News

Business applications

February 07, 2008 07 Feb'08
IBM outlines business intelligence strategy with Cognos takeover

IBM has revealed an array of joint IBM-Cognos products and services, including new business intelligence products.
February 06, 2008 06 Feb'08
Npower puts salesforce incentives on front burner

The UK's largest electricity supplier RWE npower has implemented a salesforce management system to improve its processes for rewarding sales staff.
February 06, 2008 06 Feb'08
Never mind the TCO, it's the TCC that counts in IT procurement

Companies should adopt a total cost of change (TCC) buying formula instead of the traditional total cost of ownership (TCO) calculation when buying business software such as ERP and CRM.
February 06, 2008 06 Feb'08
European Union backs £13m cloud computing project with IBM

IBM and the European Union have launched a joint research initiative for Cloud Computing.

February 05, 2008 05 Feb'08
Banks transfer £1bn in Sepa's first week

Payment processor SIA-SSB helped complete around 200,000 Sepa credit transfers in the first week that Sepa (the single Euro payments area) came into force.
February 05, 2008 05 Feb'08
Microsoft buys into online vision with Yahoo bid

Microsoft's bid for Yahoo points to a radical shift in how the company perceives the internet.
February 05, 2008 05 Feb'08
Vista SP1 and Windows Server 2008 enter manufacturing phase

Microsoft has released Windows Vista Service Pack 1 and Windows Server 2008 to manufacturing.
February 04, 2008 04 Feb'08
IBM completes £2.5bn Cognos acquisition

IBM has completed its £2.5bn acquisition of Cognos to enhance its business intelligence Information on Demand strategy.
February 04, 2008 04 Feb'08
Yahoo acquisition to boost Microsoft Saas offering

Microsoft's planned acquisition of Yahoo could boost the company's efforts to deliver software as a service over the internet.
February 04, 2008 04 Feb'08
Birmingham City Council’s bills unpaid as SAP project falters

Birmingham City Council, Europe's largest local authority, has been left with a backlog of more than 18,000 unpaid invoices after a SAP-based system ran into difficulties.

February 02, 2008 02 Feb'08
Microsoft makes £22.5bn bid for Yahoo search engine

Microsoft has put in a £22.5bn bid for search engine Yahoo.
February 01, 2008 01 Feb'08
Avon & Somerset police sign £500,000 records management contract with Northgate

Avon & Somerset police has extended its records management contract with Northgate in a new £500,000 deal.
February 01, 2008 01 Feb'08
HBOS deploys debit card fraud management system from SAS

HBOS is to protect all its customers' debit cards against fraud with a fraud management system from SAS.
February 01, 2008 01 Feb'08
Ordnance Survey launches free Web 2.0 mapping development tool

Ordnance Survey has made its Web 2.0 platform OS OpenSpace available to all developers, following a successful closed launch last December.
February 01, 2008 01 Feb'08
UK's security is benefiting from IT investment, watchdog says

The UK security community's massive upgrade of information and communications technology is starting to show benefits despite delays with key projects and poor operating practices, according to a parliamentary watchdog committee.
February 01, 2008 01 Feb'08
Department of Work and Pensions considers two-factor authentication

The Department of Work and Pensions is looking at using two-factor authentication and "shared secret" security when paying benefits to members of the public.
February 01, 2008 01 Feb'08
IT directors in no rush to move to Windows Server 2008

IT directors have given Microsoft's new Windows server operating system, due to be launched this month, a cool reception.
February 01, 2008 01 Feb'08
Glitnir Bank looks to ELS lending platform for growth

Glitnir Bank is adopting EDB's ELS lending platform to improve the performance and accountability of its transactions.
January 31, 2008 31 Jan'08
Keep spending on IT to beat slump, insurers told

Insurance companies should continue investing in IT systems if they want to remain profitable during a possible recession this year, experts have advised.
January 31, 2008 31 Jan'08
NHS Scotland saves £2.9m a year with business process management software

NHS Scotland is making savings of £2.9m a year by implementing a single set of business processes and sharing management software across 22 health boards.
January 31, 2008 31 Jan'08
Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise to host software-evaluation event

A meeting to discuss electronic health records (EHRs) has been set up by the Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE) organisation in association with the BCS. The event will take place in Oxford on 9 April 2008.
January 31, 2008 31 Jan'08
MySpace to launch developer site

Social networking site MySpace is launching a site for MySpace platform developers.
January 31, 2008 31 Jan'08
Haden Young deploys biometric workforce management

UK building services contractor Haden Young has implemented workforce management software to eliminate manual time sheets and ensure the accuracy of payrolls of all site-based employees.
January 31, 2008 31 Jan'08
Jaguar and Land Rover to use virtual reality system from Sony

Jaguar and Land Rover are to invest £2m in a virtual reality facility. It will use high-definition digital projection technology to create 3D images of exterior and interior vehicle designs to speed up production.
January 30, 2008 30 Jan'08
Central bank deciding technology standards for Equity clearing

The European Central Bank (ECB) is preparing the technology requirements for a share clearing and settlement system that will allow sharetrading across Europe.
January 30, 2008 30 Jan'08
Atos Origin signs Paralympic deal

Atos Origin has signed an agreement with the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) in Beijing to become its worldwide IT partner.
January 30, 2008 30 Jan'08
Rococo Chocolates tastes benefits of SAAS business management software

London-based chocolate manufacturer Rococo Chocolates has boosted company growth and sales in the past four years by eliminating a bottleneck in accessing company data by switching to web-based business management software.
January 30, 2008 30 Jan'08
Netstore chooses on-demand CRM for marketing

IT security and outsourcing firm Netstore has selected the Oracle Siebel CRM On Demand platform to support its growth.
January 29, 2008 29 Jan'08
Sepa goes live, expected to save £268bn over next six years

The single European payments area (Sepa) went live this week with the European Commission predicting potential savings of £268bn over the next six years, as well as challenges for banks.
January 29, 2008 29 Jan'08
Sun joins benchmarking council for financial trading technologies

Sun Microsystems has joined The Securities Technology Analysis Center (Stac) Benchmark Council, to help define standard performance metrics for trading technologies.
January 28, 2008 28 Jan'08
Turquoise selects surveillance technology

Stock trading venue Turquoise has chosen a combination of Progress Software and Detica to provide its business critical real-time market surveillance system.
January 28, 2008 28 Jan'08
Firms weary about software licensing models, report says

Firms continue to find the software licensing models of their suppliers a source of headaches, according to a report published by analyst Forrester.
January 28, 2008 28 Jan'08
Government may drop national fingerprint database for national ID card

The UK government's national identity card scheme appears to be in further chaos, after a leaked document shows the government is considering dropping the planned national fingerprint database tied to the cards.
January 25, 2008 25 Jan'08
Ipswich council slashes remote working costs

Ipswich Borough Council is using a text messaging system to increase its network security and save thousands of pounds in its remote working programme.
January 25, 2008 25 Jan'08
Profits up at Microsoft

Microsoft beat city expectations after posting positive second quarter results.
January 25, 2008 25 Jan'08
Cisco’s systems integrators ‘need to get better’

Cisco is risking reducing customer service by failing to provide adequate support and training to partners to prepare them for deploying new Cisco applications at end-user businesses.
January 25, 2008 25 Jan'08
Retail management system fits designer outlet Larizia

Designer retailer Larizia has upgraded its retail management and point of sale system to replace a manual system the retailer had been using since suffering a bad experience several years ago with an early EPOS system.
January 24, 2008 24 Jan'08
Unicef saves money by unifying communications

Unicef has saved money and improved call-handling efficiency by unifying its communications system on to a single platform.
January 24, 2008 24 Jan'08
Financial services advisers get easy sign-up platform for e-commerce deals

Origo, the standards body for e-commerce in the UK financial services industry, has launched the first ever industry online agency registration service for advisers.
January 24, 2008 24 Jan'08
AstraZeneca upgrades e-mail system for 66,000 employees

AstraZeneca is upgrading its e-mail system to support 66,000 global employees.
January 23, 2008 23 Jan'08
Cisco offers ‘business savvy’ certification for techies

Cisco has launched a certification for network managers, which measures and certifies their business skills.
January 23, 2008 23 Jan'08
Natwest top target for phishing attacks

Natwest is the leading target for phishers in the banking industry, says anti-spam software firm ClearMyMail.
January 23, 2008 23 Jan'08
NCC Group acquires Escrow Europe Holdings

International software escrow services provider NCC Group has acquired Escrow Europe Holdings in a £7.8m deal.
January 23, 2008 23 Jan'08
Recognised Plus Markets platform supports business hike

Investment exchange Plus Markets has increased the value of trades completed in a year by 150% in 2007 with its new trading platform contributing to a strong December.
January 23, 2008 23 Jan'08
Reduce piracy by 10% save £4.5bn, says IDC

Reducing piracy by 10% could boost the UK economy by £4.5bn, a study from analyst house IDC has estimated.
January 23, 2008 23 Jan'08
Citrix and Microsoft expand colloboration on server virtualisation

Microsoft and Citrix have expanded their alliance to address the desktop and server virtualisation needs of their customers.
January 23, 2008 23 Jan'08
Schools use pupil analysis data to drive up exam results

Schools using analysis of pupil data in their management information systems (MIS) are helping drive up their exam results.
January 22, 2008 22 Jan'08
Vendor and user differences impede BPM benefits

Better alignment requirred between what vendors think is required and what the end users actually want to do
January 21, 2008 21 Jan'08
Schools do not use technology to full potential, says Becta

Eighty percent of schools are not using technology to the full, according to a report by Becta.
January 21, 2008 21 Jan'08
Don’t worry dear it’s only a master data management system

Online insurance company esure has implemented software from Initiative Systems to get better control of customer records.
January 21, 2008 21 Jan'08
Adobe plugs cross-site scripting security threats

Adobe has been forced to plug cross-site scripting security threats in Adobe Connect Enterprise Server 6 platform, and its Dreamweaver and Contribute systems.
January 21, 2008 21 Jan'08
Housing association improves document management with IBS OPENSystems

Lincolnshire Rural Housing Association is planning to streamline transaction processing and reporting with a system that gives better streamlining of document management and workflow.
January 21, 2008 21 Jan'08
Mobile instant messaging use to triple over next six years

European mobile instant messaging (IM) will triple in the next six years, with young consumers fuelling the growth, says analyst Forrester.
January 21, 2008 21 Jan'08
CIA warns businesses to beware hackers

Just weeks after MI5 warned banks and utility owners that hackers are targeting systems that control critical national infrastructure, the CIA has issued a similar warning to US operators.
January 21, 2008 21 Jan'08
VMware extends desktop virtualisation offering with Thinstall acquisition

VMware is to expand its desktop virtualisation offering with the acquisition of application virtualisation firm Thinstall.
January 21, 2008 21 Jan'08
Government urges residents to use web services to cut CO2 emissions

The government is urging residents to use council web services to help cut CO2 emissions.
January 19, 2008 19 Jan'08
Users want e-mail and social networking on basic mobile phones

E-mail is the most desired service for mobile phone users, with a third wanting their messages on the move if speed and quality was not an issue using a basic mobile device.
January 18, 2008 18 Jan'08
Stockport Primary Care Trust loses 4,000 patient records on memory stick

The personal medical records of 4,000 NHS patients have been lost by Stockport Primary Care Trust, but health managers have chosen not to inform the individuals involved.
January 18, 2008 18 Jan'08
Arbor Networks extends network service control with Ellacoya acquisition

Arbor Networks, a provider of secure service control systems for global business networks, is acquiring Ellacoya Networks, a provider of carrier-class broadband service optimisation products.
January 17, 2008 17 Jan'08
LogicaCMG teams up with Arcot on software authentication

LogicaCMG has joined forces with Arcot to launch a software-based two-factor authentication system in Europe.
January 17, 2008 17 Jan'08
Expro chooses EasyVista to support staff after merger

Oil and gas well flow management company Expro is rolling out IT life-cycle management software from Staff&Line UK to support global helpdesk operations across 100 sites in 50 countries.
January 17, 2008 17 Jan'08
Land Registry e-conveyancing system to include PKI

The Land Registry's e-conveyancing project will go live in early summer following the introduction of a public key encryption (PKI) system that will guarantee the authenticity of property transaction documents.
January 17, 2008 17 Jan'08
HSBC replaces internet banking platforms globally

HSBC has replaced nine-year-old internet banking platforms across the world with a single website to cut costs and add functionality after completing a project that saw the bank run two internet banking services simultaneously to minimise risk.
January 17, 2008 17 Jan'08
Oracle and BEA enterprise portal customers face ‘rocky ride’

Oracle and BEA enterprise portal customers "can expect a rocky ride" following the Oracle acquisition of BEA announced this week.
January 17, 2008 17 Jan'08
Analytics software moves centre stage at Royal Shakespeare Company

Advanced analytics have moved centre stage at the Royal Shakespeare Company.
January 16, 2008 16 Jan'08
Northern Ireland Electricity integrates for open market

Northern Ireland Electricity (NIE) has completed the second phase of a £15m systems integration project to accommodate changes caused by opening up the local energy market to competition.
January 16, 2008 16 Jan'08
Oracle to acquire BEA Systems

Oracle announced it is to acquire BEA Systems for £4.3bn, to bolster its service oriented architecture strategy.
January 16, 2008 16 Jan'08
Caring Homes deploys new finance systems to increase efficiency

Caring Homes, a care home group, is implementing the OpenAccounts finance system and web-based purchase order (PO) processing system from COA Solutions to increase efficiency.
January 16, 2008 16 Jan'08
Field Fisher Waterhouse rolls out an enterprise search platform

London-based European law firm Field Fisher Waterhouse has implemented an enterprise search platform across its offices worldwide, improving knowledge sharing to support business growth over an increasing widespread area.
January 16, 2008 16 Jan'08
Integra offers free Notes to Office integration system

Integra for Notes, the provider of the Notes to Office integration and reporting product, has released a free Personal Edition.
January 16, 2008 16 Jan'08
Cognos unveils performance management upgrade

Cognos is launching the latest version of its performance management system, which is likely to be the last version before Cognos is taken over by IBM in a previously announced acquisition.
January 15, 2008 15 Jan'08
Few companies fully use their SAP software

Few companies are exploiting the full potential of the SAP software they are paying for, a study by IT consultant West Trax reveals.
January 15, 2008 15 Jan'08
Business Intelligence will decline but still vital for IT efficiency

The days of a strong BI market are over as the industry enters a state of flux but BI remains mission critical
January 15, 2008 15 Jan'08
Blue Coat integrates Wan optimisation and security

Blue Coat Systems has introduced the Blue Coat Proxyclient, a wireless area network optimisation software client with integrated security and control.
January 15, 2008 15 Jan'08
Rail telesales firm FirstInfo upgrades customer contact system

Rail telesales firm FirstInfo is upgrading its sales system with a Fujitsu system to improve customer service.
January 15, 2008 15 Jan'08
BMW Motorrad UK captures sales leads in real-time

Motorcycle manufacturer BMW Motorrad UK has reduced response times to consumer requests using mobile devices running real-time data capture software.
January 15, 2008 15 Jan'08
Storage virtualisation drives technological and business efficiencies

PacificSource Health Plans, deploys file storage virtualisation solution to boost process
January 14, 2008 14 Jan'08
KDE 4.0 available to Linux users

Users of the Linux operating system can now download the latest version of the K Desktop Environment, which has been designed to improve support of mobile devices and multimedia.
January 14, 2008 14 Jan'08
Willerby Holiday Homes improves lean manufacturing with process automation

UK manufacturer, Willerby Holiday Homes, is rolling out enterprise content management software to support its lean manufacturing programme.
January 14, 2008 14 Jan'08
Great Ormond Street adopts database cleansing platform to boost fundraising

Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity has selected the DataFlux platform to improve its fundraising.
January 11, 2008 11 Jan'08
Business intelligence suppliers must make systems more pervasive in the enterprise

Double-digit growth in the business intelligence (BI) market is over as the industry enters a state of flux following supplier consolidation, increasing maturity and price erosion, says analyst Gartner.
January 11, 2008 11 Jan'08
Second Life will emerge as leading collaboration platform, says report

IT managers should begin experimenting with Second Life in business today as the collaboration tool is expected to become as popular as e-mail within five years, a report has said.
January 11, 2008 11 Jan'08
The Co-operative Group adds customer surveys to chip and Pin terminals

The Co-operative Group has adapted chip and Pin terminals at the point of sale to survey customers' opinions as they shop.
January 11, 2008 11 Jan'08
Essex County Council drives efficiency with e-invoicing

Essex County Council expects to cut its annual budget by £500,000 a year using an e-invoicing system developed for the public sector and its suppliers.
January 10, 2008 10 Jan'08
Panasonic Batteries cuts invoicing costs by 60%

Panasonic Batteries has cut invoicing processing costs by 60% by implementing an automated system across its European sales network.
January 10, 2008 10 Jan'08
Becta tells schools to review benefits of Windows upgrades

The government agency that recommends which technology schools and colleges should use has told them to review the benefits of adopting Windows Vista or Office 2007, because of interoperability and value for money issues.
January 10, 2008 10 Jan'08
Aruba to acquire AirWave for £18.5m

Aruba Networks is acquiring AirWave Wireless for £18.5m in stock and cash to widen its Wi-Fi offering to firms.
January 10, 2008 10 Jan'08
Hellmann Worldwide Logistics replaces legacy with Oracle

Hellmann Worldwide Logistics has chosen Oracle as its global IT systems provider to replace the company's existing legacy systems to cut maintenance costs.
January 10, 2008 10 Jan'08
Hammonds Direct teams with Skywire Software to take headache out of HIPs

UK conveyancing services company, Hammonds Direct, has teamed up with its software supplier, Skywire Software, to develop an automated system for creating home information packs (HIPs) to offer a fast, and transparent service as a secondary revenue ...
January 10, 2008 10 Jan'08
Geeks.com loses customer data in hack

Computer gadget site Geeks.com has been hacked, with the attackers suspected of stealing customer credit card details, phone numbers and e-mail addresses.
January 10, 2008 10 Jan'08
BT offers 100mbps fibre broadband to Kentish folk

BT is offering 100mbps fibre broadband to the home, but only in Ebbsfleet in Kent.
January 09, 2008 09 Jan'08
Kent County Council streamlines network management across 600-plus schools

Kent County Council has streamlined support to over 600 schools with a network monitoring management system.
January 09, 2008 09 Jan'08
Deal Group Media uses business intelligence software to give online advertising direction

Deal Group Media connects online advertisers with affiliates - highly trafficked websites - with whom they place banner advertisements and pay for click-throughs or closed sales. As a pioneer of affiliate marketing, DGM knows the model depends on ...
January 09, 2008 09 Jan'08
Norwich Union deploys document automation system

Norwich Union Life has selected the Dialogue enterprise document automation software from Exstream Software to streamline document production.
January 09, 2008 09 Jan'08
Microsoft patches address serious Windows threats

Microsoft has distributed two security patches to address vulnerabilities in Windows.
January 08, 2008 08 Jan'08
Next-generation datacentre gets green light

Plan to reduce the need for onsite diesel generators and fuel storage in each datacentre as the opportunity to lock in long-term power costs
January 08, 2008 08 Jan'08
Virtualised file storage cuts operational costs by 80%

New solutions support twice the capacity across storage environment while accommodating spikes in utilisation
January 08, 2008 08 Jan'08
Hot skills: HP-UX

Three suppliers dominate the Unix server market: Sun with Solaris ,...
January 08, 2008 08 Jan'08
Government IT procurement: the role of the North East Centre of Excellence

Launched in 2004 in response to recommendations in the government's National Procurement Strategy and the Gershon Efficiency Review, the North East Centre of Excellence was designed to improve a £1.5bn local government procurement process. It aims ...
January 08, 2008 08 Jan'08
Notts councils share aerial photography system to aid planning

A consortium of local authorities in Nottinghamshire is using an aerial photography system to aid decision-making and support the delivery of essential council services.