In Depth

In Depth

• Unified storage systems cut costs and management pain for UK users

  Unified storage systems combine support for Fibre Channel, iSCSI, NFS and CIFS protocols in the same hardware to cut down cost and management overheads for UK users.  Continue Reading

• Block vs file for Hyper-V and VMware storage: Which is better?

  Is block- or file-based storage better for Hyper-V and VMware virtual server environments? The answer depends on the precise needs of your virtual server environment.  Continue Reading

• The MCITP certification path to career success

  Although not a substitute for proven work-experience, Microsoft’s MCITP certification endorses one’s technical knowledge and could improve job prospects.  Continue Reading

• Innovation, collaboration and performance: Use new leadership to align IT with business results

  The pioneers of management practices still widely used today - such as Frederick Taylor, Henry Ford or Alfred Sloan - were all born in the 19th century. Their theories and inventions - from workflow optimisation, functional specialisation and ...  Continue Reading

• Case study: De Vere on cloud nine with Claranet’s managed application hosting & networks

  A number of strategic acquisitions and brand mergers form what is today known as the De Vere Group. With acquisitions however, come a plethora of IT challenges – and De Vere was no exception. Jo Stanford, Group IT Director, commented: “Initial Style...  Continue Reading

• Case study: East Sussex County Council re-define IT service delivery to schools with CentraStage

  The Schools ICT Services division of East Sussex Local Authority supports 194 schools. During 2009, East Sussex Local Authority began a strategic review of all ICT Services including those provided to schools. An extensive consultation process with ...  Continue Reading

• LogRhythm Combines GCSx and CoCo Compliance with Improved Reporting and Enhanced Network Analysis

  The introduction of the Government Connect Secure Extranet (GCSx) and Code of Connection (CoCo) initiatives in the U.K. signalled the need for Cardiff County Council to reevaluate how it handled its log data. Since installing a log data management, ...  Continue Reading

• Case study: Severn Trent Services Group

  For many firms, regular rehearsals of their business continuity plans are rarely, if ever undertaken – leaving them ill prepared should the time come when they need to invoke them.  Continue Reading

• Case study: C2C ArchiveOne Cloud DR Gets the Job Done at Employment Hamilton

  With copious amounts of personal data required as part of the job application process, Employment Hamilton is committed to ensuring all of this information is protected against unauthorized access, disclosure or misuse. All appropriate security ...  Continue Reading

• Case study: ICT on demand

  Belvoir High School had been part of the Leicestershire 3 tier system of schooling until the local authority reviewed its educational provision in the Melton Mowbray area.  Continue Reading

• Case study: Success Story - The Listening Company

  The Listening Company is a rapidly expanding customer communications outsourcer with sites across the UK. The company provides bespoke “Intelligent Customer Management Solutions” to blue-chip clients, household names from industry sectors including ...  Continue Reading

• Case study: Melton Borough Council gets backs to business with ICM

  Dealing with the immediate aftermath of a fire is a daunting and stressful time for any business or organisation.When you have nearly 50,000 customers relying on you daily for essential services and provision the potential is even worse. For Melton ...  Continue Reading

• Case study: MacGregor Cranes thinks PLM with ENOVIA V6

  MacGregor Cranes produces a wide variety of cranes, some of which can lift up to 450 tons. “We propose both standard cranes with predefined configurations and tailormade cranes based on customer specifications,” said Leif Sundin, Applications and ...  Continue Reading

• Case study: Co-operative Food

  Last year, The Co-operative Group spent more than £1.5 billion to acquire supermarket rival Somerfield. In the words of The Co-operative’s Group Chief Executive, Peter Marks, the acquisition propelled the Group “from the second division back into ...  Continue Reading

• Buyer's Guide: HP's Intelligent Resilient Framework (IRF) put to the test

  In the world of datacentres and large-scale enterprise networks there has always been some form of perceived trade-off between performance and resilience. Building in resilience is absolutely essential of course, but it has historically affected ...  Continue Reading

• Buyer's Guide: Network optimisation for cloud computing

  Forrester has identified a new architecture called the user experience network (uXn) which connects users to services that are relevant to the moment, aggregated at the point of use, and originate from multiple locations.  Continue Reading

• Centralised log management provides security and long-term log storage for Astrium Satellites

  “Security is paramount to our organisation,” says Gareth Davis, Network and Telecom Manager, UK.  Continue Reading

• Dedupe technology: A natural partner to backup

  See how three UK IT organisations are saving money and storage capacity with data deduplication for backup.  Continue Reading

• Case study: Backing up Avon's IT infrastructure

  You need to know that your company’s IT infrastructure is as well supported and backed-up as possible.  Continue Reading

• Upgrade Ethernet to fabric for cloud computing

  The latest thinking on datacentre design recommends that businesses deploy virtualisation, where virtual machines can be started (or spawned) and stopped dynamically. As Cliff Saran discovers, this can have a huge impact on the network.  Continue Reading

• Case study: Bury Council upgrades to CTI Group’s Proteus Enterprise call accounting solution

  Bury Council required a robust call accounting solution that could monitor, report and analyse the approximately seven million phone calls that its telecoms network handles on an annual basis over 3,000 extensions in more than 30 locations.  Continue Reading

• Case study: Toshiba provides JLT Mobile with ruggedized hard drives

  JLT provides computing solutions for business operations in demanding industrial environments. It is critical that JLT offers heavy duty computing solutions that can withstand extreme temperature changes, high humidity and strong levels of vibration...  Continue Reading

• Security Zone: Antivirus testing standards at a crossroads

  Security Zone: Testing standards at a crossroads - do changes in the Anti-Malware Testing Standards Organisation reflect better practice in antivirus testing?  Continue Reading

• Case study: Dim simplifies IT Service Management with PS’Soft SaaS solution

  The Challenge: To implement an online service desk solution that could be accessed anywhere, anytime.  Continue Reading

• Case study: Armari Installs LSI™ 6Gb/s SATA+SAS RAID Controller Cards

  As a leading specialist manufacturer and integrator of high-performance computer systems and solutions for video, Armari prides itself on delivering best-in-class products to universities, commercial companies, architects, animators, filmmakers, and...  Continue Reading

• Innovative Tech goes to School

  Technical innovation isn't limited to the R&D department at Deakin University. Its IT department delivers cutting edge technology to its staff and students.  Continue Reading

• The appeal of Citrix licensing: Hypervisors and per-server licenses

  While Citrix chooses to license its XenServer technology on a per-server basis, VMware, its main competitor, opts for the counting-CPU-sockets approach.  Continue Reading

• Patient confidentiality policy for UK electronic health records

  While electronic health records could provide valuable information in an emergency, they present patient confidentiality concerns. This Royal Holloway thesis examines the issue.  Continue Reading

• Ministry of Defence security: IT information assurance in the MoD

  The MoD should update its information assurance policy, argues Paul Shanes and Chez Ciechanowicz in this Royal Hollo2way MSc thesis article.  Continue Reading

• Case study: Abu Dhabi Police

  As part of a programme of modernisation, His Highness Lt. Gen. Sheikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Minister of Interior, commissioned worldwide research to find the most suitable solution to establish best practice for police communications. As a ...  Continue Reading

• Case study: Oracle turns to BDNA Technopedia and BDNA Discover

  As the world’s leading provider of integrated business software and hardware solutions, Oracle provides IT leaders around the world the tools they need to solve business problems. Oracle itself has more than 110,000 employees and an IT ...  Continue Reading

• Case study: LogRhythm Brings Time Savings

  When Commidea first became Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) compliant in 2004, technology restrictions meant that it had to install two separate systems to meet the stipulated log data requirements.  Continue Reading

• Case Study: Amnesty moves to private cloud with Claranet for Web 2.0 flexibility

  Amnesty International has migrated its web hosting to a private cloud-based infrastructure, provided by Claranet, to support the flexibility it requires as it grows its websites and engages in social media activities. Cliff Saran interviews the head...  Continue Reading

• Introducing Web 2.0 Collaboration to your business

  Bringing Web 2.0 technologies into the business can introduce lots of challenges. But the issues are rarely technical and it's the CIO that needs to find a path to success  Continue Reading

• Case study: The Police Service of Northern Ireland manages performance more transparently

  Like all UK police forces, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) works to a policing plan which specifies a wide range of operational targets. The service wanted to find a way to monitor its performance and assess risks more accurately, ...  Continue Reading

• Case study: The Lowry Says LogLogic is Just the Ticket for PCI Compliance

  PCI compliance is critical to businesses that conduct large volumes of credit card transactions online, such as The Lowry’s Quaytickets. PCI compliance helps these companies establish best practices that keep customer credit card information safe ...  Continue Reading

• iPads in the warehouse

  While the iPad is seen as a consumer tool by many, it's finding a place as a serious logistics tool in some warehouses.  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: What should businesses do to ensure their IT defences resist APTs?

  Security threat reports are increasing, identifying targeted and advanced, persistent threats (APTs) as top priorities for all organisations of all sizes and sectors. The reality of APTs has recently been demonstrated by the successful theft of ...  Continue Reading

• Case study: A need for better information management

  As one of the largest managers of financial assets in the UK, this InterSystems client has worked hard to build a reputation for financial security and investment success for over 150 years. However, they recognise that longevity alone is no ...  Continue Reading

• How to choose the right cloud service provider to avoid network problems

  The early stirrings of cloud computing are beginning to take place, with mixed results. Totally contained cloud services, such as salesforce.com, Concur and Transversal show how full-service functions held in the cloud can facilitate a business's ...  Continue Reading

• Case study: Global Radio gains insight into advertising sales and scheduling

  Global Radio wanted to gain insight into the way it schedules advertising ‘spots’ across more than 80 radio stations throughout the UK. Analysing advertising revenues from different brands, stations and transmitters would for the first time allow ...  Continue Reading

• Compromising emanations: Tactics for electronic surveillance detection

  In this article, Royal Holloway MSc student Paul Frankland and Prof. Keith Martin examine how compromising emanations can reveal confidential data.  Continue Reading

• Hypervisor security: New techniques for securing virtual machines

  Learn about virtual monitoring and introspection in this article from Royal Holloway MSc student Fotios Tsifountidis and lecturer Geraint Price.  Continue Reading

• Quantum cryptography tutorial: Is quantum key distribution realistic?

  In this Royal Holloway MSc thesis, Sheila Cobourne and Dr. Carlos Cid explore the viability of quantum key distribution for enterprise use.  Continue Reading

• Expect weighty issues when installing Atmos

  A new user of EMC’s Atmos cloud storage product had weighty problems – literally and figuratively – when implementing its new systems.  Continue Reading

• 2011 Royal Holloway information security thesis series

  This series of articles from recent MSc graduates of the Royal Holloway University of London grapples with a variety of information security topics.  Continue Reading

• Linux certification in India: A guide

  Linux deployments in data centers are fueling the need for skilled Linux administrators. A look at some Linux certification courses available in India.  Continue Reading

• Freedom of choice

  CIOs are facing a torrent of users bringing their own gear to the office. But the enlightened manager needn't fight the inevitable.  Continue Reading

• Entry-level SAN survey: A full-featured SAN for less than $10,000?

  Entry-level SAN survey: Can you buy an entry-level SAN with enterprise-class features for less than $10,000? Many vendors say you can; we find out what you’ll get for your money.  Continue Reading

• Case study: Customizations in Sugar Professional Open the Doors to Success at UEM Land Group

  UEM Land Group, with headquarters in Malaysia, is the master developer and primary landowner in the regional city of Nusajaya, located in the Iskandar Malaysian Development region. The company was acquired in 2001, and in 2003 it experienced a ...  Continue Reading

• VMware backup solutions evolve to make use of VMware APIs

  VMware backup solutions have evolved to do virtual machine backup via VMware APIs and include support for data deduplication, snapshots, granular recovery and cloud as a target.  Continue Reading

• Backup appliance: Backup software and hardware in one box

  A backup appliance provides the backup app, processing power and disk to give all you need for SMB or branch office backup pre-packaged into one easy-to-manage box.  Continue Reading

• Case study: 3Dconnexion Bridges the Gaps with Sugar Professional

  3Dconnexion employed a wide variety of different systems to manage and map out its various sales and other go-to-market processes across its global operations. However, the proliferation of these systems was beginning to wear on 3Dconnexion’s ...  Continue Reading

• Case study: Avis Scandinavia

  Customers of Avis Rental Car are always on the go, which requires the company to constantly update and revitalize its ability to communicate and service its consumers. Such was the case for Avis Scandinavia, the leading car rental company of the ...  Continue Reading

• Case study: Loomis UK Cashes In with SugarCRM

  Loomis transports valuables in armored vehicles equipped with modern surveillance systems for its customers in Europe and the US. The company’s roots trace back to 1852, when the gold rush was at its peak in California–a time when customers also ...  Continue Reading

• Case study: Clifford Chance Builds a Comprehensive Search Infrastructure with Decisiv Search

  Clifford Chance, a global law firm with 6,000 lawyers and business services staff in 29 offices in 20 countries, recently undertook a survey of its partners and lawyers to find out how the firm was performing from a knowledge management (KM) ...  Continue Reading

• Case study: Xerox works with Manchester City Council to reduce print costs by 30%

  Manchester City Council (MCC) had an existing fleet of more than 550 copier or multifunction devices (MFDs), 3,500 desktop printers and 800 fax machines.  Continue Reading

• Case study: Shear Flexibility

  On-premise versus on-demand. It’s an offering’s battle that has taken place since the ASP model first took root within the CRM industry over ten years ago. Since then, customers have traditionally been forced to split their decisions between the ...  Continue Reading

• Case study: Lanner PRISM and West Mercia Police

  Spread across three predominantly rural counties, West Mercia is the fourth largest police force geographically in England and Wales. The force employs 2,345 police officers, 277 community support officers, 1,878 police staff and 241 members of the ...  Continue Reading

• Case study: Mia Energia Shortens Sales Cycles and Accelerates Business with Sugar Professional

  Mia Energia provides solutions and systems for the production of energy, using alternatives to fossil fuels such as solar energy. It manages all phases of design and implementation of complex projects on a national and international scale. The ...  Continue Reading

• Case study: Oxfordshire Council County and Kofax

  Oxfordshire County Council (OCC) is one of the largest local authorities in the UK. It has over 21,000 employees and offers a diverse range of services. Over 14,000 staff are employed by schools in the region, with another 7,500 employees working ...  Continue Reading

• How can IT drive change

  Driving change in a business is part and parcel of the IT department's charter. So how does a former CTO who's made the leap to CEO drive change?  Continue Reading

• Case study: Examples and Results from the Hotel, Online, Retail, and Consumer Products Industries

  A popular lodging company, with several thousand locations around the world, needed to improve the conversion rate for booking rooms on its own Web site vs. on online travel agency sites. Web-savvy customers, searching for the best deals, were ...  Continue Reading

• Case study: Caplin Systems Moves To SugarCRM From Salesforce.com

  Caplin Systems Ltd. provides unique technology that enables banks to deliver trading services to their clients’ screens. Given the complex nature of its web-based product, and the competitive nature of the financial industry, Caplin Systems relies ...  Continue Reading

• Case study: ReadSoft gets a clean bill of health from UK’s Health Protection Agency

  In the event of people being exposed to communicable diseases or toxic chemicals, it’s vital that information is gathered quickly to reduce or eliminate further risk. The recent Alexander Litvinenko/Polonium-210 incident in the UK is a case in point...  Continue Reading

• CIO challenges

  The outgoing CEO of the AIIA, Ian Birks has had the ear of policy makers and other influencers. He has a unique insight to the world CIOs will be facing over the next few years.  Continue Reading

• Case study: Application Management Outsourcing

  In 2009 the Supply Chain division of DHL launched a number of projects to rationalise and improve the effectiveness of its delivery of IT services. As part of this initiative was the intent to rationalise the management and support of various core ...  Continue Reading

• Case study: Blakemores Solicitors Advocates ArchiveOne from C2C

  Blakemores Solicitors are one of the largest legal firms within the West Midlands. With a history that spans some fifty years, the firm is recognized for providing leading edge legal advice across all litigation fields; from personal injury to ...  Continue Reading

• Case study: Why does my expensive monitoring solution not tell me what I need to know?

  Does the following scenario sound familiar? A vital part of your IT infrastructure has failed causing serious service impact. Your technology teams are working on the incident but no-one can provide a plausible explanation of the underlying root ...  Continue Reading

• Case study: Swiss International Air Lines AG

  Swiss International Air Lines AG (SWISS) has been a member of the Lufthansa Group since 2005. This allowed SWISS' frequent travellers to participate in the Group's well-known Miles&More bonus program, presenting the company with a double opportunity...  Continue Reading

• Case study: St Edmund's Catholic School use ScriptLogic's granular approach to protect user access

  Separating students from teachers and teachers from other staff to ensure that all users had the correct access to the right files was a taxing process for St Edmund’s two-person IT department team. Using Desktop Authority, the IT staff could be as ...  Continue Reading

• Case study: Past Times

  Past Times have saved £570,000 over the last 11 months due to a workforce management consultancy exercise carried out by WorkPlace Systems. By challenging existing staffing levels the work measurement study and analysis has led to better staffing ...  Continue Reading

• Case study: University of the West of England deploys Alcatel-Lucent’s VoIP

  The project, led by Alcatel-Lucent Business Partner South West Communications Group, involved migrating UWE to a dual IP/TDM environment, connecting seven different campuses with IP-based voice and collaboration. The University also plans to install...  Continue Reading

• Case study: Rocela Informs and Simplifies Oracle ULA Process for Severn Trent Water

  Rocela helps Severn Trent Water remain confident about compliance and strengthens relationships with Oracle.  Continue Reading

• Case study: Siptel deploys VoiP in forward-thinking education sector

  The King Edmund School (KES), located in Rochford, Essex was designated one of the first Business and Enterprise Specialist Schools in the UK. The school is becoming increasingly well known for some of its great work in vocational training and ...  Continue Reading

• Making your PC fleet green

  Planning for your computer fleet to satisfy the increasing need for environmental friendliness isn't as tough as it sounds. Here are five things CIOs can do.  Continue Reading

• Automated storage tiering product comparison

  Automated storage tiering is fast becoming a standard feature of midrange and enterprise SANs, but vendors differ in their implementation of the technology.  Continue Reading

• Is your disaster recovery plan up to scratch?

  The problem with a disaster is that when something goes wrong, it's inevitable that details will be missed and that in the heat of the moment something will go wrong. A well practiced plan can get your business operational in the shortest possible ...  Continue Reading

• SMB storage: What can you outsource to cloud storage and backup services?

  SMB storage: Cloud storage and backup offer many cost-saving advantages to SMBs, but drawbacks too, so what exactly can you outsource to the cloud right now?  Continue Reading

• How BT eliminated BI duplication

  At a recent Computer Weekly roundtable, in association with Oracle, IT leaders heard from Mike Blackmore, enterprise architect for BT's Oracle First programme, about how the telecoms giant is transforming its use of BI.  Continue Reading

• How to integrate your organisation's IT services

  At a recent Computer Weekly seminar, in association with Hitachi Consulting and Microsoft, delegates heard from IT leaders who had undertaken successful integration projects and listened to best practice advice from experts.  Continue Reading

• Integrating the cloud with the enterprise

  Integrating cloud services with enterprise systems and infrastructure needs IT management to change in order to realise the benefits  Continue Reading

• Case study: iPhone a click away with Quark Publishing System 8

  Arosa Bergbahnen AG offers its customers a wide range of services from winter sport facilities, gastronomy and hotel operations up to sporting events. Eager to make the most of the huge potential of the digital publishing revolution, Arosa ...  Continue Reading

• Case study: ITC Case Study

  The Information Technologists’ Company (ITC) was granted Livery status in 1992, becoming the 100th Livery Company of the City of London and received its Royal Charter in 2010. ITC is based on four key themes: Charity, Education, Industry and ...  Continue Reading

• Case study: Outsourced data hosting enables cost savings for the public sector

  Nacro operates from 180 regional locations across England and Wales. ‘Partnership Working’ is a key component to the work Nacro does, and provides a unique forum for sharing ideas, creativity and resources.  Continue Reading

• Case study: Uptrends.com

  Uptrends.com is the leading provider of online analysis of website activity, Service Level Agreements (SLA), hardware and transactional monitoring. The company helps hundreds of businesses monitor their websites and servers for peak performance. ...  Continue Reading

• Case study: A smart city is a sustainable city

  The City of Edinburgh Council entered into a groundbreaking 15-year strategic partnership with BT in 2001. That Smart City deal demonstrated that it’s possible to deliver better citizen services, improved back office efficiency, and lower costs – ...  Continue Reading

• Case study: Tricks of the trade - How to reduce your IT spend

  2009-10 has seen the largest worldwide economic downturn since the 1930’s, government spending is being severely cut, taxation is being increased and a potential double dip is still a potential outcome for 2011. Under these conditions CIO’s are ...  Continue Reading

• Case study: ICT Support Services

  With the sale of the airport in December 2009, GAL was presented with the challenge of separating all ICT services from the incumbent service provider, sourcing a new set of independent services and transitioning to those services in little more ...  Continue Reading

• Case study: REAL Software Supports Hollywood’s Eden FX to Streamline Special Effects Production

  REAL Software, creator of cross-platform software development tools, today announced that Eden FX, a large special effects studio in Santa Monica, developed an application with REAL Studio to render visual effects animation for The Social Network, ...  Continue Reading

• Case study: Bell Canada rings up big revenues with Infor CRM

  Bell Mobility, a division of Bell Canada Enterprises, implemented an Infor customer relationship management solution, Interaction Advisor, and worked with Infor to transform Bell Mobility’s two call centers - with a combined 550 customer service ...  Continue Reading

• Case study: British Red Cross improves command and control and enables interoperability with Airwave

  The British Red Cross is a volunteer-led humanitarian organisation that helps people in crisis across the country. The organisation enables vulnerable people to prepare for and respond to emergencies in their own communities.  Continue Reading

• InfoSecurity Europe 2011 coverage

  Get the latest news and updates from the 2011 InfoSecurity Europe conference.  Continue Reading

• MS-CLIS at IIIT Allahabad: Evaluation of the post grad course in infosec

  With numerous infosec certs to choose from, we look at how the master’s in information security and cyber law (MS-CLIS) at IIIT Allahabad is different  Continue Reading

• Clustered NAS vs traditional NAS solutions

  Clustered NAS offers file visibility across petabytes of storage and is hugely scalable with the ability to increase throughput, IOPS or disk space by adding extra nodes.  Continue Reading

• Inventing the future of IT

  We take a tour of the school of electronics and computer science at Southampton University.  Continue Reading

• Can data security be pinned down?

  Every organisation knows that information is one of its most valuable assets; increasingly so does anyone looking to exploit that information for their own ends, be they criminals, ex-employees with a grudge or Wikileaks-style whistleblowers - not ...  Continue Reading

• How to get a CIO's or IT manager's job

  A new breed of leaders are using a modern skillset to land jobs as CIOs and IT managers  Continue Reading

• Object-based storage promises scalability and flexibility for static, unstructured data needs

  Object storage gets rid of traditional file system hierarchies and puts in place a flat access structure that provides a good basis for hugely scalable unstructured data access.  Continue Reading

• Case study: UK town secures its network with Fortinet

  A major town of nearly 150,000 people, Blackpool is a well-known UK holiday resort and third largest settlement in North West England, after Manchester and Liverpool.  Continue Reading