In Depth

In Depth

Microsoft Windows software

• Patching: Balancing technical requirements with business considerations

  With an increasing reliance on subscription models alongside the regular patching of software, updates have become an essential part of modern business practices. However, care needs to be taken to ensure the optimum patching process is implemented  Continue Reading

• Microsoft Windows’ future is all about users

  We look at how Microsoft is evolving the Windows desktop operating system platform and providing developer flexibility  Continue Reading

• Microsoft’s road to multicloud support

  From Microsoft’s perspective, multicloud is more about portability than resiliency  Continue Reading

• Microsoft’s modern desktop management

  How cloud services make the critical business of keeping Windows 10 patched and up to date easier for administrators  Continue Reading

• Serving up managed desktops

  Microsoft is dropping its table d’hôte-like Windows 7 menu in favour of a more tapas-style offering, in the form of Windows 10. This will mean big changes for sysadmins  Continue Reading

• Winning ways with Windows 10 updates

  We look at how IT leaders can effectively manage the major changes Windows 10 imposes on businesses  Continue Reading

• Is Azure ready to go cloud-native?

  We look at the suitability of Microsoft’s Azure platform for deploying cloud-native applications  Continue Reading

• Windows Virtual Desktops: Microsoft takes virtual Windows mainstream on Azure

  Microsoft is fleshing out its virtual desktop proposition by allowing enterprises to access Windows via its Azure platform, but what does this mean for its competitors?  Continue Reading

• How is Google taking on Microsoft Office in retail?

  Carrefour represents a big-name contract win for Google’s G Suite, but will Microsoft Office still be dominant across retail?  Continue Reading

• Making sense of Microsoft’s cloud developer platform

  We assess how Microsoft is aligning its development tools to support Linux and open source, in light of its acquisition of GitHub  Continue Reading

• Why the browser is the computer

  When he was CEO of Sun Microsystems, Scott McNealy once said that the network is the computer. Today, users spend most of their time in a browser  Continue Reading

• Chrome OS: Why it may be time to approach desktop IT in a different way

  The managed desktop has been running for nearly 20 years. Surely there must be a better way? We investigate  Continue Reading

• Office 365 at your service

  An overview of Microsoft’s subscription-based software offering  Continue Reading

• Microsoft SPE helps joined-up thinking

  We assess how Microsoft’s secure productive enterprise licence can help enterprises coordinate their digital transformation  Continue Reading

• Integration is key to Office 365’s progress

  We look at how Microsoft Office 365 works and how far it has gone towards becoming a platform for integrating other tools  Continue Reading

• Locked in by choice: How European governments are handling their Microsoft addiction

  Europe-wide research finds that government departments are deeply dependent on Microsoft software and services, while attempts to migrate to open source are difficult, temporary and sometimes under the radar  Continue Reading

• Secure IoT before it kills us

  Experts say more must be done to mitigate the potentially catastrophic threats presented by connected devices  Continue Reading

• Windows cracks under data access demands

  The operating system fights for survival as workers demand cross-platform access to corporate data  Continue Reading

• Navigate to unified workspace success

  To remove barriers to workforce mobility, CIOs need to deliver the right apps and information to the right user, on the right devices  Continue Reading

• CIO interview: Alan Crawford, City & Guilds Group

  Four months into his role as CIO of City & Guilds, Alan Crawford opens up about the challenges of tending to the needs of a company that has hit the acquisition trail with aplomb in recent years  Continue Reading

• CIO Interview: Graeme Hackland, Williams Martini Racing

  Williams Martini Racing CIO Graeme Hackland discusses network infrastructure, data analytics and the future for wearable tech and augmented reality in Formula 1 motor racing  Continue Reading

• Does Microsoft Azure make sense for developers?

  Microsoft is betting heavily on cloud services for its future. We take a close look at its strategy as a platform for Office 365, Linux and microservices  Continue Reading

• How to build your own IoT with Azure

  Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform has gone well beyond mere virtual machines and orchestrated workflows. It can now also power internet of things applications  Continue Reading

• CW@50: How UK home brew gave computing to the masses

  From batch processing to the graphical user interface, from desktop PCs to smartphones, from luggables to wearables, computing has come a long way since Computer Weekly was first published in 1966. We look at some of the personal computers that ...  Continue Reading

• It’s high time support staff relinquished control

  There’s no reversing the widespread BYOD trend, so IT must adopt new ways of delivering applications to employees  Continue Reading

• HP Inc lays the foundations for a digital future

  Following HP’s split on 1 November 2015, how will the printer and PC components of the business define the future of HP Inc?  Continue Reading

• Microsoft wins the PC argument for Windows 10

  Microsoft stands a good chance of gaining wide acceptance for the operating system on enterprise PCs in cutting admin with automated updates  Continue Reading

• The best desktop strategy: Forget the desktop

  Before licensing and rolling out an updated operating system, it may be time to revise your IT estate  Continue Reading

• Should businesses upgrade to Windows 10?

  Many organisations skipped the PC-unfriendly Windows 8 release. But Windows 10 is far more enterprise-focused  Continue Reading

• Still running Windows Server 2003? Don’t panic

  Many organisations are facing the prospect of running Windows 2003 server unsupported. Where do you go from here?  Continue Reading

• Case study: City & Guilds skills up on Microsoft cloud to unite global workforce

  Vocational training organisation City & Guilds uses Microsoft's collaboration, video conferencing and productivity tools to keep its global workforce connected  Continue Reading

• Inside DevOps: How it really works

  DevOps done well can lead to a continuous loop where teams plan, code, build, test, release, deploy, operate and monitor  Continue Reading

• Is it time to jump off the Windows bandwagon?

  The growth of user power has forced organisations to re-think IT strategies as employees demand mobility, collaboration and the latest technology  Continue Reading

• What will office desktop computing look like in 2020?

  Over the next five years, IT departments will increasingly support a highly heterogeneous computing environment  Continue Reading

• Time is running out for Windows Server 2003 migration

  Support for Windows Server 2003 will end next year, but careful planning can ease operating system migration  Continue Reading

• Moving on: How to cope when Windows Server 2003 expires

  How to overcome challenges when Microsoft ends support for Windows Server 2003 next year  Continue Reading

• Managing risk after support for Windows Server 2003 ends

  With Microsoft due to end support for Windows Server 2003 in July 2015, we look at best practice for migration  Continue Reading

• Big Apple revolution: How to manage Macs in the enterprise

  Apple’s products were once niche devices. Now, following a consumer-led initiative, they are widely used across the enterprise  Continue Reading

• Microsoft Lync opens up unified communications market

  Microsoft's Lync could shake up a unified communications market that has historically been dominated by an elite group of vendors  Continue Reading

• No more email? Why companies are turning to collaboration technology

  Collaboration technologies are helping companies improve their employees' work-life balance  Continue Reading

• The hidden threats facing your unsupported XP devices

  Exorbitant custom support deal fees may not be the highest costs organisations running Windows XP will face after support ends in April.  Continue Reading

• Failure to migrate from Windows XP could torpedo your business

  As the end of Windows XP support looms, what are the options available to CIOs using applications that run on nothing else?  Continue Reading

• Windows XP support will end this year – are you prepared?

  April 2014 marks the point when Microsoft will finally end technical support for Windows XP. What should you do if you can't migrate by then?  Continue Reading

• Keep your software healthy during Agile development

  Developers have adopted agile methods to keep up with the pace of the market, but how can they ensure code stays in good shape?  Continue Reading

• Aston Martin: High-tech design for iconic cars

  We visit the Aston Martin factory to find out how the luxury car maker is embracing technology across the business  Continue Reading

• Pearson integrates Google Enterprise and Office 365

  Publisher Pearson – which owns the Financial Times – uses cloud-based collaboration using Google and Microsoft products  Continue Reading

• Users drive BYOD take-off: but can BlackBerry catch up?

  Aviation regulator CAA is the latest business to embrace BYOD but it remains to be seen if BlackBerry can keep its competitive edge.  Continue Reading

• Workplace IT services in flux: wherever, whenever, whatever

  Enterprise computing is in upheaval as the emphasis shifts towards automation and user-device provision.  Continue Reading

• Mixed feelings towards Windows 8 in enterprise

  Microsoft has missed a trick or two in the heartland of its business but complex mobile working remains an issue for all in the tablet market.  Continue Reading

• Mobile device management the Microsoft way

  Microsoft is making a pitch for mobile device management, with System Center 2012 and InTune, its cloud management software  Continue Reading

• Windows XP end of support: What to do next

  CIOs may not wish to carry on running a 12-year-old desktop OS, but thousands of incompatible applications leave many with no choice  Continue Reading

• Forrester: Microsoft takes new approach to Windows app development

  Windows 8 signals a huge change, which will require a major effort in rewriting existing applications  Continue Reading

• Windows 8 looks to reclaim territory in the enterprise

  Every few years a new Microsoft desktop operating system arrives. The latest version may influence how corporate IT regards desktop computing  Continue Reading

• SMEs: Do business the smart way

  Speedy IT purchasing decisions can be beneficial both to SMEs and their suppliers  Continue Reading

• Taking the tablets to boost healthcare efficiency

  Mobility is one of the big drivers in the NHS. We look at how consumerisation trends are improving healthcare.  Continue Reading

• Virtual solution to consumerisation

  Archana Venkatraman looks at how the virtual desktop can help businesses with employees using their own devices  Continue Reading

• Forrester: Desktop virtualisation demands detailed request for proposals

  Forrester's Clarence Villanueva and Chris Andrews provide tips on how to build a successful RFP for desktop virtualisation  Continue Reading

• How will storage infrastructure change with VDI deployments?

  The benefits of virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) are well-documented but firms implementing VDI may have to re-appraise their storage options  Continue Reading

• Do not delay, EU data protection changes on the way

  Three or four years is plenty of time to get ready for the new data protection framework in Europe, but the clock is ticking  Continue Reading

• CIOs sold on flexible working benefits – so what is holding it up?

  Flexible working offers business benefits and allows employees to improve their work/life balance – but will managers accept it?  Continue Reading

• The issues organisations must consider in migrating to private cloud

  Companies that attempt to move to cloud without sufficient planning will fare badly and could endanger their data and reputation  Continue Reading

• Interview: Oke Okaro, general manager and global head of mobile at Bloomberg

  Bloomberg's mobile chief talks to Computer Weekly about the challenges of mobile apps development and the prospects for Windows 8.  Continue Reading

• IT priorities in the downturn

  IT leaders talk to Computer Weekly about how their IT priorities have been shaped by the downturn  Continue Reading

• Computer Weekly / TechTarget IT priorities survey 2012

  Learn which IT priorities are at the top of UK IT managers lists for 2012. Coverage from across our network includes cloud, budget cuts, networking, security, disaster recovery and more.  Continue Reading

• Buyer's Guide: What next for virtualisation?

  You’d be forgiven for thinking that virtualisation is a done deal, but research shows its uptake is still not moving at the speed many would like.  Continue Reading

• Microsoft: Is computing more trustworthy 10 years on?

  Microsoft is marking the 10th anniversary of its Trustworthy Computing group (TwC), but has any significant progress been made since 15 January 2002 when Microsoft chairman Bill Gates sent an email memo to all employees, identifying trustworthy ...  Continue Reading

• Buyer's guide to IT consumerisation: Rewriting the rulebook

  Desktop computing is no longer about IT providing a set of tools for employees. Consumer technology has advanced, and staff are more tech-savvy.  Continue Reading

• How Avis is bridging the application gap between IE6/XP and Windows 7

  Car rental firm Avis is using UniBrows to support IE6-based applications as it switches operating system. Cliff Saran reports  Continue Reading

• Buyer’s Guide: The top five business reasons to migrate from Windows XP to Windows 7

  Those still on Windows XP should have that decision under review, as the rationale for businesses staying with Windows XP – as it faces the end of support, at the expense of a Window 7 upgrade – is now considerably flawed.  Continue Reading

• What does the future hold for Microsoft’s business model?

  With the technology industry shifting away from traditional software licensing, what is the future for Microsoft as tech top dog?  Continue Reading

• Buyer's Guide: Use virtualisation to run Windows XP applications in Windows 7

  Virtualisation can help keep legacy Windows XP client applications running on Windows 7. Forrester analyst David Johnson looks at best practice.  Continue Reading

• Tools for migrating XP applications to Windows 7

  Analyst Gartner has identified three tools that IT departments can use to help with the migration from XP to Windows 7: Microsoft's Application Compatibility Toolkit (Act), which is free; App-DNA, which is now owned by Citrix; and ChangeBase, which ...  Continue Reading

• Review: Microsoft Office 365 versus Google Apps for Business

  With the launch of Microsoft's cloud offering, Office 365, the race for corporate adoption is truly on. Adrian Bridgwater looks at the pros and cons of Office 365 and how its features compare with those of Google Apps to see which provider is best ...  Continue Reading

• How to handle IT security as XP goes into Extended Support

  Microsoft has ended mainstream support for all flavours of Windows XP, including Windows XP Professional and Windows XP Professional x64 Edition.  Continue Reading

• EADS presents an office of the future

  You are about to be tangoed. No, it is not about drinking some adolescent fizz, this is about using the Technically Advanced Next Generation Office, or Tango.  Continue Reading

• Hot skills: Windows Powershell

  Windows Powershell has been hailed as the tool that grown-up systems administrators, frustrated by progressive dumbing down of their jobs by graphical user interfaces (GUIs), have been waiting for.  Continue Reading

• Google’s Chrome web browser - Essential Guide

  Chrome is Google's attempt to re-engineer our interaction with the Internet. Google says it can make a browser that is faster, more stable and more secure than Microsoft's Internet Explorer. Older browsers were not designed for today's interactive ...  Continue Reading

• Photo story: Microsoft DesignIT 2008 Winner and Art Gallery

  DesignIT is intended to encourage creativity in UK IT. Discover this year's winner - an IT project to help a youth homelessness charity - and view photographs of the artwork in the accompanying art exhibtion.  Continue Reading

• Microsoft patch management tools

  Check out some Microsoft patch management tools, including our entirely free patch management toolbox.  Continue Reading

• Cracking Windows passwords

  What good is a tool if you don't know how to use it? In this screencast, follow a step-by-step demonstration by security expert Kevin Beaver as he shows you how to use three different tools to crack passwords to test their strength.  Continue Reading

• ISO 27001 could bridge the regulatory divide, expert says

  Karen Worstell, former CISO at Microsoft and AT&T Wireless, now on the advisory board of Neupart A/S, explains how ISO 27001 can be used to help companies comply with a variety of regulations and standards  Continue Reading

• Microsoft Business Solutions: an expert view

  Microsoft Business Solutions feature Microsoft Dynamics family for CRM and ERP  Continue Reading

• Inside MSRC: Microsoft Server flaw should be given high priority

  An Active Directory flaw in Windows 2000 server and Windows Server 2003 should be given high priority, according to Christopher Budd of the Microsoft Security Response Center (MSRC).  Continue Reading

• Free .docx converter available

  Users can overcome incompatibility between Office 2007 and older versions with a free download of .docx converter.  Continue Reading

• Is a merger or acquisition in Sourcefire's future?

  Sourcefire founder and Chief Technology Officer Martin Roesch, talks about how Sourcefire fits into Security 3.0 theme and how the firm may be involved in a future merger or acquisition.  Continue Reading

• Download Microsoft security utilities

  Download popular Microsoft Windows security utility tools here, including Netcat, John the Ripper, Nmap and WSUS.  Continue Reading

• Patch management learning guide

  In this learning guide from the editors of SearchWindowsSecurity.com, you'll find a healthy collection of tips, expert Q & A's, webcasts, downloads and more that will ensure that you are properly prepared to handle all of your patch management ...  Continue Reading

• Microsoft should scrap Patch Tuesday

  Instead of leaving flaws unpatched for weeks between cycles, Microsoft should use its resources to produce high-quality patches shortly after vulnerabilities are discovered.  Continue Reading

• What will the NPIA do for police IT?

  Three years after the Bichard Enquiry into the Soham murders called for the urgent introduction of a national IT system to support police intelligence, the Home Office has created the agency it claims will have the power to make such a system ...  Continue Reading

• Windows security assessment Step 3

  Keep security-related problems to a minimum in your Windows shop by setting security assessment expectations  Continue Reading

• Windows security assessment Step 5

  Keep security-related problems to a minimum in your Windows shop by setting security assessment expectations  Continue Reading

• Windows security assessment Step 1

  Keep security-related problems to a minimum in your Windows shop by setting security assessment expectations  Continue Reading

• Windows security assessment Step 4

  Keep security-related problems to a minimum in your Windows shop by setting security assessment expectations  Continue Reading

• Setting your Windows security assessment expectations

  Keep security-related problems to a minimum in Windows shop by setting security assessment expectations  Continue Reading

• IT pros eye Windows Server 2003 SP2 with caution

  Despite its security and stability enhancements, IT pros say they are in no rush to deploy Windows Server 2003 SP2  Continue Reading

• Microsoft takes a blogosphere beating over Vista UAC

  This week in Security Blog Log: Industry experts take Microsoft to task over a "very severe hole" in the design of Vista's User Account Controls (UAC) feature.  Continue Reading

• Inside MSRC: Microsoft explains security bulletins

  Microsoft issued 12 new security bulletins in February. Christopher Budd of the Microsoft Security Response Center provides information about the most important fixes.  Continue Reading

• Microsoft Vista could improve Internet security

  Two new Microsoft Vista features -- Kernel Patch Protection and User Account Control -- could prove especially useful in preventing serious malware infections.  Continue Reading

• Inside MSRC: Visual Studio flaw, tool extensions explained

  Christopher Budd of the Microsoft Security Response Center sheds detail about a flaw in Visual Studio 2005 and explains that support for Software Update Services 1.0 will be extended.  Continue Reading

• Step-by-Step Guide: Finding and removing a rootkit

  It's difficult -- but not impossible -- to be totally sure that your system is 100% rootkit free, says Windows security expert Kevin Beaver. In this step-by-step guide, Beaver shows you how to strengthen your Windows systems against the rootkit ...  Continue Reading