In Depth
In Depth
Internet technology
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How AllSaints, L’Oreal and Deliveroo are using AI to improve CX
From fuelling chatbots and digital assistants, to helping with retail media targeting, retailers continue to announce ways artificial intelligence is helping them boost customer experiences online Continue Reading
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Virtualising urban environments and smart cities with digital twins
As cities increasingly try to integrate smart features and applications into their operations, digital twins will become powerful enablers in designing and developing smart cities Continue Reading
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Crew Clothing head of IT: ‘The projects don’t stop’
Crew Clothing parted ways with its senior leadership team in 2023, but there is a clear roadmap in place for technology transformation – and it doesn’t involve an ERP system Continue Reading
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Retail’s Big Show: Reporting from the retail technology front line
What themes will we be seeing in the retail tech space over the next year according to the 2024 National Retail Federation’s Big Show? Continue Reading
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French TV giant sticks with Dell NAS for channel upgrade
TF1 has the biggest market share in French TV, but plans for more. It has upgraded from Isilon to PowerScale scale-out NAS and saved 42% in energy costs, halving rackspace use Continue Reading
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Cloud is not always the answer: Five reasons why
We look at why the cloud is not always the best choice, including for reasons of cost, application suitability, management, data protection and the needs of the business Continue Reading
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Cloud-to-cloud backup: What it is and why you (probably) need it
Basic cloud data protection is just not enough. Several loopholes leave business data vulnerable and that means additional cloud-to-cloud backup should be seriously considered Continue Reading
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Digital twins will change operations with use cases across industries
Digital twins are busily replicating real-world objects, processes and environments in the metaverse. Industrial and commercial applications are manifold, because the use potential of such digital twins is virtually unlimited, but technological, ... Continue Reading
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Digital twins to virtualise the world
The industrial metaverse and digital twins are related but are not necessarily the same – so where will digital twins play the most important role? Continue Reading
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On-prem vs cloud storage: Four decisions about data location
Hybrid cloud is now a reality. But how to decide what data goes where? We highlight four key decision points to evaluate whether data should be stored on-premise or in the cloud Continue Reading
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Pure Storage: Flash ‘startup’ that brings late entrant advantage
Storage profile: We look at Pure Storage, the youngest of the array makers, which comes to market with well-developed flash, hybrid cloud and consumption purchasing models Continue Reading
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Currys data strategy takes major step forward with launch of Connected Media
Data is the foundation for the future success of the new Currys retail media platform, as the tech retailer’s CDO explains Continue Reading
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Spatial computing redraws the world of work
Immersive technologies such as augmented, mixed and virtual reality are nothing new but next-generation capabilities are coalescing into a spatial computing ecosystem that is set to create a new immersive world of work Continue Reading
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Where tech can smooth out the retail returns process
New tech from supply chain companies, M&A activity among logistics firms, and H&M’s new fees show product returns is the retail industry debate that keeps coming back Continue Reading
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Cloud NAS, what is it good for?
We look at NAS file access storage, how it works, what it’s good for and the possibilities to access storage for files and unstructured data in the public cloud Continue Reading
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Retailers and customers alike open to AI, but calls for caution
Retail-related studies into AI’s influence suggest its capabilities are welcome by the sector and shoppers alike – but tech leaders advise treading cautiously Continue Reading
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IBM reorients to offset historic storage hardware decline
Storage profile: We look at IBM and the strategic shifts it has made towards the cloud, cloud-native and as-a-service offerings that aim to reverse a long-term decline in revenues Continue Reading
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SME disaster recovery: Five key points to consider
We look at key DR considerations for SMEs, including RPOs, RTOs, infrastructure needed for effective continuity and the right combination of cloud and in-house provision Continue Reading
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Gearing up for the industrial metaverse
With the hype around the metaverse probably at an all-time low since the former Facebook invented it, it could be argued that its potential is at an all-time high. Where will this potential be exploited and though what tools? Continue Reading
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Adopting and adapting to the industrial metaverse
The industrial metaverse heralds commercial transformations, driving benefits across operations and industries. We look at the benefits an industrial version of the emerging computing environment can offer to corporations Continue Reading
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The industrial metaverse drives benefits across operations and industries
Technological, human, and legal aspects will play a role in determining the pace of adoption and diffusion of industrial applications of the metaverse. Payoffs can be substantial in terms of collaboration, productivity, efficiency and cost reduction Continue Reading
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Industrial metaverse heralds commercial transformations
Despite the best of intentions, sometimes rebrands just don’t work. Yet while the adoption issues of the metaverse in the consumer market are real, in the industrial world, the metaverse’s payoffs are tangible Continue Reading
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Huawei a big storage hitter despite international troubles
Huawei is a leading storage player with an enterprise product offer across file, block and object storage, and the cloud, despite controversy and trading difficulties Continue Reading
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Can Africa deliver on its ambitious digital transformation goal?
The African Union is targeting a continent-wide digital single market by 2030 and there's much progress being made, but some fundamental challenges have yet to be overcome Continue Reading
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Considerations for meaningful metaverses: cornerstones of success
Immersive technologies of all varieties are enabling new computing environments that will affect the fabric of emerging commercial and societal landscapes. Crucial considerations will play a role Continue Reading
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Immersive technologies advance training and design
Building on a similar discussion on the emerging metaverse at the iconic cultural event a year ago, this year’s SXSW saw a select group of experts discuss how immersive technologies could be a driver for future societies Continue Reading
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Software-defined storage: What’s available from key players
What’s available in software-defined storage from the big storage players, software-defined storage specialists, and SDS options focused on cloud, virtualisation and containers Continue Reading
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Hitachi Vantara: Small part of a big corp and analytics focus
We look at Hitachi Vantara, its storage, its cloud offer, the workloads it targets, and its efforts in containerisation and consumption models of storage purchasing Continue Reading
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Could social media revolutionise war crimes trials?
Computer Weekly speaks with open source investigators about how they use social media to gather evidence of war crimes, and the trouble with using such evidence in legal proceedings Continue Reading
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Retail tech transformation: Winning boardroom hearts and minds
Retail tech leaders from Sweaty Betty and Selfridges discuss levers to pull and tactics to adopt when influencing the boardroom on transformation projects Continue Reading
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The role of AI as an everyday life assistant
We speak to the co-author of a book that explores the idea of artificial intelligence-powered automation that enables machines to become customers Continue Reading
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From Nokia to Merge Mansion: Helsinki’s tech expertise is sparking a new era for global gaming
Helsinki has a reputation as the go-to place for game development, and now the city’s tech community is taking gaming into new areas Continue Reading
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The CIO challenges brought by e-commerce in Kuwait
E-commerce is growing fast in Kuwait, resulting in new challenges for CIOs in the retail sector Continue Reading
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The new shape of design in the age of Industry 4.0
The modern manufacturing process has evolved over the last decades to the point where there are many interconnected disciplines taking place, often at the same time. With the advent of advanced comms technologies, interconnections are taking on a ... Continue Reading
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Face tech – recognising the retail opportunity
From age verification to catching criminals, how are retailers using facial recognition technology to push forward their businesses? Continue Reading
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The race to net zero: Six ways to slash IT infrastructure emissions
Strategies aimed at successfully cutting climate risk can appear to be stymieing business sustainability. How can the industry remain productive? Continue Reading
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Augmented reality in retail: The second coming
H&M, Avon, Very and others’ usage of augmented reality in retail could mean we’re reaching tipping point for the technology in 2023 Continue Reading
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The one problem with AI content moderation? It doesn’t work
The use of artificial intelligence for content moderation is likely to become more pronounced with the passage of the Online Safety Bill, but practitioners and experts question the efficacy of this approach Continue Reading
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Green storage: Savings to be made but tricky to achieve
Storage upgrades can bring energy savings. New hardware, the cloud and as-a-service procurement models all cut costs, but can need careful tweaking to get right Continue Reading
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IT’s shift to the cloud: Veeam’s data protection report in detail
With half of servers in the cloud, most backup and nearly all disaster recovery cloud-centric, the shift to the cloud is significant – but container backup is one area that is yet to settle down Continue Reading
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Top trends in tech, and retail’s early adopters
Computer Weekly identifies the retail industry’s early adopters of what McKinsey & Co deems the top tech trends Continue Reading
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Building culture within collaboration to make hybrid work pay
As hybrid working evolves, some firms are struggling to support non-office-based workers and management is unclear of its new responsibilities. What is being done to address this evolution? Continue Reading
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Developed for Big Science in Europe, highly accurate time protocols ensure fair trading in finance
Protocols developed for use at the European Organisation for Nuclear Research are now being used for many other applications, including financial services Continue Reading
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Freeing the hybrid workforce from quiet constraint
The rapid shift to hybrid working may be contributing to the trend of 'quiet constraint'. We look at how technology can be applied to really work for a distributed workforce Continue Reading
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A retail tech tour of the Battersea Power Station development
We check out the customer-facing digital features on display in the UK’s newest shopping site at Battersea Power Station Continue Reading
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Top 10 storage and backup customer stories of 2022
Here are Computer Weekly’s top 10 storage and backup customer stories of 2022 Continue Reading
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From capex to opex: Storage procurement options bloom
We look at the growing list of possibilities when it comes to paying for storage infrastructure, ranging from upfront purchases with upgrades to pure pay-as-you-go options Continue Reading
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Extended reality can be empathic reality
In the metaverse, eliciting empathy might become an important feature for many applications, including gaming and industrial uses, and there is even the potential that applications that focus on emphatic results will create their own market niche Continue Reading
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XR’s wide range of interface technologies: Achieving total immersiveness
Visuals are important to create convincing representations of the real world in extended reality, but they are neither inclusive nor do they provide a sufficiently authentic sensation in virtual worlds. Genuine immersiveness will require interfaces ... Continue Reading
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XR and the real world: Feedback loops and spillovers
As the metaverse develops, the realism of advanced extended reality applications could allow users to take experiences, interests and strategies with them into the real world – creating spillovers from virtual to real worlds Continue Reading
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Cloud storage: Key storage specifications
We look at the key specs in cloud storage, including availability – such as five nines – bandwidth, IOPS and latency, capacity and tiering functionality, egress charges and security Continue Reading
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The next decade in enterprise backup
Backup set to adapt to deliver more security, ransomware protection and flash-speed restores, and deal with the complexity of multi-, hybrid cloud and container-based operations Continue Reading
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Retail’s robotics reboot
Walmart and Amazon are among the retailers acquiring warehouse robotics firms, during a period of significant innovation in this space Continue Reading
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Tearing down the barriers to full digital connectivity
Millions of households rely on good connectivity for work, study or leisure. But how much has fast and consistent broadband connectivity spread across the UK? Continue Reading
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Putting metaverse concerns into perspective
All breakthroughs in technology have come with downsides, so what risks and concerns are there with the advent of the metaverse? Continue Reading
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Cloud bursting: Six key steps in planning and decision-making
We explore the key stages in a cloud bursting project: assessing the data and workflows, variants in the mechanism, application suitability, having the right resources, and planning and testing Continue Reading
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XR applications are already changing businesses
Many still regard the metaverse as a technology looking for an application. Yet company leaders would be surprised to learn how commercially usable augmented and virtual reality applications already are Continue Reading
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The metaverse’s developing industry structure
Challenges to create seamlessly working metaverse solutions exist not only on the technology side, but also on the business and partnership side. But the developing commercial landscape has not yet gelled. Small players, startups and even ... Continue Reading
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Cloud bursting: What is it, what workloads, what technologies?
We look at cloud bursting, its benefits and how to deploy it, as well as the limitations in terms of suitable workloads, the technologies needed and the skills to make it happen Continue Reading
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Online marketplace momentum ushers in new era for retailers
Superdrug is the latest in a growing list of retailers to launch its own online marketplace, joining B&Q, Boots and others in driving a new era for UK retail Continue Reading
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Morrisons joins the fast-growing retail media movement
More retailers are becoming publishers as they realise the potential of their online assets, helping to fuel a new fast-growth segment of digital marketing – and Morrisons is no exception Continue Reading
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Air gaps for backup and how they help against ransomware
The air gap is a basic of backups and storage. We look at what’s meant by an air gap, the rise of the logical air gap, and its place in the fight against ransomware Continue Reading
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Hybrid working: Preventing damage to company culture
The hybrid working model is still a work in progress, and most employers are at an early stage in learning and finding their way towards achieving its benefits Continue Reading
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How the pandemic accelerated tech adoption in hospitality
The pandemic led to technology adoption across several sectors, with hospitality being no exception Continue Reading
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New connectivity options driven by low Earth orbit satellites
Huge reductions in the cost of building and launching satellites has led to an explosion of interest in space-borne projects and services Continue Reading
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Cloud bursting: What it is and what it’s good for
We look at cloud bursting, which allows organisations to meet demand by bursting compute and storage to the cloud Continue Reading
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Peeking into the metaverse: Taking a look at VR headsets and AR smart glasses
Extended – augmented and virtual – reality is capturing the imagination of media and investors alike. Use cases abound, and market opportunities proliferate as more and more companies discover applications that might help their operations or serve ... Continue Reading
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Cloud storage TCO: Key pitfalls and how to avoid them
Cloud’s flexibility is part of the attraction, but it can also lead to costs that spiral. We look at key elements in cloud TCO and how to intelligently make use of the cloud Continue Reading
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When network performance is the name of the Games
Major sporting events are now major IT and networking events. For Aruba, being in charge of networking for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games meant 20 simultaneous major projects - how did it go? Continue Reading
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Global broadband reaches for the stars to connect the Earth
Despite fears of recession, especially in major economies, there is one thing that people can’t seem to have enough of: high-speed connectivity Continue Reading
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Mapping out the rise in checkout-free shopping
There has been a boom in the number of checkout-free stores globally, but will that growth continue and which retailers are interested? Continue Reading
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Retailers choose from menu of mobile apps to help reduce food waste
Supermarkets, convenience stores and coffee shops are among the retailers connecting with mobile apps and tech firms to drive down the wastage of food Continue Reading
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Pandemic turns e-commerce doubters into believers
Notable UK retail e-commerce avoiders Primark, B&M and Poundland are now online players. But what are their respective digital approaches? Continue Reading
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File, block and object: Storage fundamentals in the cloud era
We look at the three basic ways that storage accesses data – via file, block and object – as well as the ways in which the rise of the cloud and distributed systems have brought changes to them Continue Reading
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Global file systems: Hybrid cloud and follow-the-sun access
We look at global distributed file systems that put enterprise data under a single file access namespace so that enterprises and branch offices can get to data from anywhere Continue Reading
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Data gravity: What is it and how to manage it
Data gravity can attract increasing amounts of data, and brings with it onerous management overheads. We look at how to mitigate data gravity in datacentre and cloud Continue Reading
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What the EU’s content-filtering rules could mean for UK tech
EU proposals to clamp down on child sexual abuse material will have a material impact on the UK’s technology sector Continue Reading
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Retail’s IT talent search intensifies
Retailers from different sectors are on the hunt to fill similar IT job roles, but are all finding different ways to source the sought-after talent Continue Reading
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Cloud-to-cloud backup: When native cloud protection is not enough
There is a certain amount of protection built into cloud services, but it has its limits and full data protection requires that cloud data is secured with cloud-to-cloud backup Continue Reading
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Four obstacles to hybrid cloud storage – and possible solutions
We look at obstacles to hybrid cloud storage, such as complexity, a need for object storage, application suitability, and cost, with potential ways to mitigate the problems Continue Reading
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The state of Australia’s national broadband network
Australia’s national broadband network promises to improve broadband connectivity across the country but has been plagued by pricing issues. Here’s a look at where it is today and what lies ahead Continue Reading
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Attack of the clones: the rise of identity theft on social media
The proliferation of social media has resulted in the rise of identity theft on these platforms, with accounts copied for fraudulent or malicious purposes. What can be done to mitigate it? Continue Reading
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Interview: LF Energy on using open source to ready energy systems for phasing out fossil fuels
With the climate crisis putting increasing pressure on countries to decarbonise their economies, the founder of open source championing LF Energy talks about digitising power networks to be ready for renewables Continue Reading
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Using technology to reinvent stores
Technology is becoming an important part of the shopping experience at home, in stores and in-between, so how are retailers using technology to advance the store experience? Continue Reading
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Boots accelerates its digital accessibility journey
Boots is working with website accessibility software provider Recite Me to make its website more user-friendly and improve the customer experience Continue Reading
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Backup types explained: Full, incremental, differential, synthetic
We look at backup – on-prem and cloud – and the key variants available, from full backup to synthetic full, via incremental, differential, incremental forever and reverse incremental Continue Reading
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Storage suppliers put Kubernetes platforms centre stage
How to orchestrate the orchestrator? Storage suppliers’ Kubernetes management platforms aim to meet storage and data protection challenge in containerised application environments Continue Reading
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Five key points on file locking vs object locking
We look at file vs object storage locking mechanisms, how different forms of storage ensure data consistency, and especially how object storage is tackling the challenge Continue Reading
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Ship from store: A pandemic retail trend that’s here to stay?
Shipping online orders from bricks and mortar stores looks set to be a pandemic trend that will stick around to form part of retail’s new normal Continue Reading
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Retailers get business-critical IT and data management in order
Decathlon and Toolstation are among the retailers investing in new technology to support business-critical applications and better data management Continue Reading
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Information in the metaverse is A Tale of Two Cities
The metaverse will make it easier to access an increasing wealth of information, but it also will make it more difficult to distinguish real from fake, accurate from wrong – and that goes for information as well as the information sources themselves Continue Reading
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Cloud storage cost challenges and how to tackle them
We look at cloud capacity procurement pitfalls, forecasting challenges, the danger of over-buying, supplier lock-in, deciphering billing and resizing capacity when projects finish Continue Reading
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Define RPO and RTO tiers for storage and data protection strategy
We look at RPO and RTO in defining data protection and disaster recovery strategies and how to specify tiers that reflect the importance of different systems in your organisation Continue Reading
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Storage and 5G: Big impacts likely as wide-area topologies evolve
Enterprise 5G will boost the need for storage generally. It will also push capacity needs closer to the edge and create new locations for processing and storage Continue Reading
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It takes a village: Protecting kids online is everyone’s responsibility
The rapid uptake of smartphones among children has contributed to the increasing number of cases of cyber bullying and online grooming. Is this an educational issue or a cultural problem, and can modern enterprise help? Continue Reading
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Retail’s staff engagement and happiness problem – can tech help?
Keeping staff engaged, motivated, connected and content is no easy task for retailers, but the industry is exploring new tools and techniques to improve the workplace Continue Reading
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Posix vs object storage: How much longer for Posix?
We look at Posix compliance in storage and why it is being challenged by object storage and the need to scale much further than Posix-oriented storage was ever intended to Continue Reading
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Cloud-era disaster recovery planning: Staff training, incident and media management
In the third in a series on cloud-era disaster recovery, we set out the key components of DR staff awareness and training programmes, as well as incident management and dealing with the media Continue Reading
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NRF review: What’s in store for retail tech in 2022?
What themes will we be seeing in the retail tech space over the next year according to the 2022 National Retail Federation’s Big Show? Continue Reading
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Cloud-era disaster recovery planning: Setting strategy and developing plans
In the second in a series on cloud-era disaster recovery, we look at how to formulate a DR strategy and develop detailed DR plans for your organisation, while taking cloud services into account Continue Reading