In Depth

In Depth

• Vitrualization, SaaS, alignment and VoIP big in 2007

  Virtualization, VoIP, SaaS and redefining alignment will be big in 2007, predicts Paul Gillin, TechTarget's former editor-in-chief. Find out what else he thinks will rise to the top of IT.  Continue Reading

• Sony rolls out middleware to handle scramble for PS3

  Sony has prepared for next spring's launch of its most important product in six years by standardising on a single middleware platform across Europe to meet retailers' orders.  Continue Reading

• Scottish Power aims for a first with new business continuity standard

  Scottish Power is aiming to tighten its response to business interruptions by applying for accreditation under a new British Standard for business continuity.  Continue Reading

• Top network security tips of 2006

  The top Windows networking security tips of 2006 cover a range of topics, including network isolation, open source Windows security tools, VPN security and more.  Continue Reading

• National Trust gets rid of the mouse

  The National Trust has signed up Management Systems Modelling to modify its website to bring it into line with UK disability discrimination laws.  Continue Reading

• Enterprises are open to Asterisk

  Organisations have become so comfortable with VoIP and standards that open-source technologies like Asterisk are being given serious consideration over big iron PBX platforms. Learn all about Asterisk here.  Continue Reading

• Top storage tips 2006

  What's on the minds of storage techies. What's hot, what's not, what works, what doesn't work. These expert tips cover the storage issues that take top honours when it comes to disaster recovery, NAS, SAN, backup and storage management.  Continue Reading

• Downtime: You're not impotent to quit smoking in Glasgow

  The wacky world of IT  Continue Reading

• Review: Prevx1 not ready for prime time

  Prevx1 will require significant improvement in management and detection capabilities before it can be considered a serious contender for enterprise deployments.  Continue Reading

• Review: Reconnex's iGuard needs improvements

  Reconnex's iGuard is maturing, though it still needs some usability improvements such as wizards, customisable reports and the ability to drill down on the graphs.  Continue Reading

• Review: Deep Security is a solid IPS

  Third Brigade's Deep Security is a well-designed, effective product with strong configuration and policy control capabilities.  Continue Reading

• Working towards a better world

  The IT Volunteeer Awards showcase the talents and achievements of volunteers that have made a real difference to their chosen charities. John Riley takes a look at the winners  Continue Reading

• T-Mobile on the virtual line to rapid expansion

  T-Mobile Direct is pioneering the use of IBM's virtualisation technology to simplify the management of its IT infrastructure after nearly doubling its retail outlets in a year.  Continue Reading

• VoIP softswitch

  Mera Systems' MVTS II (Mera VoIP Transit SoftswitchII) will support sophisticated routing capabilities, including various options for a carrier to send requests to ENUM registries, analyse the responses and use information received to take optimal ...  Continue Reading

• Making business sense of geographic information

  The BCS is teaming up with the Association for Geographic Information (AGI) and the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) to promote the business case for using open geospatial standards at an event in Nottingham on 25 January.  Continue Reading

• Hot technologies for 2007

  "Storage" magazine's editors reviewed technology developments, product introductions and storage standards to come up with this short list of must-have technologies for 2007.  Continue Reading

• Hot technologies for 2007-2

  "Storage" magazine's editors reviewed technology developments, product introductions and storage standards to come up with this short list of must-have technologies for 2007.  Continue Reading

• Top midrange arrays, page 3

  Sun's Flexline won out on reliability; EqualLogic users overwhelmingly said they'd buy again.  Continue Reading

• Review: Lancope StealthWatch 5.5 offers more than IDS

  Hot Pick: StealthWatch goes far beyond traditional intrusion detection, with powerful network-monitoring features. The optional IDentity-1000 is an essential addition.  Continue Reading

• VoIP: The migration dilemma

  Looking for a VoIP system on eBay? It's not as crazy as it sounds, and neither are some of these other tips to keep in mind when migrating to VoIP.  Continue Reading

• Can I make the leap into IT management?

  Expert advice for readers' career problems  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

• CIO Index surveys: What CIOs want

  Computer Weekly’s CIO Index surveys the decisions and opinions of leading playing to find out who is doing what – and why.  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

• Infrastructure security: Remote access DMZ

  An excerpt from Chapter 7: Infrastructure security from "How to Cheat at Managing Information Security," by Mark Osborne.  Continue Reading

• Storage IPOs, brilliant or brainless

  Just when we thought the fast and loose spending of the dot-com bubble was well behind us, a few recent storage company IPOs remind us that we really haven't gotten a lot smarter.  Continue Reading

• Opening the door to interoperability

  Should open source developers feel uneasy about the recent deal struck by Microsoft and Novell to make their operating systems work with each other?  Continue Reading

• Do you run a green machine?

  The IT industry has only recently embarked upon the learning curve of green computing. Helen Beckett looks at what suppliers and users are doing to help meet the green challenge  Continue Reading

• BCS Awards: Unlocking security benefits

  The 2006 BCS President's Award turns the spotlight on the need for effective investment in information security  Continue Reading

• BCS Awards: Looking forward

  Next year's awards will form a central part of the BCS's golden jubilee celebrations  Continue Reading

• BCS Awards: Technology to the rescue

  The biggest splash in this year's Technology Awards was made by an application developed to cut the number of lives lost in Britain's dangerous waters  Continue Reading

• Storage Decisions Session Downloads: Smart Shopper Track (LV 2006)

  Very few storage managers have carte blanche when it comes to storage spending. Sessions in our "Smart Shopper track" help managers get the most bang for their storage buck.  Continue Reading

• Next move: Should I narrow down my broad IT skills?

  Advice on your IT career  Continue Reading

• Lifeboat system team takes the laurels at the BCS awards

  The Grosvenor House Hotel on London's Park Lane hosted the BCS' biggest-ever annual awards ceremony last Thursday  Continue Reading

• BCS Awards: Honouring individual excellence

  The BCS Individual Excellence Awards recognise notable achievements and high levels of professionalism across seven categories  Continue Reading

• Smart projects: Woking boosts building planning process with browser-based tool

  Managed service lets public and staff access applications online  Continue Reading

• Storage Decisions Session Downloads: Architecture Track (LV 2006)

  More than 70% of the attendees of Storage Decisions say they are setting up or evaluating a tiered storage architecture. Featured in this track are Tiered Storage School sessions along with other sessions that can help any manager set up or ...  Continue Reading

• CW500 Club workshops can help you win influence

  IT directors have a unique overview of the strategy and business processes that drive their organisation they know how to create business value through innovation and they are masters at dealing effectively with organisational change.  Continue Reading

• BCS Awards: The right balance

  The GCS Women in IT Award recognises employers that encourage diversity at work  Continue Reading

• BCS Awards: RNLI nets win on the move

  RNLI and Active Web Solutions scoop BCS Mobile Award for Sea Safety system  Continue Reading

• BCS Awards: Giving business a decisive boost

  The four winners of this year's BCS Business Achievement Awards have shown how the best IT projects can take the business to a new level of success  Continue Reading

• Keep watch beyond the perimeter

  Wireless connectivity, mobile workers and network convergence make security a moving target, but too many users still ignore the basics of good practice  Continue Reading

• Storage Decisions Session Downloads: Engineering Track (LV 2006)

  Managers need to engineer the most flexible and complete storage network. This track looks at SAN and NAS issues, distance demands, remote offices and how to build out systems.  Continue Reading

• Storage Decisions Session Downloads (NYC 2006)

  Take a look at the sessions that floored at the Storage Decisions conference in New York City, September 27-29, 2006.  Continue Reading

• The BCS IT Awards: Who won and how

  Click on the links to find out who emerged triumphant at the British Computer Society's BCS IT Professional Awards.  Continue Reading

• BCS Awards 2006: Winners and medallists

  The BCS IT Professional Awards 2006 winners and medallists  Continue Reading

• Aussie scientists try the vest of both worlds

  Why Zen-like patience should be a prerequisite for all helpdesk positions.  Continue Reading

• DPM's diary: 12 December 2006

  Weekly round up of events at Bodcaster City Council  Continue Reading

• Zero-day tracker a hit, but IT shops need better strategy

  This week in Security Blog Log: Reaction to eEye's new zero-day tracker is positive, but some experts say it won't help unless IT shops have a layered defense to start with.  Continue Reading

• MySpace, YouTube successes open door to Web 2.0 dangers

  Web 2.0, and Ajax in particular, are introducing new threats to life on the Web. Many people are rushing to add interactive features to their Web applications using Ajax, but as columnist Mike Cobb explains, security has often been overlooked.  Continue Reading

• IT head plans systems to keep data on track for £6bn London rail link

  Effective communication and measurement are key to staying on top of a growing project, Michael Pincher, head of IT for the CrossRail project, told a recent meeting of BCS IT ­directors group Elite.  Continue Reading

• VoIP Learning Guide

  This guide explains what VoIP is, how it's used, and how it fits into the enterprise. Check back often for updates and new additions.  Continue Reading

• Work together to avert shortage of IT graduates, urges BCS president

  Employers and the IT profession need to find ways of encouraging more people to take up computer science at university if the country is to avoid a crippling skills shortage within four years, the British Computer Society has warned.  Continue Reading

• How to manage a universe of data

  In the following two case studies we look at how to effectively track and store vast amounts of data to enable both long-term storage and instant retrieval  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

• Expand your outsourcing horizons

  The business process outsourcing market is rapidly expanding into new areas, and it is smaller businesses that potentially stand to benefit the most  Continue Reading

• Peterborough uses reporting tool to boost productivity of housing staff

  Peterborough City Council has been able to cut the workforce in its housing department by 30% after using new IT systems to find out where its employees were being unproductive.  Continue Reading

• Scope out your ID risks and goals

  To be successful, an identity management initiative needs clear planning to prioritise for quick wins while ensuring that longer-term business objectives are met  Continue Reading

• H&M targets staff productivity gain with Europe-wide scheduling tool

  Retailer H&M has embarked on a two-year roll-out of an employee-scheduling system designed to improve its use of staff resources and maximise time spent by staff on the shop floor.  Continue Reading

• Best Places winner sends IT team back to school

  Property services firm Telereal is building strong cultural links inside and outside the company after winning a Computer Weekly Best Places to Work in IT award.  Continue Reading

• Building an on-demand future

  SMB Focus: Today's breed of hosted applications can offer smaller companies fixed costs, reduced complexity and guaranteed compliance. Arif Mohamed reports  Continue Reading

• Is the age of innovation over for IT?

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

• DPM's diary: 5 December 2006

  Weekly roundup of events at Bodcaster City Council  Continue Reading

• Business turns VoIP talk into action

  Computer Weekly's survey of IT leaders reveals that adoption of voice over IP and tablet PCs is gathering pace as CIOs seek more adaptable technologies  Continue Reading

• Blogs give readers the inside story

  Computer Weekly's three new blogs from leading IT commentators and practitioners offer IT professionals an interactive and informative forum  Continue Reading

• Act on foreign spy risk, firms urged

  Foreign governments attempting to gain inside information pose a real threat to UK businesses, and a different risk management approach must be adopted  Continue Reading

• Construction industry builds up project management with collaboration systems

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

• New Epos system prepares Wyevale for Easter blitz

  Wyevale Garden Centres has started trialling a chip and Pin-ready electronic point of sale system to see how it handles a planned increase in promotions.  Continue Reading

• IT organisations gear up for milestone year in 2007

  This year Computer Weekly and the National Computing Centre celebrated their 40th anniversaries, and the Parliamentary IT Committee marked its 25th year.  Continue Reading

• Mobile Platforms: Palm OS -- not the best for the multitasker

  A team of experts weigh the good and bad of each mobile platform to help you choose the one that's right for your company.  Continue Reading

• Philadelphia freedom - securely

  Bernard Donnelly, vice president of quality assurance for the Philadelphia Stock Exchange, discusses how and why his organisation transitioned to a wireless trading system the measures taken to keep the wireless system running securely.  Continue Reading

• How do I get a project management role?

  Expert advice for readers' career problems  Continue Reading

• SearchSecurity.com highlights November 2006

  A round up of the key security stories from November  Continue Reading

• Mobile platforms: Symbian, that 'European operating system'

  A team of experts weigh the good and bad of each mobile platform to help you choose the one that's right for your company.  Continue Reading

• Identifying the right outsourcing strategy

  For far too long, the issue of outsourcing versus insourcing has had the proportions of a religious debate between often fanatical supporters and opponents of both.  Continue Reading

• Oracle should heed report touting SQL Server security

  A prominent security researcher sheds light on Oracle's security lapses, but how will the vendor respond? As Dennis Fisher explains, Oracle should look internally.  Continue Reading

• Like it or not, IT is at the heart of the change business

  An essential part of change management is not just managing the implementation of new technology, but managing the impact of that implementation. Moreover, the impact can be wide ranging and very different for the various people affected.  Continue Reading

• Firefighters go mobile to speed risk data collection

  Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service has begun using mobile computing to improve the collection of fire risk information from households, following a successful pilot.  Continue Reading

• Inside track from Computer Weekly bloggers

  Computer Weekly has launched three new blogs to bring readers incisive comment and views from leading commentators and IT practitioners.  Continue Reading

• Active Directory security school: Set up and configuration

  An Active Directory security lesson.  Continue Reading

• Active Directory security school: Maintenance and testing

  This is lesson three of our Active Directory security school.  Continue Reading

• Data migration hits sales after DVD firms merge

  DVD rental company Lovefilm suffered significant disruption to its customer services and a knock-on loss of sales when it consolidated onto a single platform following its merger with Video Island earlier this year, Computer Weekly has learned.  Continue Reading

• Dover overhauls Lan for expansion

  Dover Harbour Board has overhauled its local area network infrastructure to support the port's expansion.  Continue Reading

• Active Directory security school: Management

  Lesson two of the Active Directory security school.  Continue Reading

• Active Directory Security School

  An improperly configured Active Directory can render the rest of your security measures useless. So how can you protect yourself from a hacker with their eyes on your AD? How can you recover from such an attack? Find the answers to all of your AD ...  Continue Reading

• Accelerating data to iWarp speed

  Network performance: iWarp aims to bring together traditional Ethernet technology and remote direct memory access to overcome bottlenecks in handling TCP/IP traffic  Continue Reading

• Managed and hosted VoIP: muddling through

  For companies looking for an alternative to a premise-based phone system, there are plenty available, and they come in all shapes and sizes. Get a clearer understanding of exactly what's available so you can ask the right questions to get the ...  Continue Reading

• Recordless email: magical or menacing?

  A new startup promises recordless email. Is this a stroke of genius that will reward the company with billions of Internet bucks, or is it the end of the world as we know it?  Continue Reading

• DPM's diary: 29 November 2006

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

• Vista: Do you need it?

  Windows Vista is the next release of Microsoft’s XP desktop operating system. Released on 30 November, it holds out the prospect of increased end-user productivity, tighter control over security and a brand-new graphical user interface, and IT ...  Continue Reading

• Yorkshire Water upgrades comms network

  Yorkshire Water is investing heavily in the latest managed IP communications network to improve the resiliency of its network, boost IT customer services to 2,500 employees and enable a more proactive approach to tackling problems when they arise.  Continue Reading

• Document-level system boosts O2's data safety

  Mobile phone operator O2 has deployed rights management software to protect confidential documents and e-mails sent by board executives and other senior managers handling sensitive financial and business information.  Continue Reading

• Sandvik seeks global standard with ERP roll-out

  Sandvik Mining and Construction has completed the first stage of an overhaul of its enterprise resource planning systems to enable it to standardise its business processes across 40 countries and keep track of many of its products after sale.  Continue Reading

• Travelling with your laptop

  A Day-to-Day Networking guide including a quick networking technical tip, and a calendar that lets you know what's happening in the networking industry.  Continue Reading

• The end of the web as we know it?

  Vint Cerf, chairman of Icann and co-creator of the TCP/IP standard, talks about the future of the internet and warns against creating a two-tier web system  Continue Reading

• Discarded hard drives can be dangerous

  A treasure trove of sensitive information can end up in the wrong hands if old hard drives aren't properly disposed of, one security expert warns.  Continue Reading

• Security is automatic for Travelodge

  Hotel chain Travelodge has saved more than 20 staff days a year after investing in systems to automatically monitor its compliance with security standards for online credit card sales.  Continue Reading

• BEA portal speeds mortgage process

  Law firm Goldsmith Williams has re-engineered its business processes and exploited a service oriented architecture to cut the average time taken to complete mortgage application conveyancing from 18 days to six.  Continue Reading

• Converged IPnet puts it all under one roof

  Northamptonshire Enterprise, a group of economic development agencies, has implemented a converged IP network to connect its office-based and remote users and allow a centralised IT department to manage several business-critical applications from ...  Continue Reading

• Council reaps cost and workflow benefits of record sharing roll-out

  Smart projects: North Warwickshire improves data sharing across key departments  Continue Reading