In Depth

In Depth

IT strategy

• Biometrics: Eye-D

  In the first part of our two-part feature on the use of biometric technology for security systems, we look at what dangers it...  Continue Reading

• Members' right hands get clicking

  An ambitious Web site project is providing training and support for MPs' assistants. Karl Cushing reports  Continue Reading

• Don't discount an interim solution

  The task of providing more for less is becoming increasingly difficult to achieve. Technology has helped for many years but...  Continue Reading

• New BCS forums invite IT workers to have their say

  The three new BCS forums are setting their agendas and are identifying key issues at the initial meetings of their management...  Continue Reading

• IT's best invention is outshone by a helmet

  IT manager John Farrell has always enjoyed finding a solution to a problem, but little did he know that one of his inventions...  Continue Reading

• Working on a TV revolution

  Digital television is providing a new career option for IT professionals and Brighton is the centre of the industry, writes...  Continue Reading

• First build your 'A team', then keep it busy

  Analyst firm IDC has says business continuity will be one of the top 10 IT trends in 2002. Ian Bowdidge and Zoe Frost of...  Continue Reading

• Ready for kick-off

  If there are any IT glitches at the World Cup the buck will stop at Doug Gardner. He talks to Ross Bentley about the challenge of...  Continue Reading

• Deliver business benefit

  Julia Vowler talks to the CIO of a major drug manufacturing firm about how to make sure that IT contributes effectively to...  Continue Reading

• Easy guide to purchasing PCs

  Desktop procurement has traditionally been a headache for IT managers - but a few simple tricks will save you trouble in the long...  Continue Reading

• Where are all the IT jobs?

  The dotcom shake-out has driven IT recruitment away from e-business and the Web and back towards more conventional...  Continue Reading

• Security will test m-commerce

  The crucial challenge for businesses wanting a piece of the action in m-commerce is to avoid the security traps that plague the...  Continue Reading

• IP services - commercial opportunities

  IP services will provide the communication platform for the converged future. However, the successful adoption of these services...  Continue Reading

• Past, present and future

  We grilled a number of industry members on their feelings about 2001 and 2002. Read on to find out what the vendors had to say  Continue Reading

• What's to hand for high-speed link-ups?

  While we wait for 3G, a number of technologies that allow users to connect to the Internet at relatively high speeds are...  Continue Reading

• BT patent case raises e-commerce planning issues

  The ongoing patent case brought by BT against a US ISP over its use of hyperlinks on its Web pages should set the alarm bells...  Continue Reading

• Cybercrime focus at RSA 2002

  The RSA 2002 conference will kick off today (18 February) with a keynote speech by Richard Clarke, presidential advisor on...  Continue Reading

• Getting into project management

  I work for an IT outsourcing firm providing first line support for an investment bank in the City.I have an Msc in business IT...  Continue Reading

• Firms undervalue IT training

  IT training managers in the UK are paid less than their IT department colleagues. Bill Goodwin reports  Continue Reading

• Text contraceptive

  Text messaging is being used to warn women in Poland when not to have sex.  Continue Reading

• Salary survey: Hitting the hot spots

  Although the number of IT jobs advertised continued to slide in the fourth quarter of 2001, some areas did see improvement....  Continue Reading

• Show me the money

  There is a right way and a wrong way to ask for a pay rise, writes Nathalie Towner  Continue Reading

• Don't shut out the head of the helpdesk

  It costs little or nothing to include helpdesk managers in consultations about new IT projects, but leaving them out can be a...  Continue Reading

• Will 2002 be the year of B2B?

  Firms feeling the pinch and checking processes to cut inefficiency will identify areas where B2B exchanges might help. Daniel...  Continue Reading

• Writing is on the wall for library's shelves

  As a digital version of the oldest known English language Valentine's Day message goes up on its Web site, James Rogers looks at...  Continue Reading

• Don't get into a fight over licensing

  If the software police come knocking on your door it pays to know your rights - but it will also save a lot of heartache and...  Continue Reading

• Make sure you know what you're worth

  If the prospect of conducting a software audit doesn't fill you with glee maybe knowing that it could slash your IT costs will...  Continue Reading

• Case study: Clackmannanshire pays the price

  The case of Clackmannanshire council, which last month paid hefty compensation to Microsoft for using unlicensed software,...  Continue Reading

• Negotiate to get the best licensing deal

  While stories abound of users being stiffed by suppliers, getting a good software licensing deal isn't impossible - you just need...  Continue Reading

• How to stay on the right side of licensing law

  Taking an apathetic view to software licensing can cost you dearly. So before your organisation is named and shamed find out what...  Continue Reading

• Next generation Internet lands

  After years in development, the next version of Internet Protocol (IP) is finally seeing its first live implementations.  Continue Reading

• Maths is not our strong point

  Computer Weekly has been given a sneak preview of the early findings from the Scale 21 report on what it takes to be a success in...  Continue Reading

• Deloitte splits auditing from consulting

  Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu has become the latest accounting firm to separate its core financial auditing services from its...  Continue Reading

• Lessons to be learned from Chinook tragedy

  Since 1997, Computer Weekly has studied the IT-related lessons from the crash of Chinook helicopter ZD576 on the Mull of Kintyre...  Continue Reading

• Cowboys take government training scheme for £65m ride

  The Individual Learning Accounts scheme is an expensive shambles. Aside from fraudulent claims for training not provided, the...  Continue Reading

• Don't let the solution lead the way

  David Elton, PA Consulting  Continue Reading

• A one-stop shop for e-business?

  Oracle claims its E-Business Suite provides 75% of the functionality to run e-business.  Continue Reading

• Where are the women?

  Something must be wrong when a dynamic industry full of career opportunities is being rejected by so many women.  Continue Reading

• IT key to integration success

  How do you decide what level of IT integration is appropriate after a company merger?  Continue Reading

• Interview: Is Microsoft's "trustworthy computing" hype too little too late?

  Stung by recent security vulnerabilities, Microsoft has made "trustworthy computing" its top goal and even delayed shipment of...  Continue Reading

• Spaced out storage

  Storage virtualisation promises to be the next IT boom, liberating users from complex data management and taking storage into a...  Continue Reading

• A brief history of an air traffic control system

  This weekend, after a 15-year gestation, an IBM-based air traffic control IT system that many thought would never arrive will go...  Continue Reading

• City ITers face hard choices after bleak start to the year

  Staff and contractors have been laid off as the downturn bites hard into City IT budgets. But the outlook for IT jobs in the...  Continue Reading

• Keeping an open mind

  What are the benefits of using Linux - Karl Cushing unwraps a company that is reaping the rewards of an open source...  Continue Reading

• Staying afloat in a new job

  You may feel as if you can walk on water when you start a new job. Planning can ensure that you don't go under.  Continue Reading

• Roundtable: Think alike

  What is business process management? Antony Adshead reports on a roundtable discussion which brought together those in the know  Continue Reading

• Scale 21 conference will reveal key to IT success

  The results of the largest ever survey of IT professionals and entrepreneurs are to be announced at the Building Britain's...  Continue Reading

• It's time to tune in to wireless LANs

  The hour has come for wireless LANs as falling prices and improving technology are making them attractive solutions - sometimes...  Continue Reading

• How a council got clobbered for software piracy

  The case of Clackmannanshire council, which last week admitted to paying hefty fines for software piracy, highlights the problems...  Continue Reading

• What's in the fortune cookie for 2002?

  Forget the pundits' predictions. Emma Nash and Bruce Ackland ask IT industry leaders what their hopes are for the next 12 months  Continue Reading

• Everyone is searching for Britney

  Google has released details of what the online community was surfing for in 2001.  Continue Reading

• Members speak about the benefits of the BCS

  Taking part in a professional body brings valuable personal benefits throughout a career, so say both senior and junior members...  Continue Reading

• UK Online gets new lease of life

  As the government portal gets another facelift James Rogers examines the impact of UK Online on targets for delivering services...  Continue Reading

• Take a positive line on past failure

  Rene Carayol, former IT director at IPC magazines and now a management author and consultant, believes people in the UK find it...  Continue Reading

• The next big thing

  You don't need to read the tea leaves or gaze into a crystal ball to find out what the new year holds. Andy Tinlin of KPMG...  Continue Reading

• How would you spend the £15m IT training budget?

  IT managers know better than anyone about skills gaps. E-Skills NTO wants the benefit of that expertise and your input in...  Continue Reading

• NSPCC introduces secure e-mail

  The nature of its work means electronic security is vital for the children's charity.  Continue Reading

• Flexi hype

  A recent survey of IT companies found that although WLAN is a popular and successful concept there is a general lack of knowledge...  Continue Reading

• Start as you mean to go on

  The time to make new year's resolutions is nearly upon us. If you resolve to keep staff happy, think creatively. Roisin Woolnough...  Continue Reading

• Dear Santa

  As a senior IT professional, what is on your wish list for Santa this Christmas? Would grateful users be top of the list or would...  Continue Reading

• Laying down the burden

  Faced with an increasingly complex technology landscape, and rising user expectations, more and more iSeries/400 sites are...  Continue Reading

• Don't leave it all to the lawyers

  If you are outsourcing a significant IT function the chances are that you will end up using lawyers when it comes to finalising...  Continue Reading

• Profiting from saving the readies

  Financial services companies have seen their market transformed by the Internet and new players. Sue Norris reports on what they...  Continue Reading

• The MBA conundrum:Will it supercharge your career?

  Having MBA after your name is increasingly seen as testament that you can deliver IT solutions which provide that all-important...  Continue Reading

• 2002 - The year of the contractor?

  If you've had enough of working for your present employer and fancy a break from the day-to-day drudgery of the workplace, you...  Continue Reading

• Don't make Wap mistakes

  To succeed suppliers of new generation mobile Internet services need to guarantee network performance  Continue Reading

• BCS enjoys boom time

  The BCS is "absolutely on a roll" - that was the message from new president Geoff McMullen at the society's annual dinner last...  Continue Reading

• Amazon.com - the platform

  Has Amazon lost its way by diversifying?  Continue Reading

• Charity case

  Former investment banker Peter Sweatman recently launched Charity Technology Trust (CTT), a philanthropic venture that he hopes...  Continue Reading

• Sport in the City

  Until recently sports betting has been dominated by the traditional walk-in bookmaker. Now, Intrade, a sports trading exchange,...  Continue Reading

• Arresting solutions

  The UK police market is a difficult one to crack but the prestige of providing solutions to this public sector is rewarding....  Continue Reading

• What they said about online sale of Nazi memorabilia

  The ongoing saga of Yahoo! and the sale of Nazi memorabilia on its Web site hit the news again this month as a US Federal judge...  Continue Reading

• Levelling out the work-life balance

  Why it pays employers to let parents work flexible hours. Nathalie Towner reports  Continue Reading

• Three cheers for IT!

  Traditionally tucked away in the depths of the organisation, IT departments must proactively seek recognition. Ross Bentley spoke...  Continue Reading

• Strategy Clinic: How can I cut costs?

  Like many of my peers in IT, I am under pressure to contain costs at the moment. Can the members of the panel give me three easy...  Continue Reading

• Sleepless over stress

  IT managers' stress levels in Europe are definitely rising, but Julia Vowler finds that the increase in stress is not just...  Continue Reading

• Fancy doing my job?

  Jenny Searle has been fronting the Government's push for UK e-business progress from a secondment at the DTI, but as it draws to...  Continue Reading

• Trust me I'm a reseller

  Buying IT can put you at the mercy of suppliers if you don't do your homework. Nick Booth looks at how to avoid being stung  Continue Reading

• Where should you look for jobs?

  The latest SSP quarterly survey of recruitment advertising has some surprises for job-hunters. Nicholas Enticknap reports  Continue Reading

• Women need to take on the geeks in fight for recognition

  With the number of women working in IT-related jobs falling, government initiatives and industry think-tanks are working together...  Continue Reading

• How to tame suppliers

  Tough IT director John Yard gives his tips on managing outsourcing deals. Tony Collins reports  Continue Reading

• Hero of the hour

  When trouble strikes, do you always come up covered in glory? This year's search for the Helpdesk Hero drew some great stories...  Continue Reading

• Hot topics

  A panel of academics, IT directors, analysts and vendors give their views on the current state of the industry and predict what...  Continue Reading

• McNealy defends Sun's record

  Scott McNealy, chairman and chief executive officer of Sun Microsystems has a reputation for speaking his mind. In a major...  Continue Reading

• Are you getting your money's worth from e-business?

  While e-business offers an easy way to measure the success of customer interactions, you need benchmarks of internal processes to...  Continue Reading

• The new realism rules in e-business:

  Companies are no longer racing to be first past the e-business post at any cost. As the economic slowdown fosters a more...  Continue Reading

• Devise a sound strategy to reduce project risk

  IT project strategies often need better clarity if they are to succeed, writes James Rogers.  Continue Reading

• Prepare to streamline lengthy outsourcing talks

  Companies are spending too much time and resources in negotiating outsourcing contracts, the director of a leading outsourcer...  Continue Reading

• SRM: Shopping for discounts

  We report on how supplier relationship management can save firms millions of pounds.  Continue Reading

• The contract crossroads

  Time to re-let your outsourcing contract? Julia Vowler looks at the options open to you  Continue Reading

• Staffing: Hurry up and hire

  Take too long to recruit staff and the best candidates will end up taking a job elsewhere. Computer Weekly explains how to get...  Continue Reading

• How to survive the SAD winter blues

  The clocks have gone back, the days are shorter and most of us are stuck in offices during the brief periods when the sun deigns...  Continue Reading

• Catch the B2B bug

  Many suppliers to the travel industry held back when the rest of the sector rushed to embrace e-business. But now one supplier,...  Continue Reading

• The slippery slope

  There are now more people chasing fewer and, probably lower-paid IT positions. But is a step back down the career the answer?  Continue Reading

• Learning leadership from the field

  If you are looking for an exemplar in leadership, they don't come any finer than Francois Pienaar, writes Ross Bentley.  Continue Reading

• User fury mounts after HP drops 3000 series server

  Users on both sides of the Atlantic have reacted angrily to last week's decision by Hewlett-Packard to stop selling the...  Continue Reading

• Stamping out the fraudsters

  A surprisingly high number of candidates stretch the truth on their CVs. Wise employers should verify the accuracy of applicants'...  Continue Reading

• Finding the right formula

  Despite Formula One team Jordan's recent success on the track, its Web site was being lapped by those of its rivals. Computer...  Continue Reading

• Beat stress at work - sleep more

  The key to coping with workplace stress is to get things right at home first, including making sure of your full 40 winks, as...  Continue Reading

• Perfect partners

  In ICL, Internet services provider Affinity found a partner willing to take a share of the risk while meeting its outsourcing...  Continue Reading