In Depth

In Depth

• Systems management: IBM middleware strategy

  IBM is the 500lb gorilla in the middleware room. The firm's sheer size, along with its experience in applications, operational systems and legacy application...

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• existing article from PC

  In June 2008 tGOOGLE HYPERLINK IS HERE NHS Trust became the first trust to install the London Configuration Release...

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• Ten things to do when looking for contractor work

  Despite the recession, there is an endless supply of well-paid contract work, and a warm and welcoming community of contractors ready to share their bread and butter with newly-redundant "permies"… well, no actually, there is not.  Continue Reading

• Bridging the information gap

  When a customer calls insurance company Martinez and Partners, staff can see immediately whether the client has filed a claim, what correspondence has been...  Continue Reading

• Building a middleware project team

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• IT job opportunities in the public sector

  With the economic slowdown affecting industries as...  Continue Reading

• Systems management: what Novell's Zenworks has to offer

  Novell's Zenworks is its suite of automated...  Continue Reading

• In-depth: BPM and SOA for business agility (Next-generation enterprise IT)

  Translating business needs into software outcomes has long been an Achilles heel for the IT industry. Whether the approach has been to write bespoke applications...  Continue Reading

• Meet Elbot, Loebner Prize Turing Test contest winner - transcript and photos

  Transcript of one of Elbot's winning conversations in the 2008 Loebner Prize Turing Test competition, together with photos from the contest.  Continue Reading

• E-bank Japan sets mobile banking example

  Imagine you are a bank with no branches or ATMs, almost three million customers and only 195 employees in total.  Continue Reading

• Securing your network without firewalls

  It all seemed so simple.  Continue Reading

• Securing applications on the network

  When it comes to securing applications on a network, limiting privileges is the golden rule. Vulnerabilities that expose web applications start with the...  Continue Reading

• Government has the tools to tackle cyber-crime

  Cyber-espionage and cyber-warfare are just expressions of a millenia old problem onto a new medium (cyber space). The general public in the UK should...  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

• Data classification: why it is important and how to do it

  Organisations have a lot to gain from data classification and identification, but there are a few boxes to tick to make sure it’s being done right  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

• SaaS advances on all fronts

  The phenomenon of software as a service...  Continue Reading

• The CERN laboratory and the Big Bang theory – Essential Guide

  We answer 10 frequently asked questions about the CERN laboratory and Big Bang theory  Continue Reading

• Hot skills: Microsoft Exchange

  What is it? Long experience has taught Microsoft customers to regard any new release as a beta until the first service pack (SP1) arrives.  Continue Reading

• Ten years in: how Google raced ahead

  Over the last ten years, Google has become a poster child for successful internet businesses. Much of its success derives from a business strategy which CEO Eric Schmidt has described as "ubiquity first, revenues later".  Continue Reading

• Hacker Gary McKinnon - Essential Guide

  UK hacker Gary McKinnon has lost his appeal to the European Court of Human and now faces extradition to the US on charges of causing damage to US military systems when hacking into them to seek information on UFOs. Find out more in our essential ...  Continue Reading

• VoIP - Essential Guide

  Seven frequently asked questions about VoIP including what is VoIP and how does it work.  Continue Reading

• Case studies: SaaS in action

  When people think about software as a service (SaaS) the company that often comes to mind is Salesforce.com, with its customer relationship management product,...  Continue Reading

• NAS virtualization explained

  NAS virtualization can refer to the ability to virtualise multiple NAS heads into a single virtualised file system or the ability to spawn multiple virtual file servers within a physical file server. Either way, performing NAS virtualisation via a ...  Continue Reading

• SOA centres of excellence can cut costs

  Despite high initial start-up costs, service-oriented architecture (SOA) centres of excellence can save organisations a significant amount of money in the longer term and are crucial to ensure service quality, consistency and reuse.  Continue Reading

• How banks are detecting credit fraud

  You don't need a gun to rob a bank any more. Now a bank robber's most powerful weapon is a computer and an internet connection. As internet trading increases, so does the threat of organised and automated fraud. No longer does the fraudster need to ...  Continue Reading

• SAP makes waves in the water industy

  A decade or so ago, utility companies ran many different software products to support business functions such as finance, billing, human resources and maintenance....  Continue Reading

• Security guide: reducing risks from outbound traffic

  Although the IT security arena has matured immensely in the past few years the bulk of security systems and products concentrate on protecting from external threats. But what about the threat from within and, more specifically, the security issues ...  Continue Reading

• The future of quantum IT

  The word "quantum" can conjure images of scientists working on technology that will one day allow time travel, or, at the very least, permit travel to alternate...

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• Light speed computing

  Photonics investigates how optical technology could replace electrical signals sent through copper cables, which are used in today's computers. Not only...

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• Facing up to security perils of outbound traffic

  What about the threat from within and, more specifically, the security issues that arise from outbound traffic risks?  Continue Reading

• How to carry out a SaaS roll out

  Software as a Service (SaaS) is cheaper, quicker and easier than traditional on premise applications.  Continue Reading

• Oyster Card: The highs and lows of Oyster

  Transport for London’s Oyster card system uses radio frequency identification tags (RFID) to enable a contactless ticketing system.  Continue Reading

• The secret to designing user-friendly interfaces for desktop software

  By the 1990s, user-friendliness had become so ubiquitous in software development that even the fictional programmers in Douglas Coupland's novel Microserfs...  Continue Reading

• Challenges of remote desktop management

  Late May and early June was not a fun time for Adobe, or its users. Suddenly, news began hitting the wires that a vulnerability...  Continue Reading

• The end of the IT department – is it in the cloud?

  Hewlett-Packard has become the latest vendor of many to sound the death knell on the IT department. An imminent - and presumably universal - move to cloud...

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• Legacy systems continue to have a place in the enterprise

  Despite the IT industry's efforts to improve the standard of operating systems used in the enterprise, a significant number of users choose to stick with...  Continue Reading

• Interview with Jeremy Garside, head of technology at the London Symphony Orchestra

  Jeremy Garside is in Norway supervising the technology for an orchestral and choral concert. It is 2003 and he has already clocked up 20 years' experience...

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• Chinook helicopter disaster - computer software failure or pilot error?

  Chinook helicopter crash: was it computer software failure or a cause we'll never know? This article gives the background to the Chinook helicopter disaster with links to all the relevant articles published by ComputerWeekly and other useful web ...  Continue Reading

• Power and control: a history of the operating system

  Operating systems are something we take for granted, but they have not always been a feature of computing. In the early days, they did not exist at all....

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• Moving closer to the internet as an operating system

  The internet is arguably evolving as an operating system in its own right, with IP, HTML, SMTP and other underlying protocols combining with online application frameworks such as SOAP, web services, Ajax, Ruby on Rails and mash-ups. Added to this ...  Continue Reading

• Computer Weekly Security Think Tank

  Information security questions answered by experts from: (ISC)2, British Computer Society, Gartner, National Computing Centre, Information Security Forum, Information Systems Security Association, and The Corporate Information Forum  Continue Reading

• Embedded systems development offers intellectual and pecuniary rewards

  It used to be a joke that one day you would have a computer in your toaster. Microprocessors are fast becoming ubiquitous, and many of the commonplace gadgets in your house and car rely on them. Even groceries are becoming technology dependent, with...  Continue Reading

• Open source software security

  The security of open source software is a key concern for organisations planning to implement it as part of their software stack, particularly if it will play a major role.  Continue Reading

• Hot skills: Apache HTTP web server

  What is it? The Apache HTTP web server has lost a great deal of market share to Microsoft's IIS in the last couple of years. But since its share once amounted to almost 80 per cent of the market, a readjustment was perhaps inevitable.  Continue Reading

• IT profession blighted by bullying

  A culture of bullying is common in IT, leading to poor productivity and high staff turnover...  Continue Reading

• How to green your IT business: the expert view

  Using energy-efficient technology that has less impact on the environment can benefit the environment and make financial sense...  Continue Reading

• Heathrow Terminal 5 - Essential Guide

  BAA’s latest London airport terminal, Heathrow Terminal 5 is based on ambitious and innovative use of IT, despite its current difficulties. Catch up on the background and latest news.  Continue Reading

• Seven categories of software security flaws

  These seven attack vectors for software were formulated by Gary McGraw, CTO at secure code development consultancy Cigital, in conjunction with security experts Katrina Tsipenyuk and Brian Chess.  Continue Reading

• How the web was spun

  Examine the evolution of Web 1.0 into Web 2.0, and what is most striking is the continuity, rather than any revolutionary changes. The principle applies to personalities as well as technology. Vint Cerf, co-developer of TCP/IP, is now vice-president...  Continue Reading

• APIs lead the way to better interoperability

  What do government intelligence spooks and YouTube have in common? Not much, on the face of it, except that they have both bought into the same fundamental principle of what we have come to call Web 2.0: web-based application programming interfaces ...  Continue Reading

• Single security strategy unites physical and logical assets

  Company security is an absolute. Whether it's data or the physical IT infrastructure, if there is a single weak link the company is not secure, writes Fran Howarth, principal analyst, Quocirca.  Continue Reading

• Optimising small business networks

  Much has been said about network optimisation recently. The expected onslaught of new wave applications - so called at least - such as VoIP, IPTV and the rest, means that we do have to optimise and re-architect our networks if this stuff is actually...  Continue Reading

• Web 2.0: What does it constitute?

  Four years on from the first serious attempt to define it, there is no firm consensus about what constitutes Web 2.0. Within the past few months, it has been described by senior industry commentators as "a major trend that is building steadily" and ...  Continue Reading

• CIO profile: Claire Hamon

  "Where I derive job satisfaction is being able to make a positive difference. For me, it's important to legitimise emotion and bring in personality in order to help people understand the value of emotional intelligence alongside IQ and business ...  Continue Reading

• Learn all about LUNs

  A LUN is the unique address for a SCSI device or a virtual hard disk partition in a RAID configuration. This handbook tells how to manage and partition LUNs.  Continue Reading

• Careers: staying on the technical track

  Many people get into IT because they like solving problems and, let us be honest, tinkering with technology. But as their career progresses, they can find themselves shifted into project or operations management, where they seem to spend most of ...  Continue Reading

• Hot skills: MVC

  The open source community has contributed a number of MVC (Model/View/Controller)-based web application frameworks for Java.  Continue Reading

• SQL Server database provides police performance data to Home Office

  For a number of years, the Home Office's Police & Crimes Standards Directorate (PCSD) has been compiling and publishing a range of data on the performance of the nation's police forces.  Continue Reading

• How SAP became the world’s third largest independent software supplier

  "We are nowhere near best-in-class, but we are making progress," says Steve Rogers, UK managing director of SAP to an audience of his customers at the German applications firm's annual user gathering at the end of last year. It's not the kind of ...  Continue Reading

• Machine-to-machine technology takes off

  Although the market for machine-to-machine (M2M) technology is still in its early days, it has real potential for mass adoption with possible applications limited only by the imagination.  Continue Reading

• Wake up to the benefits of global governance

  In a research note on IT management and globalisation, analyst firm Gartner defines governance as, "The organisational style and process for making decisions about business technology and resources." A busy IT manager might think Gartner is being ...  Continue Reading

• Improve usability with assistive technology

  IT products designed for disabled people use cutting edge technology and make a real difference to the end-user. John Lamb takes a look at the assistive technology market  Continue Reading

• Find the right IT investment strategy

  It has never been more important to make the right IT investment decisions, but what are the fundamentals? Global spending on IT is estimated at more than £1m per year, and there is little doubt that much of this spending under-delivers. At the same...  Continue Reading

• How to get customer satisfaction with an outsourced IT helpdesk

  Discover how to manage outsourced helpdesk problems to improve customer satisfaction levels  Continue Reading

• Wi-Fi linked to childhood autism

  A study published this week in the Australasian Journal of Clinical Environmental Medicine warns that wireless communication technology may be responsible for accelerating the rise in autism among children.  Continue Reading

• Virtual job fair gets international response

  Second Life is bringing a highly skilled workforce from 45 countries to a jobs fair in Luxembourg held by software maker Gax Technologies.  Continue Reading

• How to ensure optimium value from IT investments

  Driving value from IT projects requires watching for danger signs and a willingness to let go of a project if it will not deliver return on investment  Continue Reading

• Managed VoIP keeps regatta's communications afloat

  The world's largest rowing regatta utilises managed VoIP to ease its year-round communications needs -- and for a temporary system during its celebrated two-day event.  Continue Reading

• Integrating San and Nas

  Sas and Nas systems are very different types of storage, with different features that serve different business needs. Here are eight best practices for integrating San and Nas.  Continue Reading

• How to select a storage capacity planning tool

  To select a storage management and capacity planning tool, first calculate how much storage is available and how much of your total storage capacity is actually being used.  Continue Reading

• How data deduplication works

  Chapter one of our data deduplication handbook takes you under the hood to show how data deduplication works so you can maximise the efficiency of this data reduction technology.  Continue Reading

• Backup virtual servers with traditional techniques and specialised tools

  As more "logical" servers are consolidated onto fewer "physical" computer systems, it's important to protect each virtual machine's data against failure or loss. Virtual server backups are the key to this protection.  Continue Reading

• The Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (Mifid): an expert view

  The Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (Mifid) is now law across Europe, bringing major technology challenges to the investment industry.  Continue Reading

• How to run an efficient datacentre

  Today's business environment runs 24 hours a day. Customer demand and global operations mean that access to transactions and services is needed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and downtime has massive business impact.  Continue Reading

• Vanderbilt hospital fights archive growth with grid

  Vanderbilt University Medical Centre simplifies document management using Bycast's archiving grid system.  Continue Reading

• Data deduplication explained

  This report provides an extensive overview on data deduplication, the white hot technology storage managers are deploying as we move towards 2008.  Continue Reading

• NAS upgrades buying guide: chapter 3 -- NAS gateways

  You asked for it, so here it is -- a printable version of our NAS buying guide.  Continue Reading

• NAS upgrades buying guide: chapter 2 -- NAS management software

  You asked for it, so here it is -- a printable version of our NAS buying guide.  Continue Reading

• Crisis management requires pragmatism

  Over the past two years I have facilitated more than 100 exercises for incident management teams from a range of organisations. These have varied in scope from straightforward desktop scenarios to complex multi-level simulations.  Continue Reading

• Data storage hardware quiz

  Storage hardware, also known as primary storage, is a critical aspect in running your storage shop. How does your knowledge of storage hardware stack up? Take our quick quiz and find out today!  Continue Reading

• Checklist for purchasing hardware-based encryption

  Encryption appliances sit inline on a network and use specially designed electronics to encrypt data at line speeds, essentially eliminating the performance penalty imposed by encryption software running on a general server. While software-based ...  Continue Reading

• Hardware-based encryption product specifications

  The product snapshots in this chapter highlight key specifications for a cross section of dedicated encryption appliances.  Continue Reading

• Windows XP Service Pack 3 download expected early next year

  Users waiting to download Windows XP Service Pack 3 will have to wait until the first half of 2008, when Microsoft will release the Windows XP Service Pack 3 download to the public  Continue Reading

• Microsoft Windows Vista Service Pack 1 to enhance Windows Vista

  Development of the Microsoft Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) is under way, with Windows Vista users eagerly anticipating the arrival of the service pack.  Continue Reading

• CRM strategies for SMBs

  Keeping your customers happy is job number one. With CRM software, luckily, that job becomes a lot easier. Here we present our top five CRM tips for SMBs.  Continue Reading

• Download our all-in-one back-up guide

  You asked for it, so here it is -- a printable version of our back-up all-in-one guide.  Continue Reading

• Open source strategies for SMBs

  One way to make the most of a tight budget is to invest in open source technologies. Not only are they generally more secure than most off-the-shelf proprietary products, they're usually free too. Here we present our top five open source tips for ...  Continue Reading

• Virtualisation strategies for SMBs

  Virtualising your servers, storage systems and desktops offers numerous advantages for SMBs. But it's important you understand the trade-offs when making the switch from conventional operations. Here we present our top five virtualisation tips for ...  Continue Reading

• Microsoft patch management tools

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

• Storage for virtual environments learning guide

  Storage considerations for the virtualised environment are outlined in this guide. Learn about storage options and strategies for storage for virtualisation in the datacenter in three categories: architecture, operations and back-up.  Continue Reading

• IP PBX eases VoIP transition for gas company

  An IP PBX with Sip helped one gas company upgrade to a new phone system while also jumping into VoIP.  Continue Reading

• Reaching out for outsourced IT resources and services

  The key trends in data centre outsourcing  Continue Reading

• Datacentre evolution: delivering competitive advantage

  Current trends, such as soaring energy costs, growing security concerns, legislation and blade-server deployments, are driving the evolution of the carrier-independent datacentre  Continue Reading

• Governance, Risk & Compliance management – burden or benefit?

  By taking an integrated, enterprise-wide management approach, governance, risk and compliance can actually be turned into a profit-centre.  Continue Reading

• A guide to iSCSI technology

  This chapter highlights iSCSI details and devices including Ethernet adapters and Ethernet switches. Readers will learn about the pros and cons of iSCSI and its preferred applications.  Continue Reading

• Managing endpoint security

  With network access expanding from the office to the home, securing the network perimeter is among a security admin's top concerns. In preparing for the threats that come with remote access, however, it can be easier to secure traditional network ...  Continue Reading

• The best Microsoft security content online

  This list features the best pieces of Microsoft Windows content on the internet.  Continue Reading

• A guide to Fibre Channel technology

  This chapter offers an overview of Fibre Channel specifications and devices including HBAs and switches. Readers will also learn about the pros and cons of FC SANs in the storage enterprise.  Continue Reading

• CIO spotlight: David Lister

  David Lister, CIO at Reuters, tells us about the pivotal moment in his career  Continue Reading