In Depth

In Depth

Enterprise software

• Cloud storage and its main cost components

  We run through the main items charged for by the big cloud storage providers, such as capacity, storage type, transactions, data egress, networks and data protection  Continue Reading

• Making multicloud work: Is it really worth it?

  Enterprise interest in multicloud deployments is on the rise, but with so many moving parts to take care of, will the benefits end up being too hard-fought to make it viable for most enterprises?  Continue Reading

• Cutting employees some Slack: The rise of messaging apps in retail

  Slack’s 2019 stock market debut raises the profile of enterprise collaboration software, but what options do retailers have in this space and how are they using the technology?  Continue Reading

• Sainsbury’s Bank moves data to AWS cloud with Teradata UDA

  Bank decided on a fundamental shift to AWS cloud, using Teradata’s Unified Data Architecture, after it was divested from Lloyds in 2013. Here’s how it built from a new ground zero.  Continue Reading

• Microsoft’s modern desktop management

  How cloud services make the critical business of keeping Windows 10 patched and up to date easier for administrators  Continue Reading

• SAN vs NAS vs hyper-converged for virtual machine storage

  The pros and cons of file and block access storage arrays vs the new breed of all-in-one server/storage architecture for storage of virtual machine systems and data  Continue Reading

• Skills, digital and the manufacturing sector

  Manufacturing still accounts for a large amount of the UK economy, and when it comes to the fourth industrial revolution, the UK has aspirations to be a world leader – but does it have the digital know-how to back it up?  Continue Reading

• Norway’s autonomous ships point to new horizons

  Norway is a pioneer in the autonomisation of shipping, which conveys environmental benefits as well as efficiency gains – but human mariners are likely to stay on board for a while yet  Continue Reading

• Serving up managed desktops

  Microsoft is dropping its table d’hôte-like Windows 7 menu in favour of a more tapas-style offering, in the form of Windows 10. This will mean big changes for sysadmins  Continue Reading

• Winning ways with Windows 10 updates

  We look at how IT leaders can effectively manage the major changes Windows 10 imposes on businesses  Continue Reading

• Software-defined storage vs NAS/SAN: What are the options?

  We look at the pros and cons of software-defined storage and weigh up when it’s a better option than buying NAS and SAN pre-built hardware shared storage arrays  Continue Reading

• APAC buyer’s guide to NVMe storage

  NVMe storage is becoming popular among Asia-Pacific enterprises that want to reduce latency and speed up application performance  Continue Reading

• Cloud’s low-hanging fruit: Backup, tiering and data sharing

  Native cloud operations can have a steep on-ramp in terms of enterprise IT readiness, but some things are relatively easy to port to a tier of storage in the cloud  Continue Reading

• XaaS models are reshaping the future of outsourcing

  The outsourcing sector is suffering reputational damage after some high-profile failures, just as companies are turning to the "as-a-service" model instead. Can the two approaches co-exist?  Continue Reading

• Cloud storage 101: Specifying for cloud storage

  We run through key questions to ask when specifying cloud storage, such as disk type, performance, availability and the possible hidden cost of getting data out of the cloud  Continue Reading

• How DataOps helps organisations make better decisions

  DataOps is helping organisations to accelerate the time it takes to derive value from the data they collect  Continue Reading

• Retail technology, sports sponsorship and a global marketing opportunity

  Sports sponsorship remains a focus area for B2B software companies and retail technology businesses looking to impress the C-suite  Continue Reading

• Competitive threats: What the growth in new public sector cloud frameworks means for G-Cloud

  Public sector IT buyers may soon find themselves spoilt for choice when it comes to deciding where to procure their cloud services, thanks to the emergence of several new frameworks, but where does that leave G-Cloud?  Continue Reading

• Silicon Valley startups look to plug gaps in data value chain

  A group of California-based startups and early-stage data management companies are promising CIOs ways to plug gaps in the data-to-insight value chain  Continue Reading

• How modern business intelligence shapes up to big data

  Business intelligence and analytics strategies have evolved in recent years in the face of big data. Here, we get a supplier CEO perspective, some analyst counsel, and testimony from Nationwide, Schroders and King  Continue Reading

• How to find a much sought-after data scientist

  Every organisation seems to be hunting for a data scientist, but securing the right people with the right skills is a challenge  Continue Reading

• Futuristic logistics: retailers focused on rapid delivery

  From Asos Instant to Ocado Zoom, and a host of new services in between, rapid delivery is gaining traction in UK retail in an attempt to meet customer demand  Continue Reading

• Choosing the right kind of hybrid cloud management

  We look at the various factors businesses should consider when looking to solve their cloud management problems  Continue Reading

• Is it too soon for AI in the education landscape?

  This year saw education secretary Damian Hinds call for more tech in schools to help reduce teacher workload, but are schools ready, and how do we fix the pressing issues faced by UK education?  Continue Reading

• Counting the costs of IaaS and SaaS

  Cost management is a priority for organisations seeking to use infrastructure and software as a service  Continue Reading

• Steering a safe course through hybrid cloud

  We look at why hybrid cloud can create a tricky infrastructure to manage  Continue Reading

• Can work allocation algorithms play fair?

  Allocating work by algorithm might have advantages for workers as well as employers. Can it be done fairly and with respect for “human capital”?  Continue Reading

• Inside the AI developer’s toolbox

  With so much artificial intelligence, machine learning and deep learning in development, we look at the kit programmers might find useful in their AI toolbox  Continue Reading

• West Midlands Police turns to predictive analytics

  Force is developing a system to identify potential perpetrators of violent crime and aims to target resources – but how viable is the system and what are the challenges?  Continue Reading

• The nightmare driving test: How to make sure self-driving cars are safe

  Simulating realistic environments using deep learning to enable self-driving cars to learn the rules of the road will prove more useful than any amount of real-world practice. We find out why, and meet the people doing something about it  Continue Reading

• Compute strategies for AI applications

  Devising compute strategies for AI applications can be challenging. Find out about the hardware, network and software frameworks available  Continue Reading

• NetSuite CEO Evan Goldberg: Oracle ownership is symbiotic

  Evan Goldberg, chief executive officer and founder of NetSuite, talks about the company’s narrative, from cloud applications pioneer to its acquisition by Oracle  Continue Reading

• A cloud compliance checklist for the GDPR age

  The cloud is supposed to make things simpler, but when it comes to compliance, things can get complex. Here is a look at the essential elements of a cloud compliance strategy  Continue Reading

• Tableau CEO Adam Selipsky talks strategy

  Tableau’s CEO, Adam Selipsky, talks strategy and business intelligence trends with Computer Weekly. He asserts enterprise relevance for Tableau, predicts BI tools consolidation and a ubiquitous user base for analytics  Continue Reading

• Where next for AI? Understanding business use cases

  IT leaders share their views on artificial intelligence and how to take advantage of the technology to benefit their businesses  Continue Reading

• Southern Water’s centralised data team geared for silo busting

  Southern Water has centralised its data specialists and overhauled its data management and business intelligence technology to support business decision-making at scale  Continue Reading

• Storage 101: Structured data and its storage needs

  Structured data is declining as a proportion of all data but its importance to business applications and its organised nature make its storage requirements very specific  Continue Reading

• Interview: Andy Berks, digital product director, Asos

  Asos’s digital product director Andy Berks talks about how the online retailer has used AI and machine learning technologies – and why the needs of the customer have to come first  Continue Reading

• Time for a truce in IT’s battle with RPA

  Lack of governance and limited resources have put IT departments at loggerheads with business-led robotic process automation. But RPA and IT teams can help each other out – if they play nice  Continue Reading

• When is it best to stick with paper?

  Going digital has been seen as the thing to do, but there can be limits to digital and there's an enduring value to paper. Digital isn’t always best  Continue Reading

• Top 10 cloud storage stories of 2018

  Top trends in cloud storage in 2018 included key enablers of hybrid- and multi-cloud such as native cloud storage, array makers’ cloud appliances and distributed file systems  Continue Reading

• Managing digital change: The CIO challenge for 2019

  As technology changes have an increasing impact on organisations, 2019 is the year when CIOs must adapt their teams to better manage digital disruption and business innovation  Continue Reading

• Amazon AI debacle won’t stop adoption for recruitment

  The sexist artificial intelligence recruitment debacle at Amazon should prove a blip as the technology gains ground in and for human resources departments  Continue Reading

• Automation key to unravelling mysteries of the universe at CERN

  How CERN is using enterprise asset management from Infor and ramping up the automation of its IT services to plumb the depths of the universe  Continue Reading

• How Australia is keeping pace with microservices

  Adoption of microservices remains patchy in Australia, although some sectors pursuing digital transformation are catching up rapidly  Continue Reading

• Antisocial media and AI in play at Oxford Science and Ideas Festival

  Facebook and other forms of social media were discussed at two linked events at the Oxford Science and Ideas Festival, alongside artificial intelligence and how it might augment humanity  Continue Reading

• How to build SME storage using public cloud storage

  Small companies can often take advantage of public cloud storage offerings to supplement or replace on-premise infrastructure. We look at key options in file, block and object storage  Continue Reading

• Cloud clearance: Working out the best way forward

  Making sense of who does what in the cloud, and which providers are the best fit for your business, can be a difficult process for enterprises to work through  Continue Reading

• Options for deferring or upgrading to S/4 Hana

  Businesses on SAP ERP Core Component software will need to consider what they plan to do after 2025. We investigate the options open to them  Continue Reading

• IBM pushes boundaries of AI, but insists companies take an ethical approach

  Researchers at IBM are pushing the boundaries of what artificial intelligence and machine learning can do, but remain wary of the ethical implications that accompany the proliferation of this technology  Continue Reading

• Is Azure ready to go cloud-native?

  We look at the suitability of Microsoft’s Azure platform for deploying cloud-native applications  Continue Reading

• A guide to choosing cloud infrastructure services

  We take a look at the considerations when choosing infrastructure as a service, and what needs to be in place for enterprises to get the most out of the cloud computing technology  Continue Reading

• Transform business with microservices and containers

  We look at how DevOps and microservice-based technology have advanced IT architectures  Continue Reading

• A new era of collaboration for the NHS

  Great Ormond Street Hospital's new research and innovation unit, Drive, marks a significant shift towards greater collaboration between NHS organisations and third-party industry partners  Continue Reading

• Google Cloud CTO Brian Stevens on using open source for competitive advantage in the public cloud

  Google Cloud CTO Brian Stevens on how the enterprise cloud conversation is changing, and why not all supplier declarations about supporting open source technologies are quite what they seem  Continue Reading

• Digital transformation makes team players of suppliers – caveat emptor

  C-level executives organising digital transformation programmes prefer their suppliers to work as a single team. But it is not all plain sailing  Continue Reading

• Software requirements for international aid go beyond cloud and apps

  Aid workers in extreme situations don’t always have stable access to the software they need over the cloud. Find out how they work around this  Continue Reading

• GlaxoSmithKline R&D CDO on combining Hadoop and Docker to boost drug discovery efforts

  Mark Ramsey, chief digital officer of research and development at GSK, describes how banking on big data, containers and on-premise technologies is speeding up the company’s efforts to uncover new drugs and improve the hit rate of its clinical trials  Continue Reading

• Chromebooks and G Suite: a good working alternative

  We look at Chromebooks as collaboration clients, both in Google-oriented and mixed-platform environments  Continue Reading

• Windows Virtual Desktops: Microsoft takes virtual Windows mainstream on Azure

  Microsoft is fleshing out its virtual desktop proposition by allowing enterprises to access Windows via its Azure platform, but what does this mean for its competitors?  Continue Reading

• Focus on content collaboration strategies

  Content collaboration platforms can enable businesses to create an agile and modern digital workplace  Continue Reading

• Executive interview: Sebastian Krause, general manager, IBM Cloud Europe

  IBM Cloud Europe general manager Sebastian Krause opens up about Big Blue's big bets on hybrid cloud, enterprise IT and why the public cloud market is not one it is interested in playing in  Continue Reading

• How to implement a multicloud storage strategy

  We look at how to build a multicloud storage strategy and benefits such as performance, availability and features, as well as potential limitations such as data mobility  Continue Reading

• Why are so few electric vehicles used for online shopping deliveries?

  UK retailers appear to be in the electric vehicle slow lane when it comes to online shopping deliveries, but changes are imminent  Continue Reading

• Trust and openness vital to get benefits from supply chain automation

  Supply chain automation is benefiting from new technological developments, such as blockchain, 5G and machine learning – as companies such as Maersk, Opel and Nestlé are proving  Continue Reading

• Shell CTO Yuri Sebregts talks about using AI to amplify the human impact of its workforce

  Digital transformation is a multi-decade process for Shell, with artificial intelligence presenting the oil and gas giant with new opportunities to ramp up the productivity of its workforce, its CTO explains  Continue Reading

• OpenStack storage update 2018: After Rocky

  Snapshots and container storage support are among recently added functionality in the open source private cloud platform, but vendor driver support for OpenStack is not universal  Continue Reading

• Intelligent automation and the WAN: Is SD-WAN moving mainstream?

  Take-up of software-defined networking in corporates is slower than expected. Where have we reached on the journey to software-controlled networks – and SD-WAN in particular – becoming the norm?  Continue Reading

• Colocation and the hyperscalers: What the cloud giants want in a datacentre partner

  The colocation market is booming on the back of the growing demand from the hyperscale cloud giants for readily available datacentre capacity, but why are some operators more successful than others when it comes to landing their business?  Continue Reading

• Mobile-first strategy rings true for jeweller

  Mobile has played a key role in how London jeweller Taylor & Hart has changed the rules for buying a ring  Continue Reading

• Doorstep challenge: How retailers are innovating on delivery and fulfilment

  Every retailer selling online in 2018 needs great shipping options for customers who have got used to an expanding list of choices. How are some retailers developing the proposition, and where does technology fit into the equation?  Continue Reading

• How is Google taking on Microsoft Office in retail?

  Carrefour represents a big-name contract win for Google’s G Suite, but will Microsoft Office still be dominant across retail?  Continue Reading

• Flash storage in the cloud from the big cloud providers

  We survey the big three cloud providers – AWS, Azure and Google – and find a range of mostly block storage flash storage options with performance choices available  Continue Reading

• Employers turn to wearable technology to help staff manage work-life balance

  Companies are realising that there are sound business reasons for ensuring their employees get enough sleep and exercise, so they are turning to wearable technology to help their staff stay healthy, despite the pressures of work  Continue Reading

• Blockchain delivers value with food sourcing system

  Blockchain systems for food and drink are proving their value with tuna fishing, fresh food supply, and ecologically sound food sourcing  Continue Reading

• How the big five storage array makers tier data to the cloud

  We look at the big five storage array makers' efforts to connect on-premise hardware with cloud storage and find automated tiering, on-ramps, and backup and archive capability  Continue Reading

• The use cases, challenges and benefits behind retail AI

  Retailers have been collecting customer data for years, and with AI technology now available to help them use it effectively, they’re jumping at the chance – but what challenges lie ahead?  Continue Reading

• DevOps and containers: How to get connected

  We look at how to apply a DevOps approach to a container-based microservices architecture  Continue Reading

• Virtual storage appliances in the cloud from the big five

  We survey the big five storage hardware makers’ cloud offerings. Virtual storage appliances available range from storage and backup/data protection to nothing at all  Continue Reading

• Nigel Shadbolt on why the UK is well placed to lead on the ethics of AI

  Nigel Shadbolt, principal of Jesus College, Oxford and co-founder of the Open Data Institute, underscores the ethics of artificial intelligence, and says it will shape the naked ape as tools always have  Continue Reading

• National Archives races to create electronic archive of EU law before Brexit

  The National Archives faces challenges converting the EU's enormous library of laws into a publicly accessible UK archive ahead of Brexit. The Archives’ digital director, John Sheridan, explains how  Continue Reading

• Tips on reducing unnecessary cloud service costs

  As IT departments prepare their 2019 budgets, we assess how to avoid paying too much for cloud services  Continue Reading

• Inside DevOps, containers and enterprise security

  Global corporates are waking up to containers and orchestrated containerisation for software development that is fast and safe. Computer Weekly looks at the best approach to ensure security is not compromised along the way  Continue Reading

• Hybrid cloud a key milestone on the road to cloud storage

  The cloud seems to lend itself to use as a storage location. There are lots of bumps in the road, however, and hybrid cloud should be a key medium-term aim for organisations  Continue Reading

• Servitisation: What it is and how it can transform companies

  The idea that every product-based company needs to put service first is a radical shift in how businesses organise themselves. Is it more than rhetoric?  Continue Reading

• Interview: Dame Stephanie ‘Steve’ Shirley: 'Scared silly' by Brexit

  Renowned entrepreneur and philanthropist Steve Shirley talks robots teaching children, and why Brexit has her “scared silly”  Continue Reading

• Future tech cannot be ‘defined by a particular population’, says CA executive

  As new technologies are developed, companies could take the opportunity to hire more diversely to ensure offerings cater to a wider demographic  Continue Reading

• Has collaboration software wrought perilous communication overload?

  A new generation of collaborative software, such as Slack and Microsoft Teams, could prove a knowledge management boon. But does it have a dark side of communication overload?  Continue Reading

• Data protection for containers: Why and how to do Docker backup

  Containers such as those from Docker are agile, lightweight and can be short-lived, but they and their data often need to be protected. We look at the key options available  Continue Reading

• Streamline infrastructure management through robotic automation

  Robotic automation is changing the infrastructure management game, helping IT departments make fewer mistakes and boost their productivity  Continue Reading

• Guinness World Records bets on Office 365 and AWS to boost business expansion

  Rob Howe, director of IT at Guinness World Records, opens up about how cloud is supporting the organisation’s ongoing push to diversify its business  Continue Reading

• Enhance efficiency by automating IT services

  We look at the role of artificial intelligence and chatbots in IT service management  Continue Reading

• DevOps done right: Securing grassroots support for a top-down DevOps enterprise push

  As more and more enterprises rush to join the DevOps movement, practitioners share details of how they secured grassroots support for their senior leadership team's top-down agile adoption mandates  Continue Reading

• Cloud HCI survey: Cloud functionality in hyper-converged infrastructure

  We look at how you can use hyper-converged infrastructure to build private clouds and link up with public cloud services to develop hybrid and multi-cloud working  Continue Reading

• Why AI must move beyond pattern-matching

  Artificial intelligence and deep learning have revolutionised applications such as computer vision, but more complex problems require a different approach  Continue Reading

• Containers and storage: Array suppliers’ container capabilities

  We look at what the big five storage array makers – Dell EMC, Hitachi, HPE, IBM and NetApp – are doing to provide persistent storage for container-based deployments  Continue Reading

• Let automation take away the tedium

  Computer Weekly looks at how far the suppliers of systems management tools and associated products have progressed with automation  Continue Reading

• Cloud storage: Amazon vs Azure vs Google vs IBM Softlayer

  Computer Weekly looks at the biggest four cloud storage providers, how they stand in the market, the products they offer, and which offers the widest range of products and features  Continue Reading

• Manufacturers, technology and the fourth industrial revolution

  A look at some of the innovations and technology investment focus areas for today’s manufacturing industry  Continue Reading

• Adapting to the rise of the holistic application

  A containerised, componentised and compartmentalised approach to software presents CIOs with the challenge of managing a more complex environment  Continue Reading