In Depth

In Depth

IT risk management

• Oracle predicts a much simplified future

  Interview: Ian Smith, UK head of Oracle, expects IT directors to become evangelists for simple, cost-effective systems that...  Continue Reading

• The leap to Linux: In the virtuous circle

  Using open-source software like Linux is an obvious choice for many companies. It's stable and can be fixed easily if bugs...  Continue Reading

• Barclays builds Basel-busting banking

  Banking IT As the banking world gears up to face the practicalities of applying the Basel 2 standards to everyday business, one...  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

• If IT fails the firm will too

  Put your IT systems under the shareholder spotlight.  Continue Reading

• Lesson of ICI's plunging shares

  Last week, £400m was wiped off the share value of chemicals giant ICI. Failures in the implementation of a SAP-based supply chain...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: Don't worry about cyber-terrorism

  Since the start of the conflict in Iraq, the number of web attacks has risen. Simon Moores argues we should be more concerned...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: The Office secrets act

  Microsoft's digital rights management service for Windows Server 2003 may seem like the answer to a government minister's prayer,...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: The enemy within

  Is the paranoia over cyber-terrorism a little over the top? Simon Moores is all for vigilance, but considers the government's...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: The death of privacy

  Personal privacy is dead and no amount of EU legislation can revive it, says Simon Moores. Your only hope is to keep off the web.  Continue Reading

• The secret life of printers

  We look at how the OFT’s call for an industry standard governing the total cost of ownership for printers has been received by...  Continue Reading

• Intelligent networks are deliverable, but do enterprises really want them?

  Intelligent networks are capable of high-level data routing, but there is a reluctance by networking suppliers and their...  Continue Reading

• Is your wireless Lan secure? Going back to security basics

  Wireless local area networks can offer a number of advantages over traditional Lans, but there are basic measures IT departments...  Continue Reading

• What's in an IT name?

  What exactly does a chief information officer do?Paul Burfitt, global CIO at AstraZeneca, analysed the various aspects of his job...  Continue Reading

• Traders gear up for chip-and-Pin future

  As trials of the new payment authorisation procedures get under way retailers should be planning to upgrade to meet chip-and-Pin...  Continue Reading

• Security specialists expose damning lack of rigour

  Research reveals that companies are still not taking security seriously, reports Bill Goodwin.  Continue Reading

• Microsoft's security chief asseses cyberterrorism threat

  In an interview Scott Charney, chief security strategist at Microsoft, speaks about his concerns for IT professional during the...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: Catch cyberspace cash thieves

  As thieves get smarter and target the cash in cyberspace, Magnus Ahlberg warns companies must start with securing mobile devices...  Continue Reading

• Don't waste years of work

  The government should look before it leaps in to centralise NHS IT and eviscerate good projects  Continue Reading

• Moves to centralise NHS IT deals could stunt progress

  Many NHS trusts have made many excellent deals for their own IT services. Could government plans to centralise IT purchasing in...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: Security vulnerablities: A fact of life?

  As Microsoft announces yet another "critical" flaw and releases yet another patch, Simon Moores wonders whether the...  Continue Reading

• Beware the lure of cheap chips

  Counterfeit microprocessors are on the market. Most counterfeit chips work, to a varying degree, so do purchasers and wholesalers...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: Is the threat of cyberterror genuine?

  Those in the know agree that the threats of cyberterrorism hyped in the media are wildly unrealistic. The real disruption comes...  Continue Reading

• IT must make do with a smaller piece of pie

  Analysts agree the new financial year will see little improvement in the economy. How will this affect IT budgets and what should...  Continue Reading

• CeBIT: New displays, WLAN - and then there are the exhibits!

  This year's CeBIT is going to be filled with huge, high-resolution, colour screens and packed with wireless LAN base stations --...  Continue Reading

• Financial trades at top speed

  Financial services companies over the next two years will spend an estimated $6bn (£3.7bn) replacing their manual processes by...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the Day: Security in action

  A firewall is just the start. Etienne Greeff describes how to create systems security that really works.  Continue Reading

• IT bosses spare the axe

  IT leaders are rejecting advice from analyst firm Gartner to scrap up to a quarter of their organisations' IT projects to improve...  Continue Reading

• Squeeze more out of your CPUs

  Virtualisation systems aim to reallocate resources according to shifting business needs, maximising CPU usage and saving...  Continue Reading

• Fewer attacks, more damage

  Hackers look for ways to take down as many systems as possible with a single exploit.  Continue Reading

• IT project aims to slash European securities settlement costs by 90%

  An integrated cross-border trading system is set to cut the costs of securities settlements. Nick Huber reports  Continue Reading

• Ready all your IT defences

  There seems to be universal recognition that war with Iraq is inevitable. But while politicians politick and troops mass, the...  Continue Reading

• Former Qwest executives indicted

  Four former executives at telecommunications company Qwest Communications International have been indicted on 12 charges relating...  Continue Reading

• Cisco to share WLan security technology

  Makers of 802.11 wireless Lan clients can now make their products support special security features offered in Cisco Systems...  Continue Reading

• Electronic signature requests in the European electronic invoicing directive

  Will the European electronic invoicing directive require public key infrastructure-based digital signatures? Giga analyst Jan...  Continue Reading

• Stop duplicating effort

  IT departments in global companies are wasting millions of pounds because work is being repeated and expertise is not being shared. Julia Vowler finds out how credit card company Capital One is tackling the problem.  Continue Reading

• Don't forget to innovate

  IT staff get bogged down in business support, but their ideas can be money spinners and should be encouraged, writes Roisin...  Continue Reading

• Lindows a viable alternative to Windows

  Industry experts have said the Lindows operating system could become a viable open source alternative to Windows on the desktop,...  Continue Reading

• Charged up for jam-free streets?

  Opinions are running high over the London mayor's latest big idea. But politics aside, how will the technology of congestion...  Continue Reading

• Rules for a successful project

  I have recently been involved in preparing the response of the BCS to the Home Office consultation paper on entitlement cards and...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: Cybersecurity - a job for the Men in Black?

  The plan for a European cybersecurity agency is all well and good, says Simon Moores, but the real challenge is finding the...  Continue Reading

• September 11: Six months on

  The US terrorist attacks last year were an unprecedented tragedy, claiming almost 3,000 lives. Six months on, what have we learnt...  Continue Reading

• NHS courts £5bn IT disaster by following the Libra route

  The National Health Service is about to embark on its largest-ever IT investment. About £5bn will be spent over five years....  Continue Reading

• Horizontal Wireless Business Applications

  In a few years more than 100 million workers will spend the majority of their working life outside the office. Mark Blowers of...  Continue Reading

• What lies in wait

  Find out what the biggest threats are to your IT systems and read what you can do to keep the dangers at bay  Continue Reading

• Turn back the tide of spam

  Technology research and consulting services company the Yankee Group believes the commercial costs of spam are increasing with...  Continue Reading

• Security firm breaks with CERT over disclosure

  A long-simmering dispute flared into public view earlier this week when UK company Next Generation Security Software announced it...  Continue Reading

• Setting the standard for compliance

  The London Borough of Sutton is advancing the limits of e-government compliance, writes Ross Bentley.  Continue Reading

• Security is at children's fingertips

  Fingerprint-recognition system helps a London school protect network from abuse, writes Ross Bentley  Continue Reading

• Find your space in the boardroom

  As IT gains strategic importance, more IT directors are earning a seat on the board. Julia Vowler reports.  Continue Reading

• Skills: Aim wide to hit the target

  As the IT jobs slump continues, now is a good time to get your existing skills certificated or train to gain new ones - but not...  Continue Reading

• ID card plan needs focus

  A UK electronic identity card is a real possibility, but some analysts say the government has underestimated the costs and should...  Continue Reading

• Police keep track of guns online

  Police in Wales gain greater control with a web-based firearms management system, writes Ross Bentley.  Continue Reading

• Microsoft decision to let governments review Windows code gets mixed reactions

  Microsoft's announcement earlier this week that it would allow governments and international organisations access to the source...  Continue Reading

• Calculating the risk equation

  It is not possible to protect information assets until you know what they are and what they are worth. Mike Barwise lays down...  Continue Reading

• Know the risks and take charge

  Getting the board to support IT governance is tough, but scary stories and non-executive directors are powerful allies, writes...  Continue Reading

• Are public-private IT partnerships doomed to fail?

  With public sector IT projects increasingly become a testing ground for unproven public-private finance initiatives, there is a...  Continue Reading

• Top of the global e-government crop

  The worldwide drive for e-government has produced a host of innovative technology applications. Ian Murphy looks at some of the...  Continue Reading

• Security policies are an organisation's first line of defence

  Security policies should be an organisation's first line of defence, but they often do not play as critical a role as they...  Continue Reading

• Getting wired:Are we deprived of privacy?

  We should be concerned that so little work is being done in the area of online privacy.  Continue Reading

• Do fixed-term contracts have a future?

  Historically, it has been common practice within the IT industry to hire staff on fixed-term contracts, often in response to a...  Continue Reading

• Safety of mobile staff is law

  New technologies such as personal digital assistants, wireless Lans, and notebook computers have facilitated the mobility of the...  Continue Reading

• Prepare to jump through hoops for us, NHS IT tsar warns suppliers

  Following the NHS IT tsar's speech to suppliers last week, experts have warned him to ensure that the procurement strategy for...  Continue Reading

• Act puts IT managers in firing line

  New legislation has put IT managers in the firing line as the Government targets copyright theft by businesses, write Graeme King...  Continue Reading

• What the hacker saw

  Alfred Hitchcock was right to warn us to beware of strangers on a train. The difficulty has always been that you cannot tell the...  Continue Reading

• Has the justice department learned from its mistakes?

  As the Lord Chancellor's Department prepares to embark on a fourth attempt to standardise the IT used in the criminal justice...  Continue Reading

• VoIP can be more secure than you think

  Voice over IP (VoIP) is a fast-emerging communications technology that allows organisations to send voice traffic over IP...  Continue Reading

• Dutch security firm finds holes in shopping basket

  A flaw in a commonly used e-commerce software package could be exploited by unscrupulous online shoppers to rip off online...  Continue Reading

• Online booking for sign interpreters

  Glasgow City Council has launched an online booking service for sign language interpreters in a bid to promote social inclusion...  Continue Reading

• Making IT a part of school life

  Take-up of information and communications technologies (ICT) in schools and colleges in the UK is patchy at the best of times but...  Continue Reading

• £25m deal sets HBOS on path to a single platform for insurance

  The advent of stakeholder pensions has forced the insurance sector to cut overheads so, for the first time, an ambitious project...  Continue Reading

• Jobs ads reveal lowest pay rise ever recorded

  According to the latest Computer Weekly/SSP quarterly survey of job advertisements, pay rates have plummeted unless you are a...  Continue Reading

• Users risk prosecution for poor Web site design

  Companies are not only losing business but also risking prosecution through poor Web site design. So says the vice-chairman of...  Continue Reading

• Caveat emptor: buyer beware

  It is in the nature of trade that suppliers want to take as big a margin from any deal as they can manage, while purchasers want...  Continue Reading

• UK businesses - under attack!

  Almost half of UK businesses suffer security breaches each year. A new club - the Infosecurity User Group - for IT users aims to...  Continue Reading

• Walking the walk with SAS CEO Jim Goodnight

  IT suppliers can talk such hot air. Yet there are a few characters in the supplier industry who have enough experience to make...  Continue Reading

• Future trends: Hot on the grid

  Grid computing - sharing spare processor capacity - began to be noticed when it was used as an aid in the search for extra...  Continue Reading

• Directors can't hide behind ignorance

  Paul Williams reminds IT managers that members of the board cannot duck their responsibility for ensuring the security of the...  Continue Reading

• Follow the W2K leader

  Migrating to Windows 2000 Server should be easy if you copy others, writes Sally Whittle.  Continue Reading

• Storage travels into the future

  Insatiable demand for data has forced radical changes to storage technology, writes Nicholas Enticknap.  Continue Reading

• Information commissioner gets tough

  The Office of the Information Commissioner is gearing up to get tough with UK businesses that fail to comply with the Data...  Continue Reading

• The cache catcher

  An organisation's main Internet security policy rests in its proxy servers so the skill will always be in demand, writes Nick...  Continue Reading

• Blowing the whistle

  If you uncover wrongdoing in your firm there is now a law stating what you should do to make others aware. Roisin Woolnough...  Continue Reading

• Security: A mountain to climb

  A look at the 10 most common causes of security breaches shows the uphill battle facing security specialists. Daniel Thomas...  Continue Reading

• Security: Indecent exposure

  The IT-dependent structures of the developed world are extremely vulnerable to cyber-terrorism, says Peter Lilley.  Continue Reading

• Security: Banking on trust

  Banks are waking up to the need to earn the trust of their online customers. Nick Huber reports on their chequered history, and...  Continue Reading

• IT Security: Flexible fencing

  The Royal Mail is uniting all its systems into a coherent security architecture as computing boundaries blur. Philip Hunter...  Continue Reading

• Feline charity ditches paper system

  Electronic funds transfer software is being used to support fundraising and streamline donations process, writes Karl Cushing.  Continue Reading

• Your IT exposed

  As the Internet is used to reach customers and suppliers alike, poor IT performance can directly damage brands worth millions of...  Continue Reading

• What can science do for IT?

  Even though they have a common ancestry, scientific and corporate computing are recognised as separate species of IT, so what...  Continue Reading

• Division signals telling time for Bacs IT staff

  The division of the UK clearing house into two separate companies will see its systems people move to the fore. Nick Huber...  Continue Reading

• Make copyright law user-friendly

  I am constantly faced with complex arguments as to why a particular incidence of copying software is not illegal in those...  Continue Reading

• 10 commandments for writing an IT contract

  Alistair Maughan, partner at technology law firm Shaw Pittman, preaches 10 lessons you should obey when drawing up a contract for...  Continue Reading

• Healthcare IT sector is in disarray, warns BCS

  IT in healthcare is being hit by "confusion, blight, lack of motivation, lack of appropriate skills and inefficient use",...  Continue Reading

• Growth in overseas outsourcing will change face of IT in the UK

  Industry experts predict that offshore outsourcing of back-office functions is next on the list for cost savings. Nick Huber...  Continue Reading

• Under pressure

  UK IT managers are under more pressure than their European counterparts. Julia Vowler reports  Continue Reading

• BCS presses Whitehall on new security rules

  The BCS is pressing the Government on legislation which could lead to the regulation of the IT security sector, writes John...  Continue Reading

• NHS staff record programme provides template for electronic patient records

  Good project management will be the key to the success of NHS electronic records. James Rogers reports  Continue Reading

• Compsec: Be vigilant, be secure

  Everything you need to know about security but were afraid to ask can be found at this year's Compsec conference in London next...  Continue Reading

• Dead man working

  Reports of one IT contractor's death were, it turned out, exaggerated. But his scam to evade justice contains a lesson for anyone...  Continue Reading