News

Software licensing

August 15, 2012 15 Aug'12
SMEs driving $2.2bn cloud industry growth

The global cloud industry is set to be worth an extra $2.2bn before the end of the year, according to KPMG
August 10, 2012 10 Aug'12
Case Study: Welcome Break Group revamps HR with SuccessFactors

Welcome Break Group is starting a project to deploy SuccessFactors, the cloud-based HR system from SAP.
July 20, 2012 20 Jul'12
Microsoft reports first loss since 1986

The software giant recorded an operating loss of $492m in the fourth quarter of its 2012 fiscal year
July 05, 2012 05 Jul'12
CW500: Agile techniques for software development

Using agile development methodologies can speed software development and reduce the likelihood of errors, IT leaders heard at the CW500 Club

June 28, 2012 28 Jun'12
Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude vows permanent rein on IT spending

The government will keep a permanently tight rein on spending controls, says Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude
June 27, 2012 27 Jun'12
Microsoft hikes software costs by four times for some charities

Specialist charities such as housing associations face paying nearly four times as much for Microsoft software due to licensing changes.
June 27, 2012 27 Jun'12
Windows 8 in the enterprise: From tablet to desktop PC

During the Windows preview day in Amsterdam, Microsoft explained how it plans to change the way everyone uses computers in its so-called "beautiful experience"
June 25, 2012 25 Jun'12
Government slashes SAP and Microsoft spend by £150m

The government expects to slash licence and maintenance spend with Microsoft and SAP up to £150m by 2015, via a framework renegotiation.
June 22, 2012 22 Jun'12
Government Procurement Service tenders for £1bn IT services

The Government Procurement Service has published a £1bn tender for IT services
June 19, 2012 19 Jun'12
Oracle reports strong profit growth

Oracle reported an 8% increase in profits on a 1% increase in sales for the fourth quarter of its 2012 financial year

June 18, 2012 18 Jun'12
Microsoft customers react to July licence fee hike

Microsoft’s decision to increase the costs of volume licensing agreements demonstrates the power software suppliers wield over their customers
June 06, 2012 06 Jun'12
Microsoft publishes its response to government open standards consultation

Microsoft has become the first major IT supplier to publish its submission to the government's consultation on the use of open standards.
June 01, 2012 01 Jun'12
Microsoft softens July licence blow

Microsoft has lowered the price hike planned for July, but businesses still face paying up to 25% more for their software.
May 24, 2012 24 May'12
Google Android does not breach Oracle patents, court finds

A US court has found that Google's Android mobile platform does not infringe Oracle's Java patents
May 21, 2012 21 May'12
Global software piracy increasing rapidly, study shows

Global software piracy is increasing rapidly in the absence of any effective deterrence, a survey has revealed.
May 11, 2012 11 May'12
Adobe Muse offers websites without code

The software helps users build websites without them having to know HTML
May 03, 2012 03 May'12
Microsoft hikes volume licensing prices by up to 33%

UK organisations buying Microsoft volume licensing will see up to 33.5% price hikes from July as the firm attempts to harmonise European prices.
May 03, 2012 03 May'12
Motorola Mobility wins injunction against Microsoft in Germany

Motorola Mobility has been granted an injunction against the distribution of key Microsoft products in Germany
May 03, 2012 03 May'12
European copyright ruling good for IT innovation, say lawyers

The top European court's ruling on copyright is good news for innovation, say lawyers
April 27, 2012 27 Apr'12
Microsoft conflict forces Cabinet Office to extend open standards consultation

The Cabinet Office has extended its ICT strategy public consultation on open standards after learning its facilitator was being paid by Microsoft.
April 24, 2012 24 Apr'12
Facebook profits fall; buys AOL patents from Microsoft for $550m

Social networking giant Facebook reported a fall in profits for the first three months of this year as its anticipated IPO gets nearer.
April 23, 2012 23 Apr'12
What is the future of open source in government?

While the pace of the move to open source in the public sector has been slow so far, a number of factors are converging to determine the blueprint for its future use in government IT.
April 18, 2012 18 Apr'12
Government unaware how much it pays for e-mail services

Government departments do not know how much they are spending on e-mail services, according to research by Computer Weekly.
April 10, 2012 10 Apr'12
Microsoft bolsters patent arsenal in $1bn deal with AOL

Microsoft is to acquire most of AOL's patents in a deal worth $1.06bn that covers more than 800 technological innovations
April 02, 2012 02 Apr'12
Knight Frank selects Virgin Media Business network for switch to fat clients

Property consultant deploys faster WAN to avoid Citrix server farm upgrade and improve unified communications
March 27, 2012 27 Mar'12
Global SaaS spend to reach $14.5bn in 2012

Global software-as-a-service sales are forecast to reach $14.5bn (£9bn) in 2012, rising to $22.1bn by 2015
March 26, 2012 26 Mar'12
BSA fines Coverteam UK £6,000 for unlicensed Microsoft and Adobe software

The BSA has fined power conversion company Converteam UK £6,000 for using unlicensed copies of Microsoft and Adobe software
March 16, 2012 16 Mar'12
Microsoft cuts the price of Azure and Office 365

Microsoft has cut the price of Windows Azure by 12%, and Office 365 by 20%, as competition in the cloud computing market increases
March 13, 2012 13 Mar'12
Businesses at risk from fake computer parts

Factories in China are supplying substandard memory devices, claims corporate investigator.
March 05, 2012 05 Mar'12
NHS trusts to be freed from CSC contract commitments

The Department of Health has proposed a deal with CSC to release trusts in the National Programme for IT from their contractual obligations to use software from the troubled supplier.
February 27, 2012 27 Feb'12
Salesforce.com revenues jump almost 40%

Software-as-a-service supplier Salesforce.com has reported strong growth in the final quarter of its latest financial year.
February 19, 2012 19 Feb'12
Government launches CloudStore and names G-Cloud suppliers

The government has launched its CloudStore, a catalogue of 1,700 cloud-based, pre-approved IT services now available for the public sector to buy.
February 10, 2012 10 Feb'12
Government takes on proprietary software lobby in open standards battle

The government wants to push through open standards against vested interests keen to maintain the dominance of proprietary systems.
February 07, 2012 07 Feb'12
Oracle rejects SAP settlement and seeks new trial

Oracle has rejected a $1bn reduction in a jury verdict it won against rival SAP and is seeking a new trial for copyright infringement.
January 30, 2012 30 Jan'12
Government inconsistency on ERP costs is 'inexcusable'

Whitehall departments are spending up to three times more than others for the use of near-identical software, Computer Weekly can reveal.
January 30, 2012 30 Jan'12
Oracle and SAP worst for government ERP cost differences

Oracle and SAP have been singled out as having the most inconsistent prices for ERP systems across government departments.
January 25, 2012 25 Jan'12
SAP reports bumper results

Business software giant SAP has reported strong double-digit growth in sales and profit for last year, with software leading the charge.
January 04, 2012 04 Jan'12
What’s in store for IT in 2012?

The global economy is creating an atmosphere of uncertainty in the IT sector, but what can we expect in 2012?
January 04, 2012 04 Jan'12
Microsoft sting adds to Comet’s woes

Microsoft has filed proceedings against retailer Comet after it was discovered to have created and sold over 94,000 copies of Windows Vista and XP recovery CDs.
January 03, 2012 03 Jan'12
Warwickshire County Council's move to the cloud

Warwickshire County Council CIO Tonino Ciuffini talks about why moving to an on-demand services model is the best way for councils to slash costs.
January 03, 2012 03 Jan'12
Licensing implications of bringing your own device to work

Given the pace of change in gadgets that people wish to bring to work, we look at the issues around software licensing.
December 23, 2011 23 Dec'11
Top 10 business software stories of 2011

Businesses and software suppliers are adopting new models, strategies and technologies in an increasingly cloud-based IT world.
December 05, 2011 05 Dec'11
CIOs slam Microsoft and Oracle for milking the licence-fee cash cow

Paul Cheesbrough and David Jack, two CIOs who have pioneered cloud computing, have slammed traditional software suppliers for sticking with “cash cow” licensing models.
November 25, 2011 25 Nov'11
Government opens consultation on definition of IT open standards

The UK has put its open standards policy up for public consultation after opposition from the British Standards Institution and software vendors.
November 22, 2011 22 Nov'11
Thames Water uses refresh cycle to pilot virtual desktops

Thames Water is piloting desktop virtualisation with 500 users following a successful initial 40-user pilot.
November 21, 2011 21 Nov'11
SAP user group calls for better engagement from SAP

SAP UK & Ireland User Group chairman Alan Bowling has called on business software maker SAP to continue to focus on customer engagement and communication.
November 17, 2011 17 Nov'11
Microsoft swoops on UK pirates as BSA reveals the damage

Microsoft has settled out of court with five UK companies selling illegal copies of its software as part of its global crackdown on pirates.
November 03, 2011 03 Nov'11
Trinity Mirror chooses Google Apps over rival IBM and Microsoft cloud services

Trinity Mirror Group is rolling out Google's enterprise cloud e-mail and collaboration service to replace a Lotus Notes-based on-premise e-mail system for 6,500 staff.
February 09, 2011 09 Feb'11
Gartner: open source software gives businesses flexibility

IT departments are increasingly deploying open source software as part of their IT strategy to improve flexibility and lower licensing costs, a report from analyst Gartner has found.
January 14, 2011 14 Jan'11
Microsoft to halve school licence fees

Many schools will have their software licence fees cut by more than half as Microsoft changes its method for calculating payment.