In Depth

In Depth

IT risk management

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• Accountancy managers insist on using outdated speadsheets

  By clinging to outdated spreadsheet technology managers are causing major problems, write Max Penny.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

• 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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• 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

• 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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• 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

• Will 3G learn from Wap's mistakes?

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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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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• Where's the money?

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

• 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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• 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

• 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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• The night of a thousand stars

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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• User-focused schemes rewarded

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

• 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

• 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

• 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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• 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

• 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

• 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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• 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

• 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

• 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

• Stiffing suspicion at NHSnet

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

• 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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• It's in the palm of your hand

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

• 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

• 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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• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 2010: an e-commerce odyssey

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

• 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

• Thompson Racal Defence gets feel for customer requirements

  The key to giving your customers what they want is making sure you have a comprehensive picture of what that is from the outset....  Continue Reading

• Bugs on the move: mobile viruses start to bite

  Summer always brings out the bugs and this year was no exception as the first mobile viruses started to bite.  Continue Reading

• Entering the post-Y2K doldrums

  Our biannual survey of IT spend shows that it is firmly back in synch with the GDP index after the Y2K boom. John Riley reports  Continue Reading

• Whyhelpdesks need alternatives to the telephone

  
  
  Lee Chadwick

  Opinion

  If during a normal working day the MD walked into the support office and said that ringing telephones were a...

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• The Maginot Line syndrome

  The collapse of Barings Bank was as much a matter of compromised systems security as it was of rogue trading.Helga Drummond,...  Continue Reading

• EDS drives into new markets

  The US outsourcer is setting its sights on government contracts across Europe, writes Mike Simons  Continue Reading

• ASP me no questions, I'll sell you no lies

  Making outsourcing deals with ASPs is all very well, but if you don't keep a close watch on your service level agreement you...  Continue Reading

• Security: not an IT problem but a business risk

  Security breaches in the e-world can destroy public confidence and your business in an instant  Continue Reading

• Method patent goldrush spreads

  
  
  In the past year, the patenting of business methods has featured prominently in the US headlines. For example, Amazon.com's US patent infringement action...  Continue Reading

• IT support: better out or in?

  Can you afford to outsource your support? Can you afford not to? Mark Vernon puts both sides of the argument  Continue Reading

• From £2K to Y2K

  How far has IT come over the last 30 years?  Continue Reading

• E is for euro

  Companies can no longer afford to put off preparations for the euro, even with the race towards e-business still to win, warns...  Continue Reading

• Dead cert or dead duck, who can tell?

  
  
  City Briefing

  With only a few stragglers left to produce their half-term report cards, it's becoming clearer which companies are the winners...

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• Cost limits volunteers' IT plans

  As more voluntary organisations gear up for e-business, some have IT take-up stifled by a lack of funding  Continue Reading

• Businesses count the cost of Big Brother

  
  
  UK businesses may breathe a sigh of relief as Big Brother, the nation's most gripping game show of late, drew to a close on Friday night, having cost companies...  Continue Reading

• Get systems right first

  
  
  BCS president calls for improved systems development rather than increased powers to prosecute when systems fail. John Kavanagh...  Continue Reading

• Will new e-envoy follow US crackdown on outsourcers?

  Government: A tough US outsourcing Bill could point the way for the new e-envoy.  Continue Reading

• Moving targets: supporting a flexible workforce

  As a manager supporting a mobile or home-based workforce for the first time, what do you need to know? Alison Classe reports  Continue Reading