In Depth

In Depth

IT strategy

• Future of outsourcing depends on trust

  In the early 1990s outsourcing usually meant facilities management, but firms today are increasingly looking to third-party...  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

• The new HP: Questions remain over storage strategy

  The new HP faces a number of challenges in assimilating storage products from Compaq and moving users on to its new storage...  Continue Reading

• Autonomic computing is the future: but will rivalry kill it?

  The aim is ambitious, the time commitment considerable and the research and development funds immense. As the industry attempts...  Continue Reading

• Forrester CEO pulls no punches on XP and IT

  In a market awash with hyperbole, Forrester chief executive George Colony talks straight with Fiona Harvey about Bill Gates,...  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

• Mites and pollutants make many staff allergic to work

  The nauseous feelings that many of us feel when we walk into the office may not necessarily be caused by crashing servers or...  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

• Career clinic:How do I get into networking?

  I have been working with computers for three years now. I started in desktop maintenance and now work for a large investment bank...  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

• Career Clinic:Redundancy has forced a move

  I work as a senior programmer for an international company, developing programs in Cobol, Cics, DL/1 and Pro-IV in a mainframe...  Continue Reading

• "The cheque is in the post" won't do

  Do you have debtors who are always late settling their bills? Changes to late payment legislation are due to be implemented later...  Continue Reading

• Working with pain

  If you suffer a work-related repetitive strain injury, often the only way to permanently stop the pain is to change your career....  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

• IT staff around the world head for the hills

  The organisers of the Vanco Three Peaks Challenge have always been keen to promote the event's ability to bring IT staff...  Continue Reading

• Tall teens grow up to earn higher salaries

  Insecurities and psychological complexes developed during adolescence have been found to have a direct influence on how big your...  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

• Government calls for more employer input to IT training

  The Government is calling for employers to become more actively involved in IT training as it abolishes the old National Training...  Continue Reading

• Lights, camera, action!

  Working with an IT infrastructure more appropriate to the dark ages, the British Film Institute decided it was time for an...  Continue Reading

• Director's cut: Learning to spot winning technologies

  Faced with a stream of new technologies it is vital that IT directors keep abreast of the latest developments and are aware of...  Continue Reading

• A devil in detail

  In 1992 Cliff Stanford set up Demon, the UK's first low-cost Internet service provider. Cliff Saran catches up with him a decade...  Continue Reading

• Secret suffering

  Mental health remains a taboo subject despite the fact that one in four people in the UK experience some kind of mental health...  Continue Reading

• Smart projects: Video links feed courtroom drama

  Videoconferencing systems are being used to save time and money in the High Court, writes Karl Cushing.  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

• The Heat is on

  Since the 1960s, Moore's Law has described the progress of the IT industry but overheating could slow down the pace of change  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

• The long road to Wolverhampton

  Wolverhampton Council's IT chief Fahri Zihni was profiled as part of Inspiration in IT, a BT-sponsored project to identify the...  Continue Reading

• How do I become a programmer?

  I am 19 years old and have worked on for my present employer for 18 months on the helpdesk. I would like to move on to become a...  Continue Reading

• Women-only specialist group aims to support female Iters

  A specialist forum for female members of the BCS has been launched. It has already received a positive response from 500 members...  Continue Reading

• Learning to spot winning technologies

  Faced with a stream of new technologies it is vital that IT directors keep abreast of the latest developments and are aware of...  Continue Reading

• Budget swings and roundabouts for UK channel

  Changes in VAT collection have helped raise a smile among dealers counting the cost of extra National Insurance contributions...  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

• Code crashes Nats system

  A software fault caused the flight data system controlling London air traffic to crash.  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

• Easy does IT

  The easy empire has built its business on cyber pillars. Karl Cushing takes a look at the success of this online phenomenon.  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

• Take a break

  Gap years are no longer just for college leavers. While times are lean, forward-thinking employers are letting staff have time...  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

• What has the budget ever done for IT?

  As the chancellor Gordon Brown prepares to deliver his latest budget speech, Mark Vernon looks back at what this Government has...  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

• Hunting for jobs

  The boom is over, work is scarce. Roisin Woolnough offers some advice on enhancing your job prospects  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

• Skills training is constantly evolving

  The term "e-learning" means many things to many people. Mike Maunder, vice-president for alliances at e-learning supplier Saba,...  Continue Reading

• Is Linux the right choice for SMEs?

  Cheap software is a top priority for SMEs so software which is effectively free, like open source, would seem an obvious choice....  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

• Sleight of hand

  Although they're still waiting for 3G to boost the handheld market, consumer and business suppliers have several cunning PDA...  Continue Reading

• Meet the reseller

  Compatibility is a VAR that prides itself on providing support for smaller companies in danger of being overlooked by the big...  Continue Reading

• 5 minute interview: Jonathan Benbow, Vignette

  Jonathan Benbow, director of product marketing Emea, Vignette  Continue Reading

• Worklink helps employers find the IT skills they need

  A service that matches employers with undergraduates seeking work placements has gone live on the BCS Web site, writes John...  Continue Reading

• How do I get into development?

  For three years I worked at a large IT services provider, mainly with financial systems and databases. I found myself exposed to...  Continue Reading

• Avoiding the chop

  It will always be a fraught time for staff when a firm announces it will be making redundancies. Roisin Woolnough considers the...  Continue Reading

• Corporate NHS approach to get records online faster

  A standard national specification is being written for NHS electronic patient records systems, but will it speed up their...  Continue Reading

• Will e-voting replace crosses with clicks?

  In next month's local elections, several councils will be testing how electronic voting works in practice. James Rogers looks at...  Continue Reading

• Wanted: a white knight keen on distribution

  It was probably obvious from the Landis management team's reticence over Westcon's decision to end acquisition talks last week...  Continue Reading

• Crunch time

  Vendors are keen for 64-bit computing to catch on - but customers are in no great hurry to adopt it. So how can users be...  Continue Reading

• It works both ways

  Putting its success down to the quality of service it offers, TET is keen to expand and position itself as a sole supplier to...  Continue Reading

• 5 minute interview: Dylan Craven, Silicon Technologies

  Dylan Creaven, founding director, Silicon Technologies, speaks.  Continue Reading

• Computerstars needs you

  IT managers have a responsibility to keep staff motivated and morale buoyant, but team-building courses don't come cheap, and...  Continue Reading

• Council ends benefits paper-chase

  A document management system has improved services at Telford & Wrekin Council, writes Karl Cushing  Continue Reading

• Be a link in our security group

  Today, Computer Weekly launches the Infosecurity User Group - a unique networking, benchmarking and information resource for IT...  Continue Reading

• Will a unified buying model be a panacea for NHS IT?

  The Government is planning to deliver an ambitious new NHS IT procurement model by 1 April 2003. James Rogers looks at the...  Continue Reading

• Get away

  If having four days off work over the Easter weekend is an unusual treat, you definitely need to have a rethink, writes Nathalie...  Continue Reading

• Ten tax tips for owner managers

  Owner managers are uniquely placed to cut their tax bills so as the tax year-end approaches, review your finances to catch the...  Continue Reading

• The end of paper?

  The paperless office may still be a myth, writes Julia Vowler, but the "less -paper" office is here to stay  Continue Reading

• When disaster strikes

  Will you know what to do? Karl Cushing examines the best approaches to business continuity  Continue Reading

• Parliament was not told the whole truth about Nats deal

  Parliament was not told the whole truth when it questioned a top public servant about progress on a £50m project for a new air...  Continue Reading

• Is 2002 the year to give voice to IP?

  Opinion is still divided as to whether Voice over IP can deliver on all its promises. Although presented as a cost-effective and...  Continue Reading

• Strategy: Handle with care

  Customers are not always content to send a help request or a complaint into the ether. Andy Favell explains how you can build an...  Continue Reading

• On target

  John Lewis was set on establishing an online brand, but not at cost to the high-street business. Ross Bentley finds out how this...  Continue Reading

• Strategy: Shopping around

  What's on your security shopping list? Karl Cushing suggests a few choice items.  Continue Reading

• One small step

  With the government encouraging SMEs to get on-line, enterprises are ready to cross into e-commerce. By aligning their services...  Continue Reading

• Take measures

  If you focus solely on cost when outsourcing, according to statistics, your deal may be for the high jump. By measuring...  Continue Reading

• IT can be thirsty work

  When Computer Weekly announced that it would be giving away free drinks, ITers flocked to the venue with the intention of having...  Continue Reading

• How to survive IR35

  After losing the judicial review of the controversial IR35 tax last December, lawyers and IT contractors are looking at new ways...  Continue Reading

• The drive to an IT strategy of value

  Oscar Wilde once famously remarked that a cynic was someone who knew the cost of everything and the value of nothing. That remark...  Continue Reading

• What is an invitation to treat?

  The case brought against Kodak which had mistakenly underpriced a digital camera package highlights the importance of having...  Continue Reading

• The good, the bad and the ugly

  Karl Cushing looks at last year's best and the worst outsourcing deals  Continue Reading

• The people's operating system

  Linux is an attractive proposition for a quarter of the world's population. Venetia Thompson finds out why  Continue Reading

• Enfield outsources to modernise

  Enfield Council solved funding and staff issues by signing a 10-year deal with ITNet. Karl Cushing reports  Continue Reading

• Bridging the technology gap

  While exhibitors at the Cebit show in Hanover, Germany, took the opportunity to dazzle the world with new technologies this week,...  Continue Reading

• Sainsbury's quits the sales race for increased margins

  Forget being top dog in sales, Sainsbury's wants the cheapest, most effective IT and supply chain by outsourcing and rolling out...  Continue Reading

• Are you using enough protection?

  Karl Cushing looks at how you can stop hackers penetrating your systems  Continue Reading

• Going mainstream

  Part two of our report on wireless LAN looks at how the technology is opening up sales avenues for VARs  Continue Reading

• Time to go thin again?

  After being hyped up in the 1990s, the thin client model of computing went out of fashion faster than Des O'Connor. Sally Whittle...  Continue Reading

• Look into flat-screen benefits

  If you are thinking of buying 17-inch screens for your desktop users, it could be well worth looking into the new generation of...  Continue Reading

• Which way for Windows?

  What chance have users got when even the industry analysts cannot agree on which version of Windows to adopt? Nick Langley looks...  Continue Reading

• Unlimited memory

  Although it will undoubtedly bring huge performance benefits, there is a a lot of hype surrounding 64-bit Unix. Frank Booty finds...  Continue Reading

• Curse of the user

  The iSeries is hard to beat when it comes to ease of management and security - until the first PC connection is installed. Chris...  Continue Reading

• Switch on San performance

  Storage switches have a key role to play in enabling firms to get the most out of their storage area networks. Nick Enticknap...  Continue Reading

• February round up

  Businesses warned over Wireless Lan weaknessTens of thousands of UK businesses need to reconsider their use of wireless...  Continue Reading

• E-procurement is ready for ROI

  E-procurement should deliver savings but how do you measure them? Daniel Thomas reports on BuyIT's new guide to getting the best...  Continue Reading

• Outsourcing strike warning

  As outsourcing becomes more popular the threat of industrial action by BT's IT staff suggests the issue will become as...  Continue Reading

• The law must be changed to redefine criminal activities

  Computer Weekly is campaigning for the Government to review UK computer crime laws. It is 12 years since the Computer Misuse Act...  Continue Reading

• Can BA slash £45m from its IT budget and keep on flying?

  Paul Coby has the task of trying to make IT savings of £45m for "the world's favourite airline". Julia Vowler finds out how he...  Continue Reading

• Working for Tony

  As private sector companies cut back, Tony Blair is driving innovative IT projects in the public sector. If you can put up with...  Continue Reading