In Depth

In Depth

IT risk management

• Offshore outsourcing in India: Is this the way forward?

  Offshore outsourcing is a means of reducing costs but there are a number of issues to watch out for.  Continue Reading

• Sound foundations

  The booming construction industry has enormous potential as a market for IT vendors, but selling systems in this fragmented...  Continue Reading

• Let your supplier take the risk

  Project management is a risky business and IT history is littered with supplier/customer relationships that have abruptly ended...  Continue Reading

• UK and EU retailers and suppliers leading RFID implementations

  How radio technology is being deploy to reduce theft in retail.  Continue Reading

• Communication skills: Speech therapy

  Frustrated by constantly having your infrastructure projects shelved? Then you probably need to learn to justify the project...  Continue Reading

• Dispute may force employers to confront Tupe muddle in court

  The row about who should pay off Atos Origin's staff after their work for Lucent was transferred to Compaq could lead to...  Continue Reading

• Companies must be prepared for voice over IP

  A number of organisations are already reaping the benefits of carrying their voice and data traffic on the same network, and...  Continue Reading

• Prudent firms should learn from Prudential's project

  A leading software supplier is facing court action over a problem project for the third time in a decade. Are suppliers and...  Continue Reading

• Open source Slapper poses new threat to Net security

  The Apache/mod_ssl, or "Slapper", worm that is fast infecting Web servers worldwide marks a new milestone in the evolution of...  Continue Reading

• Goldman Sachs: IT spending to stagnate in 2003

  Large US multinational companies remain unhappy with Microsoft's new licensing regime and as a result will barely increase IT...  Continue Reading

• Feeling the cosmic pull of Active Directory

  Organisations are starting to feel the gravitational pull of Active Directory as it begins to gain strength in the market after...  Continue Reading

• Making the switch from contractor to employee

  The market for IT contractors is at its lowest ebb, with less jobs on offer and significantly lower rates of pay than the heady days of Y2K. Permanent jobs have rarely been so attractive, but just how difficult is it for a contractor to make the ...  Continue Reading

• Interview: Ask yourself what your vulnerabilities are, say Bush officials

  Richard Clarke and Howard Schmidt have a unique challenge. President George W Bush has charged them with securing the US...  Continue Reading

• Are our civil liberties now under attack?

  UK campaigners claim the Government has reacted to the terrorist attacks of last September with an unprecedented attack on civil...  Continue Reading

• Are your business continuity plans up to scratch?

  The 11 September terrorist attacks sent company directors and IT professionals around the world reaching for their business...  Continue Reading

• What have we learned? IT directors speak out

  Since last year's terrorist attack in the US, IT directors in Britain have seen business continuity and disaster recovery issues...  Continue Reading

• Check out the supplier before taking the outsourcing plunge

  Pressure to save cash is leading companies to take on outsourcing contracts that make little allowance for a future need to...  Continue Reading

• Inside track: How to pick a winner

  Leadership, integrity and partnership are the watchwords for success.  Continue Reading

• Fixing security on wireless networks

  Security problems have become a limiting factor in the deployment of WLAN networks. Graham Titterington describes the problem and...  Continue Reading

• Keep an eye on your site

  A proper analysis of who visits your Web site will help to justify the cost of maintaining it and improve advertising sales. Web...  Continue Reading

• Evening inspiration

  With many new courses due to start next month, Roisin Woolnough looks at what evening classes can offer IT professionals  Continue Reading

• Basic programming mistakes expose company Web sites

  A security firm found shocking lapses in security in Web servers that exposed clients of major Internet service providers to the...  Continue Reading

• The big six

  The technology on which the internet is built, IPv4, is cracking under the strain of exploding demand for web utility. Now IPv6...  Continue Reading

• Protecting Web site content

  Enterprises need to manage a growing number of issues as Web sites become ever more complex.  Continue Reading

• The umpire's decision is final

  IT contract disputes range from questions of fraud to complaints that a particular behaviour is "just not cricket". Arbitration...  Continue Reading

• Data protection guideline sparks Big Brother fears

  The third part of the Data Protection Code of Practice, which deals specifically with monitoring of communications in the...  Continue Reading

• Job hunting by word of mouth

  Landing a new job is increasingly dependent on who you know. David Mascord offers some tips on how to mix with the right people  Continue Reading

• Get security straight first at HQ

  The concept of the "extended enterprise" - where your systems are connected to suppliers, partners and distributors - is an...  Continue Reading

• Reality and Royal London lift the trophies in Cardiff

  Nathalie Towner reports from the 2002 Computastars UK final  Continue Reading

• Securing the ethereal Ethernet

  Wireless networking is taking the IT world by storm, but security technologies are struggling to keep up  Continue Reading

• Where should old PCs go to die?

  The jury is out on whether new European rules on disposal and re-use of redundant IT kit will boost recycling, and on how much it...  Continue Reading

• E-mail in the dock

  There is no substitute for properly managing your e-mail. The words it generates often have the same status in law as legal...  Continue Reading

• Cover for the latest telecoms crisis

  Virtual networks could offer a useful risk-reduction strategy in the wake of recent provider bankruptcies.  Continue Reading

• Readers urge Home Office to change UK's outdated IT law

  The aim of Computer Weekly's Lock Down the Law campaign is to co-ordinate industry efforts to persuade the Government to update...  Continue Reading

• Where the money is

  The financial services market has suffered many blows of late, but modernisation and cost-saving requirements are driving IT...  Continue Reading

• How IT governance can help stop scandal

  Recent publicity over accounting failures emphasise the need for timely, accurate and complete information. While effective IT...  Continue Reading

• Prepare for the inevitable

  Handheld devices are going to become ubiquitous, replacing laptop computers and mobile phones. IT managers need to start...  Continue Reading

• The power of four

  The recent formation of UnitedLinux has caused some confusion in the industry on a number of levels.  Continue Reading

• Nats chief attacks reporting of controllers' safety concerns

  In a remarkable attack on the press the head of National Air Traffic Services has condemned revelations about controllers' air...  Continue Reading

• The future of IT: What's on the horizon?

  Between San Francisco and San Jose along Highway 101 is Silicon Valley - widely regarded as the beating heart of the world IT...  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

• Latest Liberty Alliance specs allow users to log on once and shop securely

  The Liberty Alliance Project has finally unveiled the technical specifications that will allow Web users to log in once and shop...  Continue Reading

• To the network and beyond

  The networking industry has been tremendously innovative in the past 30 years, and it is promising even more sophisticated...  Continue Reading

• Caught in the act

  Death threats posted on a musician's Web site put his tour of the UK in jeopardy but thanks to the efforts of independent...  Continue Reading

• Why whistle-blowing is good for business

  Establishing internal procedures for employees to report unethical behaviour could prevent firms facing revelations like those...  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

• Storage: EMC shared

  You don't have to be Einstein to realise that interoperability is the way forward for storage products, and market leader EMC is...  Continue Reading

• Get IT onto the euro case now

  UK firms will save money in the long run if they start planning IT changes now for the UK's entry into the European single...  Continue Reading

• Learn the lessons of tax site suspension

  IT security lessons can and should be learnt from the Inland Revenue's recent suspension of the electronic filing of tax returns,...  Continue Reading

• Lessons of the World Cup Web peaks

  Distracted office workers eager to get the latest World Cup news have created more activity over the Internet than there was on...  Continue Reading

• Microsoft: Raising PC security to a higher level

  Microsoft is developing a secure PC environment that can be used to secure multi-million pound transactions without the need for...  Continue Reading

• iSeries update: Rochester keeps its promises

  With the news that it is about to ship the i890, a new mainframe-class iSeries machine, IBM's Rochester division has kept the...  Continue Reading

• Web filtering

  The legal and logistical implications of employees surfing the Web in company time for unrelated work issues have finally hit...  Continue Reading

• Worldwide bank settlement system finally gets live test

  One of the biggest IT projects in five years, the Continuous Linked Settlement system, which cuts the time banks take to settle...  Continue Reading

• Justice IT next in line for shake-up

  In the wake of its NHS IT initiative the Government has now turned its attention to the criminal justice system, which has...  Continue Reading

• Strategy clinic: Readers' replies

  Do you disagree with expert opinion, or have you some new ideas of your own? This week readers add their suggestions to the...  Continue Reading

• Expense fiddlers and paper pilferers beware

  A recent survey by online recruitment site Fish4jobs.co.uk found that 78% of office workers have taken home stationery from work...  Continue Reading

• Microsoft's competitors give cool reception to Palladium strategy

  Microsoft's Palladium security system has sparked concern among some competitors in the operating system market, as well as with...  Continue Reading

• Smaller firms struggle to find IT all-rounders

  Anomalies in the jobs market have been revealed in research for Computer Weekly, writes Bill Goodwin. The findings highlight the...  Continue Reading

• Getting wired: The right kind of Net politics

  As governments try to control the Net, our Parliament's sites show how it should be used.  Continue Reading

• IT consultant turns author to help bridge the country's digital divide

  The mere thought of trying to teach a complete novice how to use a PC is a subject that will make many ITers shudder. However,...  Continue Reading

• Game on

  Nathalie Towner finds a gamer's paradise at an interactive exhibition that celebrates 40 years of the computer game.  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

• Strategy Clinic:Consult the experts

  The problem:I am an IT director reporting to a finance director who sits on the board. I do not believe he represents IT in the...  Continue Reading

• PKI secures council transactions

  Southampton folk trial a smartcard that provides secure access to council services, writes Karl Cushing  Continue Reading

• Crumb of comfort on EU cookie rules

  Keith Nuthall sums up the latest developments in the saga of EU plans to restrict cookies  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

• Epicentre of the Asian pulse

  Organisations striving for a competitive edge are venturing into Vietnam for their software development, but before you consider...  Continue Reading

• All you need to know about e-money

  E-money will be an important enabling technology for online business because it will allow customers to make more and different...  Continue Reading

• Keeping IT legal

  The Centre for Law and IT at Bristol University opens its doors this week, with the aim of providing expert advice on the legal...  Continue Reading

• The facts and the myths about Swanwick's screens

  Despite denials from National Air Traffic Services, the trade union, the Civil Aviation Authority and the Government, some...  Continue Reading

• US defence systems are like a baked Alaska - a hacker's tale

  What makes a full-time IT professional spend hours every evening hacking into high-security computer systems? Bill Goodwin meets...  Continue Reading

• Learn from the worst IT mistakes

  IT has become an integral part of all our lives. We depend on it to such an extent that when it goes wrong the least it will cost...  Continue Reading

• Firms get attached to improved performance

  Network attached storage is on the verge of widespread adoption as suppliers boost performance and make systems easier to use....  Continue Reading

• UK legal system cannot cope with techno crime

  Bill Goodwin reports on IT professionals' concerns about cybercrime  Continue Reading

• Stagnant salaries

  The latest SSP/Computer Weekly quarterly survey of job advertisements makes grim reading unless you are system developer....  Continue Reading

• Private eyes

  What do you do if you think your organisation has been a victim of cybercrime? Cover it up, ring 999 or call in professional...  Continue Reading

• Know your enemy

  Computer Weekly asked five of the world's leading IT security experts from business and academia to identify what they consider...  Continue Reading

• Wireless networks: Is yours secure?

  Local and wide area network-based radio networks offer convenience, but at a cost - security issues are a key concern for...  Continue Reading

• Mobile madness

  Confident about your security? Conduct a straw poll of your staff to see how many of them use PDAs. Then check whether you have a...  Continue Reading

• Prototype of a policy

  The DTI's recent Information Security Breaches Survey found that three out of four UK businesses have no security policy. Danny...  Continue Reading

• Learn from the past to get the best from IT

  In the beginning was the abacus. After many thousands of years the 19th century saw the scientific marvel of the difference...  Continue Reading

• Can Probation Service avoid repeating IT mistakes?

  Last week's leaked report on the Probation Service's IT suggests that the organisation is still wrestling with the critical issue...  Continue Reading

• Now get out of that

  IT outsourcing contracts need to be flexible enough to accommodate change, writes Julia Vowler, otherwise you will need to be...  Continue Reading

• MPs call for scrutiny of outsourcing deals following ILA debacle

  The education select committee has recommended that all government outsourcing contracts should face parliamentary scrutiny to...  Continue Reading

• Was PFI the reason why the EDS Oceanic project failed?

  The High Court case between EDS and National Air Traffic Services may have been settled, but evidence emerged that the...  Continue Reading

• Use your intelligence

  Business intelligence will only deliver improvements to the bottom line if users can unravel the data, as Deutsche Asset...  Continue Reading

• The air traffic chief, EDS, and dirty linen

  Nats told a Commons committee that all was well with a PFI deal that was facing serious contractual problems. Last week Bill...  Continue Reading

• Your Shout: Stop the Hotmail spammers!

  Simon Moores touched on a huge wave of concern with his Thought for the Day piece "Seeing Red on Blue Hotmail" about sexually...  Continue Reading

• Squeezing it all in

  Are your servers bursting with months-old data that you dare not delete? Is your basement bulging with old tapes? Karl Cushing...  Continue Reading

• Outdated laws fail to define, halt or combat cybercrime

  IT crime expert Peter Sommer examines the laws designed to protect UK businesses from IT crime and the work already going on to...  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

• 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

• File under "S"

  Computer Weekly asked four exhibitors who will be at the Infosecurity Europe 2002 show in London next week to give us their...  Continue Reading

• Should top executives be paid so much more than their workers?

  As the April pay reviews spark off the usual outcry over fat-cat bonuses, TUC research has confirmed the imbalance between...  Continue Reading

• Taxing times

  In fear of the apparent power of the Inland Revenue, many businesses risk bankruptcy by following its demands to the letter. But...  Continue Reading

• The great leap forward

  Mobile commerce is languishing in obscurity, so the hunt is on for the breakthrough application and service. Although some don't...  Continue Reading

• Users urge chancellor to set timetable for training revamp

  In the run-up to the budget next Wednesday, Nick Huber reports on what the lobbyists are pushing for.  Continue Reading

• Do you know what to do in an emergency?

  Only one in 10 people know what to do should a colleague be badly injured at work, writes Roisin Woolnough.  Continue Reading

• Defend your systems

  The threat to corporate IT systems from viruses, crackers and dim-witted users continues to grow. The trouble is, there is no...  Continue Reading