News

Network hardware

June 22, 2006 22 Jun'06
Skype to tighten up VoIP security

Skype is planning to improve the identity authentication process of its voice over IP telephony system to help reassure business users.
June 14, 2006 14 Jun'06
US government warned VoIP taps could threaten internet

Internet experts, academics and engineers have slammed US government moves to force voice over IP services to ensure that calls can be tapped by police.
June 07, 2006 07 Jun'06
Microsoft to offer greater BizTalk RFID support

Microsoft is to offer greater support for radio frequency identification (RFID) systems with its forthcoming BizTalk Server 2006 R2.
June 01, 2006 01 Jun'06
Moving closer to pervasive wireless

As mobile and wireless technology adoption continues apace, the technology itself will develop steadily over the next five years, rather than leaping ahead, analysts have predicted.

May 30, 2006 30 May'06
Triangulation homes in on rogue WLan access points

Foundry Networks has devised a way to restrict end-users from accessing certain parts of a wireless local area network.
May 30, 2006 30 May'06
Prepare for a revolution of the web, says Berners-Lee

World Wide Web 2006: Inventor of the web shares his vision for a web revolution and warns that areas could become closed of, while experts discuss the semantic web
May 24, 2006 24 May'06
AT&T to offer RFID managed deployment service

AT&T is teaming up with major technology suppliers to offer a managed radio frequency identification (RFID) deployment service to firms.
May 24, 2006 24 May'06
Ofcom to award cheap wireless broadband licences

Telecoms regulator Ofcom plans to open up new spectrum bands to allow service providers to offer ultra high-speed wireless broadband services to companies.
May 23, 2006 23 May'06
Be ready for web revolution, says Berners-Lee

The 15th World Wide Web conference 2006 opened in Edinburgh, Scotland, on Tuesday morning, with a programme presenting papers into how the web should develop.
May 23, 2006 23 May'06
Fake safety browser worm strikes

A self-propagating worm that installs a fake internet browser on users PCs has hit the Yahoo! Messenger instant messaging network, security experts have warned.

May 23, 2006 23 May'06
Beware rogue hotspots, users told

Public wireless hotspots are a major risk to corporate IT security, according to research due out this week from RSA Security.
May 23, 2006 23 May'06
Your shout: convergence costs, shared services, IT value

Computer Weekly readers' give their views on the week's news
May 22, 2006 22 May'06
Skype warns of security flaw

Voice over IP firm Skype has warned of a security bug in versions of its product for Windows that could give an attacker access to the user’s files.
May 18, 2006 18 May'06
BT reports profits dip

BT saw its pre-tax profits fall for the year to 31 March, partly as a result of having to set up the new “hands off” Openreach organisation to deliver a fairer broadband market for BT’s competitors.
May 17, 2006 17 May'06
Large Avaya IP telephony users face price hikes

Large companies that use IP telephony systems from Avaya may face price increases, following the introdcution of a new licensing system by the company at the beginning of the year.
May 17, 2006 17 May'06
BT names Wi-Fi cities

BT named the first six of 12 cities where it will roll out metropolitan-wide wireless networks.
May 16, 2006 16 May'06
Oracle boosts RFID server

Oracle has upgraded its Oracle Sensor Edge Server radio frequency identification management product in a bid to improve integration and speed up implementation.
May 15, 2006 15 May'06
Sainsbury’s signs Skype deal to offer VoIP pre-pay vouchers

Skype has announced a deal with Sainsbury’s that will allow consumers to buy the voice over IP firm’s eVouchers – credits for calls to landlines or mobiles – in more than 500 UK stores.
May 12, 2006 12 May'06
BT targets 2007 for enterprise fixed mobile convergence product

BT is to offer a fixed mobile convergence (FMC) solution to large enterprises, allowing the deployment of telephony networks with support for both Wi-Fi and GSM mobile phones.
May 08, 2006 08 May'06
HP tests more cost-effective datacentre air cooling

Hewlett-Packard is testing technology that can cut datacentre air cooling power consumption by up to 60%.
May 05, 2006 05 May'06
Oracle strengthens Sensor Edge RFID platform

Oracle has improved its RFID integration and management system.
May 05, 2006 05 May'06
Users warned over Wi-Fi standard hold-up

Ratification of the higher-speed IEEE 802.11n Wi-Fi standard has been delayed after disagreements between hardware suppliers.
May 05, 2006 05 May'06
Ofcom announces winners of GSM spectrum auction

Ofcom has raised almost £4m from an auction of GSM spectrum licences to service providers.
May 03, 2006 03 May'06
IP acts as catalyst for unified communications

Revenues for unified messaging and communications will jump from €613.3m in 2005 to €1,539.5m in 2012, according to Frost & Sullivan.
May 02, 2006 02 May'06
VoIP ‘not secure enough’, warn bank chiefs

Voice over IP technology is too insecure to replace traditional business telephone networks, the chief security officers of two City banks warned last week.
April 28, 2006 28 Apr'06
Telcos invest heavily in triple-play

Telecoms service providers around the world are putting around 40% of their capital expenditure into setting up and providing “triple-play” services to customers.
April 27, 2006 27 Apr'06
GNER accelerates Wi-Fi roll-out for passengers

Train operator GNER is to offer Wi-Fi access on all its trains by this August after experiencing strong demand for the service.
April 26, 2006 26 Apr'06
Voice over Wi-Fi for business on the way

Cisco Systems has announced it is working with chipmaker Intel, mobile phone giant Nokia and Research In Motion, maker of the BlackBerry mobile device, to provide voice over Wi-Fi systems for enterprises.
April 25, 2006 25 Apr'06
RFID faces DoS attacks

Researchers say they’ve found a way to breach the defences of RFID tags and cause a denial of service attack using cheap, shop-bought radio transmitters.
April 25, 2006 25 Apr'06
Supply chain optimisation can deliver ROI within four months, finds AMR Research

Combining creativity with clever use of technology can reap big rewards for a relatively small investment in supply chain systems, according to a leading analyst
April 24, 2006 24 Apr'06
Fujitsu and Mitsui link up over optical laser technology

Fujitsu is to launch a company to commercialise high-performance quantum dot lasers for the optical telecommunications industry, in a joint venture with general trading firm Mitsui.
April 20, 2006 20 Apr'06
DTI survey worries about networks and identity fraud

UK businesses are failing to adopt the security controls needed to protect their customers' information, according to the Department of Trade and Industry's biennial Information Security Breaches Survey.
April 20, 2006 20 Apr'06
SMEs starting to adopt VoIP

Despite the findings of Inclarity’s survey, SMEs are increasingly adopting hosted IP telephony services, according to research by analyst firm Frost & Sullivan.
April 19, 2006 19 Apr'06
No business case for item-level RFID tags unless done by suppliers, Tesco trial finds

Tesco has dropped plans to introduce item-level radio frequency identification tagging following a pilot scheme. It will focus instead on pallet-level tagging.
April 19, 2006 19 Apr'06
New VoIP system brings down NASA network

A new voice over IP telephone system at US space agency NASA crashed last week, bringing down IT network and phone connections for several hours.
April 18, 2006 18 Apr'06
Latest RFID technology at risk from denial-of-service attacks

New ultra high frequency RFID tags are vulnerable to denial-of-service attacks, academics in Australia have warned.
April 18, 2006 18 Apr'06
Your shout: Service oriented architecture; NHS complexity; RFID

Have your say at computerweekly.com
April 12, 2006 12 Apr'06
Symantec tackles instant messaging security

Symantec has announced IM Manager 8.0, which is designed to address instant messaging security problems.
April 12, 2006 12 Apr'06
NCR plans easier RFID data processing with acquisition

NCR is expanding its radio frequency identification (RFID) portfolio with the acquisition of IDVelocity LLC.
April 12, 2006 12 Apr'06
SMEs losing money by sticking with old telecoms systems

Small- to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across the UK are losing more than £1bn a year by using old telecoms systems, according to research from internet telephony services provider Inclarity.
April 11, 2006 11 Apr'06
Network news in brief

Brief takes on the week's news
April 11, 2006 11 Apr'06
GNER Intercity Wi-Fi access to arrive ahead of deadline

Great North Eastern Railway is to provide a Wi-Fi internet service on its fleet of Intercity trains from August this year, ahead of the original May 2007 deadline, the company said.
April 07, 2006 07 Apr'06
Scottish fire service adopts Firelink comms system

The Scottish fire and rescue services are to follow the rest of the UK and take up the Firelink communications network from O2 Airwave.
April 05, 2006 05 Apr'06
Intel and Pipex to target cities with WiMax service

Intel is investing $25m (£14.7m) in a joint venture with Pipex to bring long-range broadband WiMax wireless services to the UK’s main urban areas.
April 04, 2006 04 Apr'06
HP virtual arrays make real gains in financial services

US financial services companies Rydex Investments and Wheaton Franciscan Services have deployed HP StorageWorks Enterprise Virtual Arrays (EVAs) in their IT environments.
April 04, 2006 04 Apr'06
Tube Lines trials RFID as part of Underground overhaul

Tube Lines, the tube maintenance company for London Underground, is halfway through a trial of radio frequency identification technology to help engineers pinpoint their exact location when working in the capital's network of tunnels.
March 29, 2006 29 Mar'06
New security product for Skype

SurfControl has released a product to protect corporate networks against threats caused by adoption of the IP telephony system Skype.
March 29, 2006 29 Mar'06
Emulex provides added San control

Storage networking connectivity provider Emulex Corporation has launched a new line of multi-protocol storage router products, the Emulex Storage Router Models 725 and 735.
March 29, 2006 29 Mar'06
D-Link for SMB networks

End-to-end networking systems provider D-Link has launched two next-generation Layer2+ gigabit switches to boost SMBs’ network performance, flexibility, security and multi-layer quality of service (QoS).
March 29, 2006 29 Mar'06
Telecoms gateway for SMBs

Intoto, a provider of integrated security, wireless and voice software platforms, has announced new VXML gateway software for small- to medium-sized business (SMB) virtual IP PBX applications.
March 22, 2006 22 Mar'06
RFID widens its grip beyond retailing

Despite niggling privacy concerns, radio frequency identification (RFID) is impacting a wide range of industries beyond its obvious home in the supply chain
March 21, 2006 21 Mar'06
3 enters data card arena

After months of speculation, mobile media company 3 has unveiled a data card offering what the company says is the best 3G coverage in the UK.
March 21, 2006 21 Mar'06
EC backs wireless development project to aid creation of cross-platform applications

The European Commission has backed a new wireless development platform designed to make it easier and cheaper for service providers and users to develop and adopt mixed wireless technologies.
March 20, 2006 20 Mar'06
Ericsson and Lucent fight over Riverstone

Ericsson has made an eleventh hour bid to buy the assets of bankrupt Riverstone Networks.
March 17, 2006 17 Mar'06
CeBIT suppliers fail Wi-Fi security test

More than half the wireless networks used at the CeBIT IT trade fair in Hanover, Germany, last week were vulnerable to hackers because they had no encryption protection, research has revealed.
March 15, 2006 15 Mar'06
RFID tags could be exposed to viruses

European researchers are to demonstrate it is possible to insert software viruses into radio frequency identification (RFID) tracking tags.
March 15, 2006 15 Mar'06
Improve your storage options

What can storage areas networks do for you? Find out details of complete and cost-effective storage solutions.
March 15, 2006 15 Mar'06
VoIP breaks through the sound barrier

A respectable 57% of the 3,000 enterprise IT managers surveyed by Vanson Bourne say they might consider moving to a converged voice and data solution this year.
March 14, 2006 14 Mar'06
Wireless special report: Remote revolution

Establishing the balance between effective security and business benefit poses a major challenge for the IT department. Alison Connolly reports
March 14, 2006 14 Mar'06
National Express trials coach-based Wi-Fi

National Express has begun a trial of wireless access systems on its coaches travelling between London and Cambridge.
March 14, 2006 14 Mar'06
Switch to RFID 'could take 15 years'

It could be 15 years before radio frequency identification (RFID) tags become universal in retail, according to German supermarket giant Metro Group, which is running a pioneering pilot of the technology.
March 13, 2006 13 Mar'06
Operators stop selling Motorola Razr after bug crashes device

Motorola is investigating a faulty batch of its popular Razr mobile phone, which has already led two mobile operators in the US to stop selling the device.
March 13, 2006 13 Mar'06
European Commission backs easier wireless development platform

The European Commission has backed a new wireless development platform that will make it easier and cheaper for service providers and users to develop and adopt mixed wireless technologies.
March 10, 2006 10 Mar'06
CeBIT: European Commission to consult over RFID use

The European Commission has used CeBIT to launch a major European-wide consultation into the use of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology.
March 09, 2006 09 Mar'06
National Express trial coach-based Wi-Fi

National Express has launched a trial wireless access systems on its coaches travelling between between London and Cambridge.
March 08, 2006 08 Mar'06
Intel brings forward Wimax plans

Intel is bringing forward its Wimax long range wireless data plans, with the introduction of laptop data cards before the year is out.
March 08, 2006 08 Mar'06
QLogic SANbox ships with HP StorageWorks EVA platform

Network equipment provider QLogic’s SANbox 6000 Series intelligent storage router is now available as the HP StorageWorks Enterprise Virtual Array (EVA) iSCSI Connectivity Option.
March 07, 2006 07 Mar'06
EMC expands NAS offering

EMC has unveiled two new network attached storage (NAS) devices and a system for root-cause diagnosis of NAS systems.
March 07, 2006 07 Mar'06
Chip and pin helps cut card fraud by 13%

The chip and pin system helped cut credit and debit card fraud by almost 13% last year.
March 07, 2006 07 Mar'06
Your shout: IT's a job not a career, Skype pros and cons, blade cooling

Readers' views on the week's news
March 07, 2006 07 Mar'06
Chemists get managed broadband

Pharmaceutical group Alliance UniChem is rolling out a managed broadband service to more than 3,000 independent pharmacies that it supplies in preparation for the launch of electronic prescriptions.
March 07, 2006 07 Mar'06
Softphone digs deeper

CeBit 2006 will have many innovative examples of technologies that link communications and telephony into business systems.
March 01, 2006 01 Mar'06
Users help Balfour roll-out

Civil engineering giant Balfour Beatty is using a core team of end-users to facilitate the roll-out of Oracle eBusiness Suite across its diverse businesses.
March 01, 2006 01 Mar'06
Sun offers easier RFID deployment with updated software

Sun Microsystems has introduced a new version of its radio frequency identification (RFID) software, to make it easier for firms to deploy and manage RFID networks.
March 01, 2006 01 Mar'06
Lower costs on the cards as Nokia gets serious on Wi-Fi convergence

Integrating mobile phones into a corporate wireless local area network was a feature of the 3GSM conference in Barcelona.
February 28, 2006 28 Feb'06
Lack of RFID skills will stall roll-outs

Radio frequency identification (RFID) technology adoption rates will suffer because of a lack of skills in the field.
February 27, 2006 27 Feb'06
University bans Wi-Fi over cancer fears

A Canadian university has banned the use of Wi-Fi on campus through fears that the electromagnetic forces generated could cause cancer.
February 22, 2006 22 Feb'06
Ofcom issues consultation on VoIP regulations

Communications watchdog Ofcom is to overhaul the regulations covering VoIP services after huge growth in the sector.
February 21, 2006 21 Feb'06
City of London gets Wi-Fi cloud

The City of London will roll out a Wi-Fi network over the next six months, to give City workers and visitors access to the internet in the streets and open spaces across the Square Mile.
February 21, 2006 21 Feb'06
Will Microsoft give Blackberry the blues?

Users will need to choose between the promise of a wide range of applications and an established product as Microsoft launches its push e-mail service at the 3GSM conference in Barcelona last week.
February 15, 2006 15 Feb'06
GSM Association and Intel jointly promote laptop 3G connectivity

The GSM Association and Intel are to jointly promote the bundling of 3G and higher-speed HSDPA wireless data technology into laptops.
February 14, 2006 14 Feb'06
Skype and Intel push converged communications for SMBs

Internet-based communications company Skype and Intel are collaborating to optimise Skype for Intel dual-core processor-based PCs. The move is part of a strategy to enhance voice and video over the internet.
February 13, 2006 13 Feb'06
Your shout: NHS patient data, business intelligence software, IT project success

Computer Weekly readers' have their say
February 13, 2006 13 Feb'06
Converged mobile systems promise cost savings

Suppliers will use 3GSM to showcase a range of converged mobile devices. Avaya, Alcatel, Cisco, Motorola and Nokia are among suppliers set to discuss how they have integrated 3G mobile handsets with Wi-Fi, fixed lines and IP-based private branch ...
February 13, 2006 13 Feb'06
QoS added to network certificates

The Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF) has expanded its certification programme to include quality of service parameters in network kit.
February 13, 2006 13 Feb'06
Chip manufacturers join forces to support combined 3G/Wi-Fi

Atheros Communications and Qualcomm have joined forces to develop and manufacture a range of wireless chips that can be used in phones operating on both 3G and Wi-Fi networks.
February 10, 2006 10 Feb'06
Skype adds user presence feature on websites

Voice over IP company Skype has developed a user “presence” feature in its software, which companies can add to their web pages to enable users to see who is available to receive phone calls.
February 10, 2006 10 Feb'06
Virgin promises Wi-Fi to overcome connectivity problems

Virgin Trains is planning to roll out Wi-Fi services on its trains, despite many users of mobile data cards and even mobile phone users complaining of difficulties in getting an adequate connection on existing services.
February 10, 2006 10 Feb'06
Phones at risk of drive by attacks

A number of mobile phones from Sony Ericsson are vulnerable to remote attack from a “drive-by” technique.
February 09, 2006 09 Feb'06
British businesses see VOIP benefits

UK enterprises are ahead of their European counterparts in the adoption of voice over IP technology, and uptake is not simply driven by the desire to reduce call costs.
February 09, 2006 09 Feb'06
Government fears UK could be left behind in comms race

The government is concerned that the UK could be left behind in the race to adopt new IP access technologies.
February 08, 2006 08 Feb'06
Linksys launches switches for SMB networks

Linksys unveils new range of web and SNMP Switches designed especially for SMBs
February 07, 2006 07 Feb'06
Broadband is too pricey, say users

Telecoms managers in some of the UK's largest businesses are concerned about the availability of broadband, the quality of voice over IP services, the security threats of instant messaging and the complexity of billing from their telecoms providers.
February 06, 2006 06 Feb'06
Ford IT leaders co-ordinate global RFID effort

IT managers from Ford's US and European manufacturing businesses met last week to co-ordinate their RFID projects.
February 06, 2006 06 Feb'06
Firms warned of instant messaging worm threat

Businesses have been warned to prepare for an onslaught of malicious worm attacks through corporate instant messaging systems.
February 06, 2006 06 Feb'06
Asda to begin testing RFID tags as Wal-Mart extends worldwide trial

The use of radio frequency identification technology is becoming more widespread across all industry sectors. We look at how firms are using it to streamline their operations
February 06, 2006 06 Feb'06
TNT rolls out RFID along supply chain

Delivery provider TNT Express is expanding its multimillion-pound RFID programme in trials to optimise global supply chains.
February 02, 2006 02 Feb'06
VoIP labelled ‘botnet’ threat

A Cambridge University professor has warned that Voice over IP applications could be used to cloak networks of zombies and launch denial of service (DoS) attacks.
February 01, 2006 01 Feb'06
Isle of Man deploys VoIP network

The Isle of Man government has deployed a £4m voice over IP network connecting 180 locations and 4,500 public sector workers.
January 31, 2006 31 Jan'06
IBM tightens Lotus integration with SAP

IBM is building tighter integrations between its Lotus Notes e-mail suite and SAP enterprise software.