In Depth

In Depth

• Trust feels pain of NHS IT roll-out

  After a difficult first year under the national IT programme, centralised IT systems now hold the key to financial recovery at the pioneering Sidcup trust  Continue Reading

• Airline flies towards a cheaper way to block unauthorised applications

  Budget airline FlyBe is assessing anti-virus-style technology for locking down PCs which could reduce the costs associated with keeping blocked-application lists updated.  Continue Reading

• Early cost cuts key to United revamp

  United Utilities has begun upgrading its 3,000-plus desktops to Windows XP Service Pack 2 in a project that the firm's IT operation hopes will prove the value of a wider business transformation project underway at the company.  Continue Reading

• Videoconferencing gets a new image

  Advances in videoconferencing technology have given the medium a new lease of life, moving it towards a real-world experience for users  Continue Reading

• Drive business change with Web 2.0

  Web 2.0 will alter the way that businesses develop and apply innovative ideas, according to General Motors systems and technology officer Fred Killeen  Continue Reading

• ING branches out with SOA mortgage app

  ING Direct has completed "its most complex IT project to date" using an onshore and offshore programming team from Capgemini to support the bank's move to become a mortgage provider.  Continue Reading

• Next Move: How do I move from reseller to user?

  Expert advice on readers' career dilemmas  Continue Reading

• Axa expert to illuminate darker areas of project management

  Project management theorists would have managers believe that a project has a clearly defined start, goes through a formal lifecycle and ends with a structured close down. If you have ever worked on a project, you will know that is rarely the case.  Continue Reading

• Security on the open source road

  A growing number of suppliers are developing identity management, anti-virus and firewall security products to better support open source systems  Continue Reading

• Hertfordshire becomes lead authority for eAdmissions project

  Council creates national blueprint for online school admission system  Continue Reading

• The route to a painless migration

  The move to Exchange 2007 is a strategic necessity for many firms, despite fears about data loss. However, there are tools and methods to help ease the transition  Continue Reading

• Security Blog Log: Dissecting Firefox 2.0

  This week, bloggers examine the security features of Firefox 2.0 and come away with mixed reviews. Does it fare better than Internet Explorer 7?  Continue Reading

• Review: Arbor Networks' Peakflow X 3.6

  Hot Pick: Peakflow isn't cheap and requires an intimate understanding of data flows, applications and network infrastructure. But the investment will pay dividends.  Continue Reading

• Review: Network Intelligence's enVision

  enVision offers excellent value and is highly configurable, though typically that means you have to put a lot into it to get the most out of it.  Continue Reading

• Download Advanced Storage Guide Chapter 2: Backup/Data protection (PDF)

  A printable version of our Advanced Storage All-In-One Guide. Download Chapter 2: Backup/Data protection in .pdf format now.  Continue Reading

• Wireless options abound: WiMAX, EV-DO, VoIP

  The lack of next-generation wireless standards has created not only confusion, but also cutthroat competition and amazing opportunities for WiMAX, EV-DO, VoIP and more.  Continue Reading

• VoIP convergence: Managing staffing issues

  Companies making the transition to IP telephony must find a way to converge their voice and data networks -- and the employees who work on them.  Continue Reading

• Production databases find a home on IP SANs

  Dow Chemical will be cutting costs with a NetApp system; AirClic goes with EqualLogic's newest SAS array after evaluating both NetApp and EMC.  Continue Reading

• Arsenal kicks off with wireless network

  Arsenal Football Club has deployed a wireless network at its new Emirates Stadium.  Continue Reading

• DPM's Diary 31 October 2006

  Weekly round up of events at Bogcaster City Council  Continue Reading

• Long voyage to the land of SOA

  Forty years ago, hardware was the main concern of IT specialists. Now the focus is firmly on the end-user and the strategic needs of the business. We report on the evolution of software development  Continue Reading

• Starbucks brews up IT services deal

  Coffee chain Starbucks has signed a deal with IT services company Unisys to support its global expansion plans.  Continue Reading

• Agile programming slashes time to market for anti ID fraud start-up

  Information monitoring company Garlik has used the latest rapid-programming techniques to develop its anti-ID-fraud web and database technologies in just nine months.  Continue Reading

• Insurer drives efficiencies with IT skills framework

  Norwich Union Life is claiming significant efficiency improvements in its IT department after adopting an industry-standard skills framework to reorganise the way it manages 850 IT staff.  Continue Reading

• Council makes 82% power saving with virtual servers

  The London Borough of Hillingdon is on course to cut its power requirements for legacy servers by 82% after using virtualisation software to consolidate 40 servers onto three.  Continue Reading

• Esure has Wily way to handle screen scraping

  Online insurance company esure has employed a Wily web performance management tool from Computer Associates to ensure its website availability remained close to 100% throughout its summer sale, despite peaks in CPU demand created by an online ...  Continue Reading

• IT greats: Who is the greatest?

  To mark our 40th anniversary Computer Weekly asked you, our readers, to vote for the individuals, organisations, hardware and software that have had the most beneficial impact on our industry over the past four decades.  Continue Reading

• Journey to the future

  Over the past 40 years computers have transformed social and business life, despite remaining pretty unintelligent. Now the challenge is to get them thinking for themselves, writes Cliff Saran  Continue Reading

• Download Advanced Storage Guide Chapter 1: Storage components (PDF)

  A printable version of our Advanced Storage All-In-One Guide. Download Chapter 1: Storage components in .pdf format now.  Continue Reading

• Crisis interventions cut back through data sharing

  Smart projects: West Lothian realises benefits of sharing data across agencies  Continue Reading

• How to make your website fit for all

  An armoury of resources is available to ensure your organisation's website can meet the needs of disabled visitors, boosting usage and keeping you within the law  Continue Reading

• Add human touch to black box tests

  Vulnerability testing software promises much, but what can it actually deliver? The answer depends on how much human expertise you can put in as well  Continue Reading

• Data analysis drives fund managers to spend double the UK average on technology

  Business Focus is a weekly column providing at-a-glance statistics and commentary on spending priorities and trends in particular sectors. This week we look at fund managers.  Continue Reading

• NHS IT project is force for good and worth the pain so hush the critics

  The media is unduly critical of Granger and the programme  Continue Reading

• NHS IT watch

  Richard Holway, a respected market analyst, has written a forceful critique of media coverage of the NHS's £12.4bn National Programme for IT.  Continue Reading

• Putting the identity pieces together

  Identity management is key in controlling corporate risk and meeting regulatory requirements. The trick is to find a solution that works any time, any place  Continue Reading

• The search for meaning

  Everyone knows that there's masses of valuable information lurking in the enterprise. So all that's needed is a user-friendly way to find the right stuff and put it to good use.  Continue Reading

• What storage managers are buying and why, page 5

  What storage managers are buying and why  Continue Reading

• What storage managers are buying and why, page 4

  What storage managers are buying and why  Continue Reading

• Nuffield rolls out ERP to open door to NHS work

  The UK's largest private hospitals group has begun rolling out enterprise resource planning software for testing in a bid to become efficient enough to compete for NHS business under the tariffs on offer.  Continue Reading

• Hounslow Trust targets efficiencies with remote access to clinical data

  Mobile health workers will use Rio system to access data in the field  Continue Reading

• ITSMF to showcase service

  A host of speakers from user organisations will be addressing the IT Service Management Forum's annual conference in Birmingham from 13 to 15 November.  Continue Reading

• How do I get started in IT security?

  Expert advice for readers' career problems  Continue Reading

• Last call for IT volunteering awards

  Do you know someone who has volunteered their time and IT skills to help a charity or their local community? If so, you only have a short time left to nominate them for the 2006 IT Volunteer Awards, organised by IT4Communities.  Continue Reading

• NHS IT project should not be at the expense of patients or of the media's independence

  The media must remain free to hold the NHS IT project accountable for its shortfalls  Continue Reading

• DPM's diary: 24 October 2006

  The weekly round up of events at Bodcaster City Council  Continue Reading

• Unswop the pairs of numbers to bring back the magic

  In squares of this type, containing a consecutive sequence 1 to ?, the magical expression to produce the constant is always (n3+n) divided by 2. So in our...  Continue Reading

• Police reveal IT strategy

  The new national police IT strategy published last month set out how IT will be developed to support standardised processes for collecting and managing intelligence across police forces in England and Wales.  Continue Reading

• Nokia E62 thin mobile productivity device

  In this product review, John Shepler weighs in on Nokia's new E62 mobile device for Cingular Wireless.  Continue Reading

• Do you work in a winning IT department?

  Is your IT department a shining beacon of workplace best practice in the high-pressure world of IT?  Continue Reading

• Prioritise the most useful metrics to demonstrate the business value of IT

  Strategy clinic: Our panel of experts offer advice on IT management dilemmas  Continue Reading

• Strategy clinic: Deciding which activities to measure to provide meaningful insights

  I have always believed in 'doing' rather than self-monitoring, but reluctantly agree that the IT department needs to provide meaningful metrics on its activities. We have no shortage of things to measure, but how do we decide which are the most ...  Continue Reading

• Get the measure of network quality

  Moving to a single voice and data network can save money, but it means putting all your eggs in one basket - so checking reliability of service is crucial  Continue Reading

• Nmap Technical Manual

  By now, most infosec pros have heard of Nmap, and most would agree that even though the popular freeware tool is invaluable, installing, configuring and running it in the enterprise is no easy task. With that in mind, SearchSecurity.com, in ...  Continue Reading

• DaimlerChrysler lines up assembly sites

  Motor manufacturer DaimlerChrysler has extended its 17-year global communications services agreement with Verizon Business.  Continue Reading

• Cheaper storage lets mapping go digital

  The UK mapping agency Ordnance Survey has cut its storage costs by implementing a new data archiving system.  Continue Reading

• Security Blog Log: Taking Google Code Search for a spin

  This week, the blogosphere is buzzing about Google Code Search. Despite concerns that the tool will aid attackers, some see it as a boost for security.  Continue Reading

• Archive or anarchy?

  Businesses want to get to their data quickly and easily, but with increasing amounts of material available, a disciplined approach to storage security isessential  Continue Reading

• Best-kept secret agent revealed

  No longer just the province of specialist sectors, agent-based computing is changing the way systems interact and how they are managed.  Continue Reading

• Hitachi SATA hard disc drive gets enterprise-class rating

  Hitachi Global Storage Technologies has bolstered its 3.5-inch Deskstar 7K500 Serial-ATA (SATA) hard disc drive to achieve an enterprise-class rating.  Continue Reading

• IBM unveils new virtualisation engine

  IBM has lifted the lid on its next generation of tape virtualisation solutions, with the introduction of the IBM System Storage TS7700 Virtualization Engine.  Continue Reading

• Mandriva throws open source server solution challenge

  Mandriva has launched version 4.0 of its Corporate Server 4.0, what it calls a full, open solution that allows rapid server deployment in any environment.  Continue Reading

• Server virtualisation firm advances web hosting

  SWsoft, a provider of server automation and virtualisation software, has released SiteBuilder 3.0 for Linux/Unix, a new desktop interface and ease-of-use for web hosting providers and their customers.  Continue Reading

• Virtualisation management to be at the heart of all INSYSTEK installations

  Enterprise management software provider INSYSTEK has placed virtualisation right at the centre of its strategy for managing complex virtual environments.  Continue Reading

• Storage special: Just can't get enough

  Compliance and competitive advantage are driving an insatiable demand for storage  Continue Reading

• Inside MSRC: Public vulnerability disclosures on the rise

  Even though irresponsible publicly disclosed vulnerabilities seem to be on the rise, Microsoft's Christopher Budd discusses how the software giant was able to quickly release a fix for the recent VML flaw, plus offers best practices on how to make ...  Continue Reading

• Does IT matter? Yes, but don't stick your neck out, says Carr

  The debate on whether IT can make a difference to business was back with a bang in the UK last week when Nicholas Carr, author of "Does IT Matter?", came to London  Continue Reading

• Are IT security risks over-hyped?

  The Big Question is an initiative between Computer Weekly and recruitment consultancy PSD. Each week we put the Big Question to top IT professionals to get their take on a current talking point.  Continue Reading

• Alliance overhaul gives single customer view

  Alliance & Leicester has announced plans to replace many of its core banking systems with Accenture's Alnova Financial Solutions banking platform under a three-year IT-led business transformation programme.  Continue Reading

• Tetley brews SAP savings via in-house management

  Tetley Tea's IT team will go live this month with the first module of an SAP upgrade that the company expects will be completed at about half the cost of using external suppliers.  Continue Reading

• Getting users to raise their voice

  Internet telephony cannot deliver on its promise if users remain welded to their mobiles. Winning hearts and minds with training and quality service is the key.  Continue Reading

• Next move: How do I escape technical roles?

  Expert advice for readers' career problems  Continue Reading

• Storage Expo - show guide

  Business continuity, information lifecycle management and future-proofing are among the topics in the keynote programme at this year's Storage Expo exhibition  Continue Reading

• Is your firm a great place to work?

  If your IT department has a positive working environment, employs continuous professional development and offers a good work-life balance, then you have much to gain from entering Computer Weekly's Best Places to Work in IT awards.  Continue Reading

• IT security pioneer piped into ISSA's Hall of Fame

  The Information Systems Security Association (ISSA) has awarded its accolade of the year to IT security specialist Fred Piper by admitting him to its Hall of Fame.  Continue Reading

• Your shout: More on ageism, the NHS's tragi-comedy

  Have your say at computerweekly.com...  Continue Reading

• Source code analysis tool key to absentee ballot system

  PostX turned to the Fortify Source Code Analysis tool for help developing an absentee ballot request system for the U.S. Armed Forces.  Continue Reading

• Insider security threats: Watch out for the quiet ones

  Malicious insiders remain a menace to data security, but it's the loyal employee who takes a lax approach to policy that could be your most looming threat.  Continue Reading

• Test your IQ: Business continuity -- ANSWER

  This type of plan specifies a means of maintaining essential services at the crisis location.  Continue Reading

• School district expels outsourced backup, enrolls CDP

  Revere School District dumps tape and outsourced backup, and deploys SonicWall's continuous data protection product.  Continue Reading

• Travel firm uses database scanning for safe journey to Sarbanes-Oxley

  Travelport, the global travel services company which owns a range of well-known brands including ebookers.com and Galileo, is deploying a scanning system to analyse hundreds of databases for security vulnerabilities.  Continue Reading

• Your shout: Age concern, women in IT

  Computer Weekly readers have their say  Continue Reading

• Camelot cuts security cost with firewall consolication

  National Lottery provider Camelot Group has cut its network security costs by up to 25% by consolidating its firewalls onto a single rack ­system.  Continue Reading

• Cutting disaster down to size

  Most smaller companies are aware of the need to plan for contingencies. Fewer have converted concern into workable plans. Helen Beckett looks at some practical approaches  Continue Reading

• No half measures in Nottingham's IT overhaul

  Nottingham Building Society is embarking on a major project to modernise its IT systems and offer customers online banking for the first time.  Continue Reading

• What does the CEO want from you?

  It's no good working your socks off if you're moving in the wrong direction. Julia Vowler talks to a leading headhunter about how to build influence and boost your career  Continue Reading

• Next move: Should I choose Cisco or Microsoft skills?

  Expert advice for readers' career problems  Continue Reading

• Insurer targets storage consolidation savings

  Insurer Alea London is consolidating its core systems, datawarehouse and e-mail archives on a single storage platform.  Continue Reading

• How to avoid datacentre downtime

  A supposedly "bullet-proof" IT infrastructure will always be vulnerable to electrical and mechanical problems. So it is important for IT directors to start talking to building services people.  Continue Reading

• Top IT directors get a pizza the action to aid young homeless

  Domino's Pizza IT director Jane Kimberlin and her IT team distributed pizzas to hungry IT leaders at last week's annual Byte Night charity sleep-out on London's Embankment.  Continue Reading

• DPM's Diary: 3 October 2006

  Monday  Continue Reading

• Putting on PDA encryption at the Ritz

  The Ritz hotel is issuing its staff with encrypted personal digital assistants to protect confidential information if devices are lost or stolen.  Continue Reading

• Alliance and Leicester to overhaul core systems

  Alliance & Leicester has announced plans replace many of its core banking systems with Accenture’s Alnova Financial Solutions banking platform under a three-year IT-led business transformation programme.  Continue Reading

• ZERT rekindles third-party patching debate

  This week in Security Blog Log: IT security pros express more reservations about third-party patching, including the CEO of a company that released one a few months ago.  Continue Reading

• Poor management holds back BI tools

  Financial, operational and business performance information is held in multiple locations and multiple formats, according to an Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) study.  Continue Reading

• Poor links with business causes ‘festering problem’ for IT

  IT’s lack of alignment with business goals remains ‘a festering problem’, according to a survey of CIOs.  Continue Reading

• UK firms spend £1.8bn a year on security

  Spending on security has reached ‘massive’ levels, according to a report from Point Topic.  Continue Reading

• ‘Gung-ho' attitude scuppers public-sector IT projects

  Government IT heads’ ‘gung-ho’ and reckless attitudes to risk is wasting millions of taxpayer money on over-complex, poorly tested systems, according to a think-tank study.  Continue Reading

• RFID set to soar despite high cost

  Hard to quantify return on investment and high implementation costs are hobbling the uptake of RFID, according to market analysts Frost & Sullivan.  Continue Reading

• Financial Engines revs up software security with code-scanning tool

  The investment advisory company uses Fortify's Source Code Analysis code-scanning tool to help catch flaws and enhance its security in-depth approach.  Continue Reading