In Depth

In Depth

IT strategy

• Hitting the mark

  Supply chains may be becoming more complex, but that need not mean that the goal of e-fulfilment will be harder to attain. Mark...  Continue Reading

• Open champions

  This week's launch of OpenForum Europe will provide users and suppliers with a place to talk open source seriously. John Riley...  Continue Reading

• September 11: E-mail and remote access are key

  Businesses can get up and running quickly using just a few key applications. But no technology or planning can replace lost...  Continue Reading

• The renewed importance of disaster recovery and business continuity

  Despite their increasing complexity, companies have been reluctant to outsource IT systems. However, several events in the past...  Continue Reading

• Value of IT asset management proven during disaster recovery

  IT asset management (ITAM) solutions have been used to help organisations obtain and replace time-critical information, writes...  Continue Reading

• Benefits overhaul brings savings

  King's Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council replaces its old mainframe systems. Karl Cushing reports  Continue Reading

• Consultancy forum highlights skills gap

  A skills gap between system development and IT consultancy has been highlighted by the first meeting of the new BCS Consultancy...  Continue Reading

• Should I become a student again?

  I am working as an analyst/programmer and part-time database administrator (DBA) in a mainframe environment using Cobol and...  Continue Reading

• Quality controlled project management

  Prince2: a practical handbook, by Colin Bentley  Continue Reading

• Bankruptcies in telecoms put users on alert over contracts

  Telecoms suppliers, ISPs and hosting companies have been having a hard time, reports Andy Favell. The trouble is, when they...  Continue Reading

• 99% favour classroom learning

  To deliver best value to the business IT managers must keep staff skills up to date with regular training. Roisin Woolnough looks...  Continue Reading

• Why go direct?

  Using a recruitment agency to hire contractors is not every IT manager's cup of tea. James Rogers looks at the pros and cons of...  Continue Reading

• Police and DfES check out 160 possible abuses of ILA

  As MPs seek an explanation for the debacle over Individual Learning Accounts, Capita and government officials present differing...  Continue Reading

• Key institutional advisor endorses HP/Compaq merger

  A new advisory for institutional investors has given the HP/Compaq merger the thumbs-up.  Continue Reading

• Time to pension off your DBA?

  Why pay for a database administrator (DBA), when it can prove more cost-effective to outsource database management to a...  Continue Reading

• Data quality - the weak underbelly of CRM

  Giga Information Group analyst Lou Agosta discusses how poor data quality can become a major flaw in many businesses' customer...  Continue Reading

• Data Act lets you peek into your company file

  Hand £10 over to your employer and you can gain access to confidential company records on your performance as an employee, writes...  Continue Reading

• On the campaign with Big Bill

  Bill Gates flew to San Francisco to launch the latest component of his Web services initiative earlier this month. Danny Bradbury...  Continue Reading

• Another step towards Europe

  The Brussels Regulation will affect all companies that trade across international boundaries. Charlotte Walker-Osborne spells out...  Continue Reading

• The jam busters

  If your new motor has in-car telematics you won't be able to blame the traffic when you next roll in late for work, writes Ben...  Continue Reading

• The project killers

  How can you prevent IT projects ending in disaster? Computer Weekly and The Coverdale Organisation have identified the causes and...  Continue Reading

• It's not magic

  No analyst can wave a magic wand and solve all your troubles at a stroke, but if you choose one carefully and brief them...  Continue Reading

• Test centres reduce risks for IT projects

  Computacenter's new Solutions Centre provides a secure multimillion pound facility for firms to test new systems. James Rogers...  Continue Reading

• Danes experiment with m-cash

  Retailers and mobile service providers will be watching with interest as live trials of m-wallet systems begin in Denmark in...  Continue Reading

• Moving to Volume Outsourcing

  Katy Ring, Topic Director, HostedServices@Ovum discusses the extent to which professional services organisations should offer...  Continue Reading

• Broadband UK: BT price cuts are just the start

  The government and many in the telecoms industry have welcomed British Telecoms' broadband price cuts, while others are already...  Continue Reading

• 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