In Depth

In Depth

IT risk management

• Doctors feel left out of NHSIT plans

  Support from clinicians for the government's £2.3bn national programme for IT (NPfIT) in the NHS seems to be faltering just as...  Continue Reading

• Stormy weather

  Take a leaf from the books of three IT directors who have endured serious management and technology problems and successfully...  Continue Reading

• MPs slam lack of clarity in ID card scheme

  Home Affairs Select Committee criticises the government's plans to introduce national ID cards as poorly thought out and lacking...  Continue Reading

• Cash in on invention

  IT directors could be in danger of unwittingly breaking patents if a draft EU directive is enacted. But they could also steal a...  Continue Reading

• Nature leads the way

  Ant hills are an unlikely source of inspiration, but some large organisations are developing biologically-based techniques in the...  Continue Reading

• Finance giants unwittingly offer 'phishers' a line

  Leading financial institutions have adopted a more aggressive attitude toward online identity theft cons known as "phishing...  Continue Reading

• Hack-proof and crash resistant - have you discovered the OS world's best-kept secret?

  OpenVMS offers unmatched robustness for business-critical apps  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

• Compliance: Make it work for you

  Compliance offers the opportunity for IT directors to overhaul business processes, make major savings and increase efficiency....  Continue Reading

• Decision not to publish Gateway reviews does not bear scrutiny - and here's why

  It is in the public interest to publish reviews of public sector IT projects.  Continue Reading

• MaxDB fitted out with 64-bit support

  SAP and partner MySQL are building support for 64-bit computing into SAP's open-source database.  Continue Reading

• I'm mobile, fly me

  A field force brandishing PDAs can give a company an instant lift. But cultural, operational and security issues need to be...  Continue Reading

• Bichard criticisms spur Home Office move on national police intelligence network

  Police forces in England and Wales lag behind Scottish data management model  Continue Reading

• This sporting IT life

  International sport can offer the IT professional a unique opportunity to work in a field they feel passionately about. Lindsay...  Continue Reading

• Inland Revenue readies itself for handover

  The Inland Revenue is about to transfer its IT systems and staff from EDS to Capgemini, but will its beleaguered tax systems cope...  Continue Reading

• The art of successful offshore outsourcing

  Even IT executives who have successfully outsourced parts of their services abroad can tell you the road to profitable relations...  Continue Reading

• Rise in web-based help opens up career path for technical writers

  Technical writers reduce pressure on the IT helpdesk  Continue Reading

• Arup dumps 80 devices for a 32Tbyte San

  Engineering consultancy Arup has migrated from direct-attached storage to a storage area network using a centralised storage...  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

• Finance firm gives IT staff chance to improve skills and specialise

  Open-minded approach helps to develop staff  Continue Reading

• Experts voice concern over national identity cards

  Experts voice concern that thte government's ID card scheme goes beyond its brief and could raise data protection issues and...  Continue Reading

• On the edge

  Too many costly government IT projects come to grief or badly fail to live up to expectations. Tony Collins examines the common...  Continue Reading

• Cyberthreats create change

  Interview with GM security chief, Eric Litt  Continue Reading

• What makes a successful project?

  Lessons from the Tif Awards shortlist  Continue Reading

• Attack forces name server host to increase security

  Akamai Technologies said that the Domain Name System problems it encountered were the result of a sophisticated and targeted...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: Bloated by a surfeit of spam

  Even Simon Moores' Gmail account is not immune  Continue Reading

• Minimising the risk of change - Managing the IT Services Process by Noel Bruton

  All changes to systems, methods and processes carry with them some element of risk.  Continue Reading

• Plugging the gaps as e-deadline nears

  Councils have until December 2005 to deliver services electronically. Continuing our focus on e-government challenges, Liz Warren...  Continue Reading

• Be transparent about IT charges

  Businesses are demanding greater accountability from IT directors about who pays what for IT - and why. Helen Beckett evaluates...  Continue Reading

• Strategy Clinic: How can you test disaster recovery plans?

  Our disaster recovery plan works in theory. I would like to be sure it works in practice. We have tested parts of it but the...  Continue Reading

• How to plug online gaps

  Product security is at risk from application-level attacks  Continue Reading

• Firms put vital data at risk by lax disc disposal

  Businesses are being urged to review their policies for disposing of old computer equipment after hard disc drives containing...  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

• Why Witty is no laughing matter

  There could be worse to come, warns Bruce Schneier.  Continue Reading

• Don't let disgruntled staff land you in court

  A recent survey conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers on behalf of the DTI found that 90% of larger firms had a malicious security...  Continue Reading

• Council IT manager calls for Whitehall guidance on plans for user authentication

  New system means Medway Council is set to meet the e-gov deadline, but there is no point rolling out smartcards if ID cards will...  Continue Reading

• interSeptor aims for mobile continuity

  In the wake of the recent major outage in mobile communication in Manchester, UK company Jacarta is aiming to spread the word on...  Continue Reading

• Accountable to whom?

  The blaming of the pilots for the fatal crash of their Chinook helicopter on the Mull of Kintyre on 2 June 1994 highlights the...  Continue Reading

• Council takes aim at housing fraud with biometric signature verification system

  Hillingdon's housing system reduces fraud and increases efficiency  Continue Reading

• Fences can't protect you

  Secure "islands" will keep data out of the wrong hands  Continue Reading

• Efficiency must be balanced with security

  Networks will be bigger and faster in future but they may not be safer  Continue Reading

• Strong personal skills and certification are key to becoming a successful project leader

  Studies highlight need for good project managers  Continue Reading

• Are intelligent Ethernet products all that clever?

  Steve Broadhead, director of Broadband-Testing Labs, evaluates two products that boost network performance through traffic...  Continue Reading

• Can you trust your staff?

  Management, not products, is the key to security  Continue Reading

• BAT: cost savings justified potential risk of choosing start-up supplier for integration

  BAT considers Cast Iron System's low-cost lightweight hardware to be risk free  Continue Reading

• Hackers on the move

  As more employers are issuing mobile devices, the problem of securing company data is becoming ever more acute. Danny Bradbury...  Continue Reading

• Mobile benefits

  Local authorities are a natural choice for championing mobile technology and staff in the field have numerous uses for it. Julia...  Continue Reading

• Strategy clinic: Communication builds project confidence

  This week we publish a selection of readers' solutions to recent Strategy Clinic problems  Continue Reading

• European Council approves 'controversial' software patent draft directive

  The European Council has approved a controversial draft directive which will open the way for the patenting of software in Europe...  Continue Reading

• Cops cut paperwork

  Police officers in the field are to have the chance of cutting down on their paperwork by being able to dictate incidents onto a...  Continue Reading

• Embrace e-Gif standards

  Industry should welcome interoperability framework  Continue Reading

• Teenage hackers shame IT industry again

  Schoolboy Sven Jaschan has been arrested for releasing the Sasser worm, but law agencies are clueless as to how to stop many...  Continue Reading

• RSA releases combination security

  RSA Security has developed a new security system that combines two-factor authentication with federated security.  Continue Reading

• Watch out for internal attacks

  Your end-users could be your worst enemies in undermining IT security systems. Whether they are giving away their passwords for...  Continue Reading

• Be sure of a living legacy

  How can IT directors save costs and boost innovation?  Continue Reading

• Financial regulations offer career opportunities for IT professionals

  Forthcoming corporate governance regulations, such as Basel 2 and Sarbanes-Oxley, will require IT systems to be integrated across...  Continue Reading

• Why paranoia is good

  Paranoia is good - who exactly is out to get me? That is one of the themes to be addressed by Chris Devine, head of IT at Camelot...  Continue Reading

• Euro MP acts to resolve e-trade law confusion

  MEP Diana Wallis has triggered a move to involve industry, lawyers and academics in harmonising the often conflicting and...  Continue Reading

• Corporate backlash emphasises importance of software testing

  As firms rail against "buggy" code, testing is growth area  Continue Reading

• Sainsbury's marketing campaigns improved by new datawarehouse

  Users reveal their success stories at the global datawarehousing and analytics supplier's annual conference  Continue Reading

• Importance of magazine 'Oscar'

  The decision of judges at the Periodical Publishers Association to choose Computer Weekly for its coveted Campaign of the Year...  Continue Reading

• Which security breaches should companies report to customers?

  Firms should guard against legal claims from aggrieved clients  Continue Reading

• OGC turns up heat on red warnings but refuses to publish Gateway review findings

  Publishing Gateway reviews is out but mandarins will feel the heat if IT projects receive consecutive red warnings, says head of...  Continue Reading

• Staff left in the dark over monitoring technologies

  New technologies and laws are enabling greater communication monitoring. Industry experts argue whether this marks the arrival of...  Continue Reading

• IT is key to data law compliance

  So, Big Brother has got his wicked way then? Every employer harbours a secret ambition to work for the Ministry of Truth?...  Continue Reading

• Reality checks

  The results of the CIO-Connect survey of more than 100 chief information officers reveals that the order of the day is do...  Continue Reading

• Take it to the edge

  Whether the structure of your security organisation be centralised or federated, it needs buy-in from everyone who will implement...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: Who do you think you are?

  Simon Moores asks, will your ID card paint a true picture?  Continue Reading

• Security special report

  We look at the greatest threats and ways to overcome them  Continue Reading

• New employment agency regulations protect IT workers

  New government regulations will give IT professionals and employers greater protection from sharp practice by unscrupulous...  Continue Reading

• Rich internet apps could leave standards advocates with portability problems

  There is a hidden cost in leaving HTML behind when building web applications  Continue Reading

• Move beyond access control

  Devise an effective information management system  Continue Reading

• Opening doors

  Allowing councillors to have secure remote access via an SSL VPN to Surrey Heath's systems was just the start of a business...  Continue Reading

• In search of cleaner mail

  With more than 60% of e-mail now classified as junk, IT managers need a way to police incoming communications. Danny Bradbury has...  Continue Reading

• Planning priorities

  The growth of wireless connectivity is being fuelled by the need for mobile working: the ability to work on a mobile device...  Continue Reading

• UCI cinemas to roll out prevention system for online hacking attacks

  Cinema chain UCI plans to roll out an intrusion, prevention and detection system to protect cinemas and office complexes...  Continue Reading

• HP to release fibre channel disc drives

  Hewlett-Packard is working with disc drive maker Seagate to produce a new class of disc drives called Fibre Attached Technology...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: Stop fighting over risk

  Risk specialists and IT staff need to work together, says Jeremy Ward  Continue Reading

• Government, union and blue-chip firms join to address bullying in the workplace

  IT user groups and unions have welcomed a government-backed campaign to tackle bullying in the workplace. However, the industry...  Continue Reading

• Balance the right level of security with the needs of your end-users

  The balance of security and risk is an issue that affects every aspect of our day-to-day lives. To be absolutely secure means a...  Continue Reading

• Bridging the gap between security and developers

  A lack of common understanding between IT security professionals and application developers is causing security flaws to be built...  Continue Reading

• Probability software can analyse risk

  The systematic analysis of risks and their consequences was born out of the insurance industry. These measures work well in the...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: Peer-to-peer pressure

  Phishers are now exploiting peer-to-peer networks, warns Simon Moores.  Continue Reading

• Beat the storage standardisation problem

  Problems with standardisation in storage networking are leading businesses to abandon cross-platform IP initiatives to...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: Any time, any place, anywhere

  Simon Moores has detected a mood of fatalism among virus-hit businesses  Continue Reading

• Are you storing up trouble for the future?

  Until firms can decide which data to store, for what reason and for how long, IT managers will face difficulties in implementing...  Continue Reading

• Survey reveals that spending and strategy will be the focus for 2004

  The challenges of aligning the IT department to business strategy and responding to change and financial pressure on budgets are...  Continue Reading

• Top 10 issues for network managers in 2004

  With the networking architecture poised to change once again, network managers must examine the top issues in networks this year...  Continue Reading

• Council halves costs and doubles storage by implementing iSCSI

  Fareham Borough Council is one of the first local authorities inthe UK to adopt cut-price iSCSI networking technology for...  Continue Reading

• Keep finance in focus when demerging IT

  When breaking down IT systems in a demerger, IT directors need to focus on the financial implications as well as ensuring a...  Continue Reading

• Firewall updated to block XML attacks

  Firewall supplier Teros has modified its Secure Application Gateway to block attacks via XML-based web services  Continue Reading

• The public and private faces of the programme

  The public and private faces of the national programme are in conflict - and the public face is winning. The side that perceives...  Continue Reading

• Tif members to discuss end of support for NT 4.0

  User group the Corporate IT Forum, Tif, is holding a workshop in London today entitled "Withdrawal of Security Patch Support for...  Continue Reading

• Expert shows dark side of the web and warns users are weakest link

  Becoming a computer criminal or exposing an organisation to risk - maliciously or inadvertently - is as easy as making a few...  Continue Reading

• Spring events cover a full range of IT concerns

  As the IT industry continues its recovery, the busy start to the year continues into the second quarter with an equally hectic...  Continue Reading

• Royal Mail security chief outlines the challenges facing corporate IT

  David Lacey, chairman of the Jericho Forum, provided an insight into the thinking behind the new blue-chip user organisation at...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: Cyberspace, the final frontier

  Simon Moores is still waiting for politicians to take the threat of cyber attack seriously.  Continue Reading

• Return of the bright idea

  Old IT concepts never die, they just get rebranded. Danny Bradbury looks at seven technologies that were hyped as the next big...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: Laptops let in the worms

  Virus problem is likely to get worse, says Jay Heiser.  Continue Reading

• Making Windows more secure

  Microsoft's commitment to improving the overall security of its operating system  Continue Reading