In Depth

In Depth

IT hardware

• RS/6000, serving and stats

  All IBM's servers are being promoted by the company as web servers.  Continue Reading

• A new way of networking

  As organisations demand more storage space on their networks, the traditional thin client model struggles to cope, Cliff Saran...  Continue Reading

• Networking: the Category 6 question

  Companies wanting to take advantage of high-speed networking technologies face confusion over which cabling they require, Antony...  Continue Reading

• Friend or Foe?

  Rob Coppinger makes the case for recycling PCs and gives tips on energy saving  Continue Reading

• Resigned to frustration: tell all to the web

  Sick of work? Technology writer Kate Baggott would like to know how you are going to kiss your job goodbye.  Continue Reading

• Drop the dead cyberdonkey

  She's the sedentary Lara Croft - real-time news, virtually, from a virtual person. Danny Bradbury reports  Continue Reading

• Giving machines the human touch

  Applying computerisation to customer services is a tricky business. The key to success, writes Julia Vowler, is to spend a lot of...  Continue Reading

• Microsoft antitrust case could drag on for years

  Microsoft's legal battle with the US Justice Department and 19 US states could continue for years, it emerged this week  Continue Reading

• PocketPC set to rival 3Com's Palm

  Microsoft officially launched the PocketPC, its much-anticipated rival to 3Com's successful Palm operating system, earlier this...  Continue Reading

• Mobile working: only the quick will survive

  WAP and Bluetooth claim to create viable mobile solutions. Proper planning, ingenious service provision and outsourced support is...  Continue Reading

• Options for building a high-speed network

  There are a number of technologies available for building the high speed network of the future. The network interfaces include Gigabit Ethernet and Fibre Channel  Continue Reading

• Getting your house in order

  When an audit of its UK sites revealed that only half of electronics manufacturer Celestica's PCs had 486 or Pentium chips, it...  Continue Reading

• Scalable storage solutions for businesses

  When determining the storage needs of your business, it is essential to pick a hardware partner with high quality products as...  Continue Reading

• PC-based training motivates students

  Projects to introduce computer-based training need leadership from senior management. And, despite initial falls in productivity,...  Continue Reading

• The INS and outs of AS/400 server consolidation

  IBM, with the introduction of the File Server IOP (FSIOP) board for the AS/400 signalled its drive for server consolidation by...  Continue Reading

• Tomorrow's storage world dawns today

  What new technologies and systems are emerging to help IT managers cope with the ever-increasing demand for storage? Nick...  Continue Reading

• SANs approaching the final hurdles

  Before becoming widely accepted by user organisations, storage area networks need standards. Nick Enticknap examines progress so...  Continue Reading

• A return to multi-tiered networks solves the data storage dilemma

  Despite interoperability problems, Sans could be the answer to increasing data storage needs, writes Ian Murphy  Continue Reading

• Tailored marketing to your needs

  Distributing product information can be an expensive business. Liz Warren reports on how the Xerox Channel Group drove down its...  Continue Reading

• Storing the big e-data mountain

  As e-business/commerce takes off, so the data it generates grows exponentially, producing major ramifications for storage and IT...  Continue Reading

• Different horses for different courses

  It's not surprising that there is confusion about Storage Area Networks (SANs) and Network Attached Storage (NAS). Frank Booty...  Continue Reading

• Data is today's currency

  Larry Orecklin, Tivoli's vice president and general manager of storage management business, explains why companies' data is...  Continue Reading

• ATM - alive and kicking

  The vast majority of the world's telephone and data connections pass over ATM networks. But does the exuberance over ADSL mean...  Continue Reading

• The future of the home PC

  With numerous new computing devices appearing on the market, what does the future hold for the home PC?  Continue Reading

• Father of computing

  James Essinger looks at a new book on Charles Babbage - considered to be the father of computing - which claims his lack of...  Continue Reading

• Cabling for the future

  The structured cabling topology that a business chooses is a decision that will affect network performance for years to come  Continue Reading

• Meeting and the art of using them to get your way

  David Taylor looks at the dynamic of the office meeting - and shows you how you can get what you want from them  Continue Reading

• Nortel to buy XroS

  Nortel Networks has agreed to purchase Silicon Valley-based Xros in a stock swap deal valued at about $3.25bn. The company has...  Continue Reading

• BCS examination increases numbers by 30%

  
  
  Tina Milton The professional examination of the British Computer Society (BCS), launched in Spring 1999, has achieved a 30% increase in candidate...  Continue Reading

• Fire Brigade makes big savings with thin client

  The replacement of PCs in favour of NCD Windows terminals has cut support costs  Continue Reading

• Fibre is the future

  The Fibre Channel interface has the advantage of huge bandwidth. But it is currently too expensive for most businesses  Continue Reading

• Fault tolerance: A SMART move

  The SMART system allows for a high degree of fault tolerance when incorporated in hard disk drives  Continue Reading

• A Wyse move switching to Windows 2000

  Wyse Technology shows how migrating to Windows 2000 could be an ideal opportunity to move large parts of the network onto a thin...  Continue Reading

• White Paper: Network testing

  Network testing provides a way to compile an inventory of a system’s set-up. Businesses stand to benefit from a thorough...  Continue Reading

• Fat or thin?

  The fat PC and the thin client continue to slug it out for control of the corporate desktop. Lindsay Clark assesses the two...  Continue Reading

• IBM refutes rumours of a lack of interest in PCs

  IBM has dismissed suggestions that it is giving up on the PC market as "completely untrue", writes Caroline Davis. Big Blue has...  Continue Reading

• Intel and AMD ramp up desktop processors with 1GHz chips

  1000 MHz of processing power could be wasted on many business users  Continue Reading

• Cheaper Net access, more casualties?

  
  
  Whatever Tony Blair wants he gets. So after his call for the UK to have unmetered access to the Internet, it is no surprise that it is happening. Alta...  Continue Reading

• IDE: past, present and future

  The ubiquitous IDE interface has evolved over the years by incorporating new features and increasing throughput. Its successor,...  Continue Reading

• Coping with the storage explosion

  You may have ten times more data to store in five years' time than you do now. Jane Dudman looks at your management options  Continue Reading

• White Paper: Wireless Application Protocol – the corporate perspective

  Modern business demands rapid access to information on the move. With a homogenous platform for data accessibility through mobile...  Continue Reading

• Book Review: Ethernet - The Definitive Guide

  Ethernet technology is ubiquitous across the modern business environment. In-depth knowledge of the theory behind the acronyms is...  Continue Reading

• The question

  Which training course?  Continue Reading

• What we can all learn from Linux

  
  
  At first sight it may not be entirely clear what the stock market listing of VA Linux in December last year has to do with e-business and technology. But...  Continue Reading

• Win2000 - don't forget the software

  Danny Bradbury looks at complementary technologies being lined up to take advantage of Windows 2000  Continue Reading

• Mobile devices could outsell wristwatches

  This week sees the start of CeBIT, Europe's largest technology event, and mobile computing is dominating.  Continue Reading

• How to make a web travel site really sticky

  christopher Roberts has had huge success as the project manger of Expedia.co.uk - what is the secret of his success?  Continue Reading

• San and deliver: solving your storage problems

  Storage area networks offer the flexibility to mix and match storage system suppliers, as well as allowing storage to be...  Continue Reading

• Virus writers don't have girlfriends

  
  
  Tina Milton

  Virus writers are male social outcasts who don't have girlfriends, according to Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at...

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• Extending choice in enterprise computing

  With more sophisticated hardware coming to market, the much-hyped development of Windows 2000, and a more positive attitude toward designing bespoke systems to meet particular needs, it's no longer true to say that enterprise computing is based on ...  Continue Reading

• Making e-government a reality

  The Gala project will combine local government services with the Internet in one easy to use package.  Continue Reading

• Internet users evolve into loners

  
  
  Tina Milton

  Internet users are becoming loners who are outcast from normal society. This was revealed as part of a Stanford University study...

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• Why storage area networks are set to succeed

  Storage demands are doubling every two years and users still require easy access. As data management and storage become big business, the storage area network looks set to come out on top. Phillip Hunter reports  Continue Reading

• Clash of the storage titans

  In the high-end storage market major IT suppliers and a lone storage specialist are slugging it out in the fight for lucrative...  Continue Reading

• BCS scheme aiming to IT-enable the disabled

  
  
  A scheme for putting volunteer IT specialists in touch with disabled people to help them with IT has been launched around the four BCS branches in...  Continue Reading

• Storage: when NAS met SAN

  Two enterprise storage technologies that were fighting each other for customers have now taken off the gloves and committed to...  Continue Reading

• Ultra160 SCSI: the next generation

  The new Ultra160 SCSI interface provides better bandwidth while maintaining full compatibility with previous standards  Continue Reading

• Calling time on boring sites

  When trendy watch retailer Face for Watches decided to launch an e-commerce site it wanted its online store to reflect the...  Continue Reading

• Case Study: Adobe Photoshop 5.5

  Local authorities are not renowned for their design prowess. However, Tower Hamlets’ Year 2000 calendar is one notable exception  Continue Reading

• Transmeta takes on silicon giant as battery battles hot up

  The battle to deliver more battery power to laptops and personal digital assistants has started in earnes  Continue Reading

• Thin clients enter the space age

  From versatile desktop terminals to the next generation of mobile phones, today’s thin client technology promises improved...  Continue Reading

• The mobile marketplace: let battle commence

  When Crusoe met SpeedStep, which left the bigger footprint in the sand?  Continue Reading

• Case Study: Windows 2000 meets thin clients

  The University of Bournemouth is one of the first examples of a major thin client deployment under Windows 2000  Continue Reading

• One 2 One cuts costs with Citrix Metaframe

  Users are now buying into the concept that most computing can be safely run on the server, leaving desktop clients easier and...  Continue Reading

• Computer Weekly shapes the century

  
  
  It's official, Computer Weekly is one of the 10 most influential business magazines of the 20th century. Campaign, the bible of the advertising...  Continue Reading

• Switch to thin client cuts support costs for council

  Facing tighter budgets and the need to be more responsive to public requirements, local and city councils are finding it...  Continue Reading

• Jack of all trades, master of none

  
  
  The Problem

  I have a problem in that I have moved around a bit and gained experience in a few areas of IT, namely mainframe operating, Unix...

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• Internet to become major product support tool

  
  
  Tina Milton

  The amount of money that companies spend on e-support is to jump dramatically over the next four years. It will grow from under $2...

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• National Blood Service IT implementation confounds poor prognosis

  The man in charge of delivering the new IT system for the National Blood Service explains how, against the expectations of many,...  Continue Reading

• White Paper: Tape Drive I/O Interfaces: SCSI or EIDE?

  Quality, performance and scalability versus short term savings  Continue Reading

• Protection on the move

  How secure is the information in your laptop and what can you do to protect company secrets once they are taken out of the...  Continue Reading

• Put your money where your mouse is

  Most computer users use a mouse or pointing devices. How do you find the one that’s right for you?  Continue Reading

• Beyond the screen: the digital TV revolution

  Interactive digital television is coming to a set top box near you  Continue Reading

• White Paper: An analysis of the differences in hypertextual and linear discourse

  “Hypertext” can be defined as the use of the computer to transcend the linear qualities of traditional text, and there are many...  Continue Reading

• Case Study: ProLiant servers by Compaq

  Building a gas pipeline connecting Britain and the continent proved to be an enormous task, but it’s proved to be a project built...  Continue Reading

• White Paper: Negotiating the network rapids

  Any small and medium-sized enterprise looking to set up a network is faced with a myriad of choices for implementation  Continue Reading

• White Paper: Environmental Audio Technology

  While the ultimate goal of environmental audio (making the illusion absolutely perfect) has not yet been attained, EAX provides a...  Continue Reading

• White Paper: The cost of security on Cisco Routers

  With security threats on the Internet and within your own network, you can protect your data further by using Access Control...  Continue Reading

• White Paper: The science of sublimation

  Dye sublimation is somewhat limited in application. You usually need special transfer paper to accomplish this and it is best...  Continue Reading

• Case Study: UNIX and Windows NT web server technology

  Since 1988, UUNET has closely monitored developments in web server technology. Today, the company uses both UNIX and Windows NT...  Continue Reading

• White Paper: Battery availability - a true measure of mobile productivity

  While lightness and battery life are useful measures of a notebook’s appeal, the battery recharge time also needs considering  Continue Reading

• Case Study: Hardwall protects school computers from teenage tampering

  PCs in the classroom are often a hard won asset for schools, but how do you protect them from over enthusiastic and untrained...  Continue Reading

• White Paper: DVD-RAM: Is it a reliable technology?

  DVD-RAM is a high capacity storage technology that could become the true successor to the older CD-R and CD-RW formats. In...  Continue Reading

• White Paper: Video editing servers

  Video editing servers should not be treated as just data file servers. This informative white paper from Mercury Computer Systems...  Continue Reading

• Case Study: Combining remote access and VPN

  A fast broadband linkup along with user-friendly software provides easy remote access to thousands of Microsoft employees  Continue Reading

• Case Study: Uninterrupted power supplies by Powerware Corporation

  A UPS is now a mandatory requirement for any company hoping to protect critical applications such as email and web servers  Continue Reading

• Case Study: Laptops by Acer and On-Line Computers

  A new study shows that providing children with easy access to laptop computers can greatly enhance their educational experience  Continue Reading

• White Paper: DVD - media of the future

  C-Cube Microsystems designs and markets integrated circuits that implement international standards for digital images. This white...  Continue Reading

• Case Study: Hewlett-Packard Information Storage

  The data generated by a Formula One design team creates its own storage problems. It needs to be backed up securely and swiftly,...  Continue Reading

• White Paper: An introduction to thin client computing

  The once simple PC has grown in complexity and its use in manipulating corporate data has brought a whole new set of problems to...  Continue Reading

• Case Study: Windows NT Terminal Server

  Texaco is a global enterprise with employees located all over the world. Some of these locations present considerable...  Continue Reading

• Case Study: Matrox’s DigiSuite real-time video editing tools

  News and Sports television coverage needs real-time video editing tools. For the 1996 summer Olympics the BBC successfully used...  Continue Reading

• White Paper: TWAIN’s world

  Scanners enable us to use images to bring bland pages alive. This white paper outlines what TWAIN is and how scanners operate  Continue Reading

• White Paper: From here to 3G: An Introduction to third generation mobile services

  Mobile telephony allowed us to talk on the move. The Internet turned raw data into helpful services that were easy to use. Now,...  Continue Reading

• Case Study: The Ericsson I888

  Cass Gilbert is cycling from Sydney to London – the Ericsson I888 is reliable and works worldwide  Continue Reading

• Case Study: Ultra Enterprise 4000 servers from Sun Microsystems

  Servers with powerful CPUs helped to dramatically reduce design and verification costs of new generation memory chips at Siemens...  Continue Reading

• White Paper: Ultra SCSI to Fibre: The preferred performance path

  If users require first class performance and protection of their current investment in Fiber Channel, the FC-AL interface is the...  Continue Reading

• Case Study: UltraSPARC-based systems from Sun Microsystems

  A research laboratory proves that choosing the right computing environment can significantly improve performance  Continue Reading

• White Paper: Remote access using Windows NT

  For organisations planning to migrate to Windows NT networks, there are a number of remote access options. But they require...  Continue Reading

• White Paper: AGP - The new interface

  Graphics Adapters, that make good use of the AGP interfaces, can dramatically improve performance  Continue Reading