice of.  Continue Reading

• London boroughs join forces to slash their stationery costs through online auction

  Suppliers bid for local authority contracts over the internet in real time  Continue Reading

• Minister's £1.2bn efficiency saving demand creates new challenge for public IT leaders

  First services had to be put online, now they must deliver savings  Continue Reading

• E-commerce: Boom or bust?

  Dotcom trading is enjoying a boom, but its future depends on maintaining consumer trust. Lindsay Nicolle reports on the threats...  Continue Reading

• Amazon urged to come clean on outage

  Amazon.com should consider releasing more details about the outage that affected its website this week for the sake of customer...  Continue Reading

• Suppliers seek harmony on digital rights management

  Six large technology and music companies have united to develop interoperable digital rights management systems to protect...  Continue Reading

• Google IPO approved by SEC

  The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has approved Google's plan for its initial public offering (IPO).  Continue Reading

• ERP drive switches to broader user needs

  SAP centralises data management as Oracle targets manufacturing  Continue Reading

• Can spam really be wiped out in two years?

  This month government, regulators and industry met to devise a global strategy for eradicating junk e-mail. The meeting's...  Continue Reading

• Mass Trojan on the loose

  Anti-virus and e-mail security companies have issued warnings about a new Trojan horse program that they claim is being...  Continue Reading

• Half of firms rebuke staff for excessive use of e-mail

  Staff abuse of e-mail at work poses a far bigger problem to employers than internet misuse, according to an annual survey by the...  Continue Reading

• Hotel portal delivers security and business benefits

  The hotel division of Cendant is investing in web-based identity and access management technology that it expects will yield...  Continue Reading

• Councils get more cash for e-gov work

  Every council in England will get £350,000 from central government to meeting its e-government targets by the end of next year.  Continue Reading

• Users expect to spend more on data storage

  Rising levels of e-mail, general data storage requirements and document management systems will drive up user spending on storage...  Continue Reading

• Speech and skip software helps Stockport’s website to meet top accessibility standard

  Stockport Council rebuilt its website in 10 weeks to be accessible to all.  Continue Reading

• Whatever happened to e-mail hosting?

  Content and collaboration strategies, web and collaboration strategies  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: Why surf when you can crawl?

  RSS feeds give you a bespoke news package, says Simon Moores  Continue Reading

• Buy smarter

  Local government IT spending need not be a cost in itself. Julia Vowler looks at ways that e-auctions, e-tendering and central...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: The weakest link

  Computer crime within the financial sector appears to be growing, and reports claim that this has amounted to £1m. Simon Moores...  Continue Reading

• Google takes a gamble

  IPO will build on search engine success  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: Nothing is what it appears to be

  What you see is what you'll get isn't always the case when buying from an online auction site, so how can we ensure that users...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: A golden IT opportunity

  Compliance is a catalyst for long-delayed IT investment, says Jim Fleming  Continue Reading

• Oracle's revival raises skills' value

  In the SSL/CW list, Oracle E-Business Suite is number 4  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: Phishing for information

  That e-mail from the bank may not be what it seems, says Simon Moores, who wonders where the phishers will try next.  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: UK plc - could do better

  UK business may be seen as a hotbed of innovation, yet there is still some way to go as far as the use of IT is concerned, says...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: Why pop-ups prove unpopular

  Online advertising has few fans, yet most companies haven't woken up to the fact that the way they convey their messages are...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: Prosper from self-service

  Self-service is transforming commercial relationships, and will, one day, become the norm, says John Hughes.  Continue Reading

• Microsoft incorporates spam filter

  Microsoft used Comdex to announce that it is deploying its Smart Screen anti-spam technology across its e-mail platforms.  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: A unique selling point

  Will Microsoft go ahead with its plans to buy Google? Colin Selfridge is worried that a deal could erode the ethos that has made...  Continue Reading

• Users cautious on web services

  IBM, Microsoft and other vendors that have been beating the web services drum for more than two years claim that more and more of...  Continue Reading

• Data protection registration scam shows firms must act to combat online spoofers

  Fraudsters add e-mail swindles to the list of ways used to extort money from UK businesses  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: The cost of negligence

  Businesses must take the problem of identity theft far more seriously to protect their earnings and their reputations.  Continue Reading

• Is spam a threat and how can I block it?

  Does the panel have any advice on how to reduce the amount of unsolicited e-mail and spam entering corporate systems. Also, is...  Continue Reading

• Firms urged to tighten web and e-mail security in response to 'spoofing' attacks

  Spam is rarely out of the headlines these days, with most estimates suggesting that unsolicited messages now account for at least...  Continue Reading

• E-business group to work on clarifying new IT laws

  The plethora of legislation in e-business, with its duplications and contradictions, threatens to swamp users and suppliers...  Continue Reading

• Antivirus firms take stock of attacks

  A Microsoft Windows vulnerability, spam e-mail messages and human frailty combined in recent weeks to produce a flood of new...  Continue Reading

• E-mail cuts pesticide control paperwork

  Government agency uses digital signatures to speed up licensing.  Continue Reading

• Keep your private life out of your e-mails

  Former Scotland Yard detective Mark Morris is using his skills to help firms crack down on employees who use their e-mail and the...  Continue Reading

• Could hackers launch a denial-of-spam attack?

  I received several tempting offers in my e-mail inbox this morning. "Get free information on how a $10,000 investment could...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: We need a united force against spam

  All countries need to have the same legislation to deal with unsolicited mail, says Simon Moores.  Continue Reading

• E-learning consortium offers online MS training to Leonard Cheshire charity staff

  Disability charity Leonard Cheshire joins e-learning consortium  Continue Reading

• Stopping the Spammers

  With nearly one in two e-mails being junk, consumers could stop doing business electronically. Danny Bradbury finds out how...  Continue Reading

• Dotcoms bounce back

  The dotcom bubble may have burst some time ago, but don't make the mistake of writing off all dotcom businesses. Philip Hunter...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: Instant productivity gain

  Instant messaging will revolutionise business communications, says Mark Latchford.  Continue Reading

• Privacy: What does it mean?

  Privacy sounds like a nice thing to have. But what does it mean in relation to e-business and information systems in general?  Continue Reading

• E-mail marketing: Etiquette and best practices

  E-mail marketing is profitable but it is subject to increasing customer fatigue.  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: How secure is your e-mail?

  Sending unprotected e-mails is like writing your private details on a postcard and mailing it. Isn't it time companies spend more...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: Caught by the net?

  Don't be taken in by the scams among your spam, warns Simon Moores.  Continue Reading

• Google search to be available on Amazon.com

  Google web search feature and sponsored links will now be available on Amazon.com's website.  Continue Reading

• How to reduce the stress of e-mail overload

  E-mail Guidelines on using e-mail will free up employees' time, writes Monica Seeley  Continue Reading

• Do cookies cut it? Readers have their say

  CW360.com readers have more views on cookies than a convention of master bakers. Lawyer Peter Hall got the juices flowing with...  Continue Reading

• Special report: Business online

  Reports of the death of Internet-based commerce have been greatly exaggerated. The articles below show that business online...  Continue Reading

• IT helps build from the foundations up

  In the 1990s the construction sector was still languishing in the dark ages of IT compared to other industry sectors, but then...  Continue Reading

• Put the people element first

  The most crucial element of e-business transformation is taking your people with you  Continue Reading

• How Littlewoods hit the jackpot by picking technology winners

  The £750m takeover of the family-owned Littlewoods business by the Barclay Brothers is likely to lead to a radical shake-up of a...  Continue Reading

• Electronic procurement aims to speed path to e-government

  James Rogers reports on the launch of a government initiative to encourage councils to use e-procurement technologies  Continue Reading

• Can the iSeries cut it as an e-commerce engine?

  A number of UK companies have found that the robustness of iSeries servers makes them ideal engines for driving their e-commerce...  Continue Reading

• How Renault mastered the art of online car sales

  Since the relaunch of its Web site 16 months ago, Renault has seen Web sales leads hit 900 a week, with 50% of enquiries...  Continue Reading

• Can BA weather the storm?

  Facing massive losses, pressure from low-cost competitors and the aftermath of the terrorist attacks in the US last year, British...  Continue Reading

• Life on the front line - the reality of end-user IT in 2002

  What are the realities of current end-user attitudes to technology adoption in the European IT industry?  Continue Reading

• Keeping an eye on metadata

  Metadata can ease data overload, making it an area business should be watching closely  Continue Reading

• Will eBay become ePay?

  Regular readers of this column will have noted that there are three companies whose names keep cropping up: Amazon, Google and...  Continue Reading

• Hot skills: Managing directories

  Directories are integral to network management and e-business, writes Nick Langley.  Continue Reading

• Time to update your e-mail database

  The draft Directive on Data Protection and Electronic Communications approved recently by the European Parliament is on course to...  Continue Reading

• Online holiday booking boom lifts e-business prospects

  The travel industry is proving that the dotcom collapse was not the end of e-business for retailers. As Daniel Thomas discovered,...  Continue Reading

• How to use legacy code for e-business

  E-business does not necessarily mean you will have to chuck out your old AS400 apps. Lindsay Nicolle finds out how you can...  Continue Reading

• Measuring up

  In the second part of our look at e-procurement, David Bicknell finds out how companies are measuring return on investment  Continue Reading

• A fast track to Net buying benefits

  Using the Internet to make your supply chain more efficient is a possibility - but keep it simple, writes Liz Warren  Continue Reading

• Oil firms ignore revolution to win e-business

  Prime movers in petrochemicals have been quietly making money from e-initiatives. Daniel Thomas follows up reports that the...  Continue Reading

• Music giants' Internet step gives a boost to broadband

  Early proponents of broadband services overlooked the need to consider why consumers might want it - the critical issue of...  Continue Reading

• Should we ban e-mail?

  Volume and content are not the only problems created by the five billion e-mails in the system every day. Karl Cushing looks at...  Continue Reading

• How to keep Web customers coming back

  Computer Weekly asked 10 suppliers to provide their top tip to improve your online business. Here are their responses.  Continue Reading

• Is your online operation doing the jobyou want it to?

  Doing business online offers the IT department a chance to put itself on the corporate map. Internet-based technologies can add...  Continue Reading