In Depth

In Depth

IT risk management

• Is the exchange shakedown on the way?

  During E-Business Month, Computer Weekly and Asera co-hosted a round-table discussion on the future of B2B exchanges. Paul Mason...  Continue Reading

• Europe blows the wireless lead

  Overly concerned with security issues, European companies have been overtaken by the US in allowing staff to access corporate...  Continue Reading

• Desperately seeking liquidity

  Roberta Kowalishin, vice-president of technology ventures at chemical exchange Chematch.com, explains why "liquidity" has become...  Continue Reading

• Staff training via e-learning

  TXU Europe has embarked on a full-scale e-learning strategy to ensure that the core skills of its 2,100 staff are ready to meet...  Continue Reading

• Dealing with staff Internet abuse

  With misuse of the Net costing business £2.5m a year, firms have to act. Paul Grant considers the options  Continue Reading

• Audit slams DSS overpayment

  Did social security officials keep facts from the secretary of state to protect negotiations with EDS?  Continue Reading

• The VPN dilemma

  With traditional networks choking on data, Liz Biddlecombe investigates the pros and cons of managing a VPN yourself or...  Continue Reading

• Untangling the legal Web

  Changes to the law mean businesses can legally monitor the communications of their employees  Continue Reading

• The rocky road to complex project success

  
  
  Projects come in two varieties: the common-or-garden and the complex. But what makes a complex project complex? Julia Vowler reports

  A...

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• The morning after

  Ian Hugo looks back on a year when both hopes and fears were dashed  Continue Reading

• E-commerce on a plate

  Why build your own e-commerce operation when someone can provide one ready-made? Danny Bradbury shows how to farm out an...  Continue Reading

• Murphy's Law

  Rod Sweet meets the CFO who took off from Virgin  Continue Reading

• PC makers in race to the bottom

  The third quarter of 2000 could go down in history as the point at which IT users finally got sick of cash-guzzling desktop...  Continue Reading

• Blanket security and security blanket

  In the first of a regular series, IT analysts from the Butler Group look at key technology areas of interest to E-Business Review...  Continue Reading

• The eyes don't have it - in three Acts

  The conflict between employee freedom and the corporate need to monitor e-mail and Internet traffic has never been so apparent....  Continue Reading

• Managing web development: does outsourcing pay?

  The choice of creating an online presence in-house or outsourcing the project may be one of the most important e-decisions a...  Continue Reading

• Computer Weekly's evidence to the Public Accounts Committee

  We write to the Public Accounts Committee in relation to its consideration of the Chinook's FADEC computerised engine control...  Continue Reading

• Will IT cure NHS' ills?

  Jane Dudman outlines the challenges and changes facing the National Health Service in the e-economy.  Continue Reading

• Whistler will block unauthorised software

  Whistler, Microsoft's upcoming Windows release, will include a security feature to block any software lacking a valid digital...  Continue Reading

• Archiving for the digital age

  As the quest for the paperless office continues, Philip Hunter reports on current thinking on digital archiving  Continue Reading

• Not to be stiffed at: combatting unfair software licensing

  IT managers, are supposed to be more business savvy these days. Julia Vowler gives them a few pointers on how they can combat...  Continue Reading

• PDAs: now it's anytime, anyplace, anywhere

  The PDA is cheap, mobile and easy to lose, which raises support and security issues, writes Julia Vowler  Continue Reading

• Labour 'eLord' describes his vision

  Parry Mitchell has been described as Labour's "e-lord". Appointed a working peer in May, he has played a key role in building the...  Continue Reading

• Storage is simple by association

  The new economy has stretched relational databases to their limit, but a revolutionary new database model that is both simple and...  Continue Reading

• Small firms can succeed in the e-business game

  Paul McCarthy highlights the main pitfalls that trap large companies when setting up online, and offers a 10-point guide for...  Continue Reading

• Will e-support save you money?

  Every time an IT problem occurs, it costs an average of $25 to put right. With the cost-savings associated with e-commerce...  Continue Reading

• Data transfer: do you know the law?

  US companies know little about new data legislation, but if they break the law, so do you  Continue Reading

• Consultant slams agency job sites

  
  
  The internet is providing little salvation for recruitment agencies which appear to be using the web for little more than publishing job listings and...  Continue Reading

• Customs IT cannot meet e-gov demands

  
  
  Mike Simons

  The IT infrastructure of the Customs & Excise department is "unsuitable for e-business" and its upgrade "is the area of...

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• The future is still on the cards

  Consumer reticence has stifled a smartcard boom, but they have quietly grown in use, writes Brian Clegg  Continue Reading

• Accountancy managers insist on using outdated speadsheets

  By clinging to outdated spreadsheet technology managers are causing major problems, write Max Penny.  Continue Reading

• Legacy skills still in demand

  
  
  Ross Bentley

  The dwindling number of job advertisements for legacy skills belies the need for old-world skills in the brave new world of...

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• Is storage getting your back up?

  Data back-up is essential, but needs always outstrip capacity. Ian Murphy looks at the latest solutions  Continue Reading

• Icann sets up .biz and .pro

  
  
  Daniel Thomas

  The Internet's governing body has announced seven new suffixes in an attempt to reduce the competition for Internet...

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• ITNet writes off £10m over Hackney benefit shambles

  
  
  Mike Simons

  ITNet, the Birmingham-based services company, has written off £10m-£11m as a result of its troubled benefits and revenue...

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• Will 3G learn from Wap's mistakes?

  Operators paid the price for hyping Wap, but there is still money in m-commerce.  Continue Reading

• Remote workers: it's vital to keep them motivated

  In the 21st century patterns of work are changing. Managers must grapple with maintaining and motivating employees who are no...  Continue Reading

• E-visionary Andrew Hart explains his motivation

  E-visionaries: Andrew Hart is the man behind search engine Ask Jeeves. He spoke to Paul Mason about the challenge of making the...  Continue Reading

• An alphabetical slice of the telecoms pie

  To get real value for money from your communications infrastructure, you've got to understand exactly what the suppliers are...  Continue Reading

• Financial firm blazes a trail to go live with PKI Web solution

  In an attempt to force the pace on the adoption of a standard for secure digital signatures, financial services firm...  Continue Reading

• Tackling Internet misuse at work

  Like the technology, Internet abuse appears to have proliferated in recent years. There are, however, two ways to tackle this...  Continue Reading

• MoD kept RAF chief in the dark

  New evidence shows that the air chief marshal who blamed the pilots for the Chinook crash on the Mull of Kintyre in 1994 was not given potentially vital information related to the helicopter's safety-critical software  Continue Reading

• The night of a thousand stars

  Computer Weekly is proud to announce the winners of the E-Business Excellence Awards  Continue Reading

• B2B: 10 minutes can change your business

  In the fast-moving world of e-business, every second counts. So if you've only got 10 minutes, read this summary of the issues...  Continue Reading

• Don't rely on a simple handshake

  
  
  A badly-planned contract process is likely to lead to an ineffective and costly contract.

  Conversely, a well-planned contract process is much more...

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• Mounties go high-tech

  
  
  Monica Dobie

  The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has started using a system that will allow it to identify criminals...

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• ISPs to beat the banks in online market

  
  
  Internet service providers (ISPs) are set to dominate the lucrative wireless banking market at the expense of high-street banks.

  That was the banking...

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• Strategy Clinic: Testing times ahead of in-house e-commerce application

  How much of our development time should realistically be taken up by testing? How can I make our company relevant to the market?...  Continue Reading

• Where's the money?

  Nicholas Enticknap reports on the undercurrents that are sweeping through the post-Y2K recruitment market  Continue Reading

• Banking on security to win the Wap race

  As pressure mounts on banks to be at the cutting-edge of technology in provision of services, the issue of security has become...  Continue Reading

• Gartner Symposium: the full picture

  Wireless banking, the rise of application service providers and a new dotcom crash were some of Gartner Group's predictions at...  Continue Reading

• Avoiding the traffic jams

  In the e-business age, corporations will succeed or fail by the speed at which data passes over the Web. Will Garside assesses...  Continue Reading

• The mother of all security breaches

  As we go to press there are still more questions than answers about the Microsoft hack. Several days after the reported break-in,...  Continue Reading

• Tunnel vision provides safe links

  Virtual Private Networks offer e-commerce secure connectivity from pretty much anywhere in the world, and for the cost of a...  Continue Reading

• XML One: a new language for government

  New standards, skills shortages and unrealistic government targets. Danny Bradbury reports from the XML One conference  Continue Reading

• Who do you trust with PKI?

  The first question to ask anyone trying to sell you online risk services is how much liability they will accept for trades...  Continue Reading

• End of the road for single sign-on

  Cost and complexity means the users' nirvana of a single password may never arrive, writes Julia Vowler  Continue Reading

• IT managers: see your lawyer - or you might end up facing one

  Take a look at the size of salaries being offered for Internet-literate legal eagles - if they're not for you, they're liable to...  Continue Reading

• IT bosses plot a course for success

  At October's City IT and e.forum event, there was heady talk of deconstructing banks and launching an internal PR blitz. Rod...  Continue Reading

• Pathway and the Post Office: the lessons learned

  The infamous 1996-1999 Pathway project aimed to computerise the nation’s post offices and tackle benefit fraud. But 18 months...  Continue Reading

• Up close and personal: Jeet Singh

  Jeet Singh is one of the US' richest e-millionaires. His software house, ATG, is taking on big names like Broadvision in the...  Continue Reading

• Living with RIP

  After the legislative battles, businesses are learning to live with the cybertapping law that came into force late last month....  Continue Reading

• Look east to outsource

  Many companies are attracted by the benefits of moving their development offshore, but is it really a good idea? Chris Youett ...  Continue Reading

• M&S calls in security consultants

  Retailer Marks & Spencer has called in security consultants after a programming blunder gave the public access to confidential...  Continue Reading

• Whose jurisdiction covers us?

  We host a Web site for a UK firm in the US and membership data is stored on the US server. What are the implications of the Data...  Continue Reading

• How was Y2K for you?

  Last month we asked readers to send us tales of their experiences at the Y2K frontline. A few of the replies we received are...  Continue Reading

• If it's not broken, don't fix it

  Some firms don't put their brand on the Web, but the Woolwich believes reputation is paramount Andy Luscombe, e-commerce...  Continue Reading

• E-gov hit by move to prevent ITdisasters

  
  
  Mike Simons

  Tony Blair's plans for wired-up government have been dealt a savage blow by new project review processes introduced by the...

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• Turning e-dash into e-cash

  Making money from e-business is a top priority for many companies.Liz warren reports on the areas you need to concentrate on to...  Continue Reading

• What a circus!

  There are many people who viewed the whole Y2K scenario with an enormous amount of suspicion. Given the evidence, it's hard to blame them  Continue Reading

• FBI urges UK bosses to fight computer crime

  The US Federal Bureau of Investigation has urged business leaders in the UK to collaborate with law enforcement agencies in the...  Continue Reading

• Employers snoop rights in doubt

  Employers' so-called snooping rights are being called into question. Regulations published by the Government last week under the...  Continue Reading

• Digital rights on the Web

  Guarding your digital rights on the Web is becoming a major issue. The music industry has been trying a range of strategies with...  Continue Reading

• User-focused schemes rewarded

  Tameside's public service IT project pips Camden and Southampton to the post  Continue Reading

• Secret Agent

  Agent Technology could help us carry out many of life's tasks with little effort, but will it ever come out of the dark?  Continue Reading

• It's in the palm of your hand

  Once software matches hardware mobile business promises a wealth of opportunities, writes Ross Bentley  Continue Reading

• New directives beef up trust in e-commerce

  
  
  Ross Bentley

  The European e-commerce market will not be comparable to the US until users within the EU learn to trust the security of the...

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• Lock in to security

  Soapbox  Continue Reading

• Zero tolerance policy on e-delivery failure

  
  
  Mike Simons

  Cabinet Office minister Ian McCartney told 300 public sector IT leaders last week, "We'll never, ever tolerate failure," as...

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• IR35 costs will put IT projects over budget

  Bill Goodwin Major IT projects will come in over-budget because IT departments are not considering the effect that the IR35 tax reforms...  Continue Reading

• Genuity takes global tack for one-stop network

  One-stop, global e-business Internet provision was on offer at TMA 2000, in the shape of a network services platform from...  Continue Reading

• How to scour the world when outsourcing

  
  
  Thanks to Y2K compliance programmes, it is now perfectly acceptable for a firm to consider moving all or part of its systems development and support...  Continue Reading

• Forum unites to stop cyber crime

  Government ministers, police forces, security services and business executives are to meet in Edinburgh next year, in a drive to...  Continue Reading

• Stiffing suspicion at NHSnet

  Pathology group switches to per-message fee. Mike Simons reports.  Continue Reading

• UK firms not ready for mobile commerce

  There is no shortage of enthusiasm for mobile commerce among suppliers but, as new research reveals, many users feel far from...  Continue Reading

• Ensuring back up is guaranteed in a small IT department

  With a very small ITdepartment ensuring adequate back-up can sometimes be difficult. Our panel of experts advises on solutions  Continue Reading

• forget all about the toe in the water

  In the move from mainframes to a distributed system financial services company Anfis dived in with both feet. Liz Warren has been...  Continue Reading

• Limited liability must be written in the contract

  
  
  Effective exclusion and limitation of liability clauses in technology supply contracts are essential for managing supply risks. However, contractual protection...  Continue Reading

• Imagine there's no Bill Gates...

  Chaos theory tells us that the flutter of a butterfly wing in Brazil can alter the weather on the other side of the globe. So...  Continue Reading

• Why the hard work is paying off

  Camden council hopes to be rewarded for its commitment to IT in education, after a £500,000 system overhaul.  Continue Reading

• CRM chief says Java's the only game in town

  
  
  Paul Mason

  When it comes to solving the skills crisis, Java is the only game in town, an e-commerce software chief said this week....

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• All-pervading, all-pervasive AS/400

  Wireless networking has already caused a revolution in communications, and we have only seen the first wave.  Continue Reading

• Supercomputers: the long arm of the law?

  On the basis that the Top 500 listing isn't just the subjective pronouncements of a couple of blokes in Texas, and that not being...  Continue Reading

• Are you being served?

  Just a few years ago, the idea of the AS/400 as a web server would have raised a few eyebrows. Not now.  Continue Reading

• Merging offices brings opportunity to grow IT department

  A year from now our company is going to amalgamate two offices into one central location in the Midlands. As head of IT, what...  Continue Reading

• So, you want to be an ethical manager?

  
  
  Is the term "ethical management" an oxymoron? Those of the Machiavellian school of management would think so, believing that the only way to climb to the...  Continue Reading

• Accessible and accountable: MP gets on the Net

  Robert Key MP asked Salisbury-based Web designer Cravenplan to design him the best site in Westminster  Continue Reading

• Training helps boost BCS' income by 17%

  Big growth in demand for IT qualifications has helped boost BCS income by 17% in its last financial year and enabled it to invest...  Continue Reading

• 2010: an e-commerce odyssey

  David Targett of Imperial College looks into the future of e-commerce and outlines three attractive features  Continue Reading

• Online services put the heat on IT departments

  As commercial banks add more online services, IT departments will feel the heat. Nick Huber reports  Continue Reading