Opinion

Opinion

Enterprise software

• Neglect of e-mail etiquette can ruin business relationships

  The volume of e-mail is growing exponentially and it is predicted that by next year 36 billion e-mail messages will be sent...  Continue Reading

• Don't let the supplier agenda dictate the future of business process management

  Products must reflect real issues, not suppliers' business goals  Continue Reading

• Hot skills: Visual Basic eases programmers' path for creating Windows apps

  What is it?  Continue Reading

• Technology maintains business momentum

  In an extract from his book, consultant Terry White looks at the role of IT managers in supporting changes in business needs.  Continue Reading

• Time to demand accountability

  Last week public spending watchdog the National Audit Office published yet another report that showed that IT-related projects...  Continue Reading

• Will desktop searching reveal all your hidden PC secrets?

  Desktop search is not new: it is already built into the Start menu of Microsoft Windows XP.  Continue Reading

• Ignorance of IT breeds turkeys

  MP Edward Leigh says the Ministry of Defence might just as well have bought eight turkeys as eight Chinook Mk3s. We would go...  Continue Reading

• Bring discipline to software development

  Poor management processes cause high project failure rate  Continue Reading

• Strategy clinic: How can I make users supply quality data?

  The IT team has been criticised over our customer relationship management software. But the real problem is the quality of the...  Continue Reading

• DPM'S Diary

  Monday  Continue Reading

• Bespoke IT can be cheaper in the long run

  Buying tailor-made software can avoid the need for lengthy consultancy work  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: To SP2 or iMac?

  Escaping the world of the PC and Microsoft for an alternative such as the iMac, may be harder than you think, says Simon Moores  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: Businesses can't work without current information

  The high-speed online nature of the world businesses operate in means managers need up-to-date information all the time. The...  Continue Reading

• Multi-core chips deliver faster operations but could double per-processor OS charges

  Intel's move to put two processors on the same chip may give Linux a boost  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: Sink or swim

  Citrix needs to re-evaluate its position in the large company market if it is not to be eaten by the big fish Microsoft, says...  Continue Reading

• Don't let killer apps be the death of the firm

  Since the early days of computing, software applications have been plagued with problems: unexplained crashes, intermittent slow...  Continue Reading

• Build ERP upgrade costs into the business change programme - not the IT budget

  In terms of business processes and employees, the reach of enterprise resource planning systems in large companies covers a...  Continue Reading

• Five golden rules of knowledge management

  Knowledge Management: A Blueprint for Delivery  Continue Reading

• No more papering over the cracks

  Standard can help IT to control problem-solving process  Continue Reading

• The IT director holds key to sales

  We live in a multi-channel world. Gateway's stores have become showrooms in which the shop assistant expects you to buy elsewhere...  Continue Reading

• Fine-tune your software to drive efficiency in IT

  The market for application performance management is a relatively new one in IT.  Continue Reading

• Prepare to install Windows XP SP2

  Microsoft has finally released the long-delayed Service Pack 2 for Windows XP, and it had people working over the bank holiday to...  Continue Reading

• Business needs open standards for applications

  Push suppliers to provide greater interoperability, says Graham Bird  Continue Reading

• Customer will be king

  Microsoft cost cuts reflect changing balance of power  Continue Reading

• A virtual business model for the real world

  Running enterprise software over a Wan or the internet can be expensive and less than satisfactory. Could an innovative new...  Continue Reading

• Productivity revolution still to come

  Book profile: Jan De Sutter, The Power of IT, Survival Guide for the CIO  Continue Reading

• IT directors must be ready to drop projects as business needs change

  Beware of "scope creep" as project goals evolve  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: The battle of open source and security

  Microsoft's fight between security and open source continues, but will it win the vital battle of winning public support, asks...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: If at first you don't succeed, pretend you did

  Microsoft's decision to declare competitive advantage in its Trustworthy Computing initiative requires an ability to believe that...  Continue Reading

• Raising the esteem of IT

  Communicate to win the respect of the business, says Margaret Smith  Continue Reading

• Users want Windows they can see through

  It should be possible to write a new operating system for £165m - or at least to debug one. However, that is how much Microsoft...  Continue Reading

• PeopleSoft's and SAP's plans for the enterprise

  What to expect from two ERP leaders  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: The long SP2 wait

  Simon Moores is beginning to get nervous about the imminent arrival of Microsoft's Windows XP SP2 and its compatibility problems.  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: Manual backup a runaway success

  Colin Beveridge praises Nats for getting their manual system running when they faced a system failure, and urges other businesses...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: Linux - a weapon of mass destruction?

  If Linux is feared as a tool for terrorism, then why are the majority of servers run on open source?, asks Simon Moores.  Continue Reading

• Web services: The universal glue

  Truly effective interoperability is the big promise held out by web services, but that will only be delivered through a holistic...  Continue Reading

• Automate to eliminate drudgery

  Invest in data entry software and free up employees' time  Continue Reading

• Give your board the facts

  Performance management systems can get IT noticed, says Michael Coveney.  Continue Reading

• Peace breaks out in the datacentre

  The settlement of the long-standing dispute between Sun and Microsoft over Java licensing is welcome news. Software, hardware and...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: The war of the words

  Jettison the jargon to sell web services to the board, says Julian Kaine.  Continue Reading

• Are web services the answer to integrating mobile devices into corporate systems?

  Web services could provide a cost-effective way of distributing corporate data.  Continue Reading

• Your shout! On the untrained use of touch-pads by children

  In response to the letter about money being spent on IT in schools without the provision of proper back-up (Computer Weekly, 9 March)  Continue Reading

• Migration analysis

  Large companies have already accepted the why of Linux, it is up to the IT industry to paint the picture of how, where and when.  Continue Reading

• Know what the company wants to achieve before automating business processes

  End the lack of clarity about what should be automated  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: Talk the board's language

  Focus on the cost saving and speed to market for new products and services to get the board listening when implementing...  Continue Reading

• Understand business objectives to harmonise IT across departments

  Five basic steps to please both the board and the users.  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: Get the best from your contract

  Companies with Software Assurance should calculate the return on investment, says Julie Giera  Continue Reading

• Web apps need standards

  Integration and open standards empower web services, says Mike Lucas.  Continue Reading

• Build your business case for upgrades by adding functionality

  Projects to upgrade enterprise software platforms can be challenging to sell to senior management, primarily because it is...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: Don't rely on super-users

  Specialist software consultants should be used for project and testing purposes, says Omar Sharif.  Continue Reading

• Keep financial goals flexible and forecast an accurate budget with real-time software

  The annual budget has had its day: keep up with events with a rolling budget.  Continue Reading

• Measuring IT's effectiveness to the business

  Firms can control and monitor their people and applications together.  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: Are your Windows secure?

  Companies should worry less about migrating to new operating system and concentrate more on its security, says Simon Moores.  Continue Reading

• Wild West tactic hides the truth

  Microsoft's offer of a £300,000 bounty for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of the computer hackers responsible...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: Goodbye 'Patch Wednesday'

  Microsoft's latest intiative to replace weekly patching with monthly patching may be more benefical to users in the battle to...  Continue Reading

• SCO is right to go after Linux users

  SCO has a duty to assert its claims over disputed open source code  Continue Reading

• What to do if you're worried about SCO action

  What can you do to protect yourself in case SCO is successful in its quest? Maybe the best strategy is to do nothing.  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: The jury's out on open source

  The battle between open source and Windows still appears to be a hot topic for debate, but businesses can't afford to be naive,...  Continue Reading

• Can software manage employee internet use?

  The internet age has heralded unprecedented opportunities. But with great power comes great responsibility.  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: Speech will drive call centres

  Despite the recent bad press, Chris Hart says that speech recognition software is the future of the call centre.  Continue Reading

• Your shout! On a campaign for fair licensing agreements

  In response to Colin Beveridge, who called for a campaign to make software licensing agreements fair and easy to understand.  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:Psst! .net's far ahead of its rivals

  Analyst Gary Barnett gives his personal take on the hot issue of the day.I know I'm about to offend some people in the next 90...  Continue Reading

• Expansion ends: time for restructuring

  We are at the end of an era in which the objective for IT managers was to acquire as many IT resources as possible. From now on,...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: Between the devil and the deep blue sea

  Is the move to an open source community going to benefit computer software strategy, asks Simon Moores.  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: Does anyone own Linux?

  Will SCO have evidence to back its claim against IBM? asks Anthony Youngman.  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: Welcome social software

  Look beyond the hype to see the business benefits, says William Davies.  Continue Reading

• Your shout! On Microsoft

  In response to Simon Moores, who predicted that Microsoft will dominate the IT industry for a long time to come.  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: Will the UK software industry outlive the hamster?

  The UK software industry is slowly disappearing and its only a matter of time until Microsoft moves in to fill in the void, says...  Continue Reading

• CRM will be key to e-gov

  Government should use CRM to get to know electors.  Continue Reading

• How does open source pay?

  As open source gains backers, its security is becoming more robust.  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: Stop SAP withdrawing support

  As SAP prepares to withdraw support for some ERP software, users should fight back, writes Allan Watton.  Continue Reading

• The great Web services debate

  Web services is being positioned by the IT industry as the next great wave of innovation - but to succeed everyone will need to...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: .net or .not?

  Simon Moores ponders the confusing history of Microsoft's .net and concludes that these days it looks more like .not.  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:E-government is a question of trust

  Hard-hitting IT columnist Simon Moores gives his personal take on the hot issue of the day. Synchronicity is also known as...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:Will you put your trust in Microsoft?

  Hard-hitting IT columnist Simon Moores gives his personal take on the hot issue of the day.Microsoft makes mistakes. It's a...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:Strengthen your supply chain

  Incisive columnist and IT expert Colin Beveridge looks at a hot issue of the day.The solution to a management problem often lies...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:Look out! The Penguin's got a gun

  Are Microsoft's attempts to understand the Linux phenomenon too little too late? asks Simon Moores.  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:Don't get shot in the Wild West Web

  Online bulletin boards on corporate websites can seriously damage corporate health, warns Colin Beveridge.  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:Welcome to my wireless world

  So many everyday devices are now cordless that Peet Morris is amazed that for the most part computing is still literally stuck in...  Continue Reading

• Platforms are for life, not six years

  Just as a puppy is for life, not just for Christmas, so proprietary software should be, if not for life, then at least for a more...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:The coffee wars of Sun and Microsoft

  The decision to force Microsoft to carry the latest version of Java in Windows and Internet Explorer has left a bitter taste,...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the New Year:Money, Microsoft and making it through the gloom

  Simon Moores posits dramatic new moves from Microsoft as the IT industry copes with another hard year.  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:Faking it on the Web

  Readily available e-mail accounts mean you can be anyone you like on the Internet. It's time to impose some reality, argues Colin...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:BT fails to make the connection

  BT is missing out on lucrative broadband customers by not teaming up with third-party cable suppliers, Colin Beveridge believes.  Continue Reading

• Hot skills: Putting style into XML presentations

  XSL offers a model for writing XML stylesheets, writes Nick Langley  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:Sony plays Office politics

  Sony is starting to install Sun's StarOffice on its computers. Is this the beginning of the end for Microsoft's stranglehold?...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:Is innovation old hat?

  Has the downturn fatally affected the IT industry's ability to innovate? Have we seen the last disruptive technology? asks Simon...  Continue Reading

• OFT should help firms

  The Data Protection Act is already causing enough headaches for UK businesses. So it is unforgivable that red tape at the Office...  Continue Reading

• A question of integrity

  The software industry needs to regain customers' faith by ensuring their products work  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:Open source versus Microsoft

  Simon Moores takes a fresh look at the ideological battle raging between the well entrenched armies of the open-source community...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:Merger or murder?

  After the upheaval of a merger, it's easy for quality to get slaughtered. Linda Newsom-Ray offers some pointers for effective...  Continue Reading

• A better desktop outlook

  GNU/Linux needs an alternative to Outlook if it is to be a serious desktop contender.  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:Would you like bugs with that?

  Software developer and researcher Peet Morris is surprised at our attitude towards software - not only do we expect bugs, we're...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:The great software rip-off

  No wonder UK companies use pirate software if they feel they're paying over the odds, says Simon Moores. If the price comes down,...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: Will 3G ever arrive?

  We have to offer dramatic, fresh applications for 3G, otherwise the technology will become an expensive failure, says Warren...  Continue Reading

• The law still works for technology

  There have been many campaigns lately in support of technology and e-commerce, all of them arguing that the law is out of date....  Continue Reading

• Freedom beckons for mobile users

  Microsoft's redefinition of the phone as a computer could transform the comms business  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:The good, the bad and the ugly

  Simon Moores asks why the quality of Government Web sites fails to match up to the standards of their commercial counterparts.  Continue Reading

• Feeling the pull of 'push' technology

  The concept of information "push" technology originated as a way to automate the searching and retrieval of information from the...  Continue Reading

• Web services put spotlight on IT

  Your IT department is about to become the public face of your business - are you ready?  Continue Reading