Opinion

Opinion

IT governance

• The advent of outside-in IT and how it changes the relationship with business

  Cloud computing and consumerisation are leading to enterprise IT losing control of IT within the firm  Continue Reading

• Software integration is removing system blindfolds

  Since the introduction of auto-complete forms, there has been a steady progression in the way business data and information is handled  Continue Reading

• Why Universal Credit IT concerns mean the project needs to be paused

  The Universal Credit Rescue Committee advised Labour to pause the controversial programme – its IT expert explains why  Continue Reading

• It’s time to add cyber insurance to your cyber security strategy

  Insurance policies for cyber crime have become more credible and viable  Continue Reading

• Is cloud the answer to the legacy IT problem?

  How do you meet escalating demands and keep up with change in technology, when you don't have the funds for a large-scale replacement?  Continue Reading

• Managing IT projects: when things go wrong

  No matter how thoroughly you plan, unexpected events can disrupt IT projects. Find out some expert survival tips  Continue Reading

• Buyer beware: second-hand user licences mired in uncertainty

  Despite a recent European Court of Justice ruling on the sale of used software, second user licensing remains a contentious subject  Continue Reading

• The anatomy of IT projects – why they are difficult and why they fail

  A guide to the complexities of managing successful IT projects, and how to negotiate them  Continue Reading

• BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT: We are investing for the nation's future

  Roger Marshall, immediate past president of BCS, explains how the Institute for IT is investing its cash reserves  Continue Reading

• Opinion: The Strategic Execution Framework

  Innovation. Agility. Performance. Scalability. Are these among the key initiatives for your company this year?  Continue Reading

• BCS faces 'plebeian revolt' over business reforms

  The Chartered Institute for IT is haemorrhaging money and losing touch with its members, claims a member of the BCS's governing council  Continue Reading

• Should you allow a bring your own device policy?

  Employers are realising there are challenges presented by BYOD which, if not dealt with, could have a serious impact on the business  Continue Reading

• Why collaboration is the only way to combat cyber threats

  Cyber threats are the most effective way to attack an organisation and those with malicious intent are finding more sophisticated ways of carrying out their activities  Continue Reading

• Why Europe is wrong to kill Safe Harbour

  Suspending the EU-US Safe Harbour agreement on data protection will do nothing to address surveillance, says international policy analyst  Continue Reading

• Managing the future of complex business and IT landscapes

  IT management and governance must cope with complexity, improve outcomes, and automate processes - but today’s IT delivery model is failing  Continue Reading

• Value chain mapping – learning to use IT as a strategic weapon

  Mapping, like viewing the board in a game of chess, is essential to any form of gameplay, and that includes IT  Continue Reading

• Smart machines raise challenging questions

  Smart systems like IBM’s Watson, autonomous vehicles and a growing army of robots are quietly making more and more decisions every day.  Continue Reading

• C’mon guys – don’t bottle up the Public Services Network; release it

  There is a stark choice between a PSN that has a customer-centric approach to security or one with a locked-down security framework  Continue Reading

• Entropy and data quality: How to keep your data accurate

  The quality of data held in IT systems will deteriorate unless steps are taken to maintain its accuracy and consistency. We look at what businesses should be doing to control that data quality more effectively  Continue Reading

• IT may not have to worry about mobile device backup

  Analyst Charles Brett offers some advice for IT departments on backing up data from mobile devices, tablets and smartphones,  Continue Reading

• Who owns your LinkedIn account?

  It is common for employees to use personal social networking accounts for work, but who actually owns those accounts?  Continue Reading

• One step ahead - the importance of staying in control of your organisation’s BYOD policy

  As every CIO is probably no doubt sick of hearing by now, ‘the era of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) is here’. Employees now expect to be connected 24/7 to allow greater flexibility and productivity, and companies now need to judge how they can best ...  Continue Reading

• The dangers of internet cafés

  Businesses need clear computer use policies and need to ensure staff are properly trained in data protection, writes Garry Mackay  Continue Reading

• Avoiding the mistakes of NPfIT in new NHS IT contracts

  What are the contracting experiences of NHS Trusts who have started their own IT procurement, and how can mistakes of the past be avoided?  Continue Reading

• Forrester: Best practice tips for business intelligence success

  Recognising the importance of data and analytics is one thing; putting in place the right processes and tools is a different matter  Continue Reading

• The challenges of information governance in our increasingly litigious age

  Formulating the right enterprise-wide information governance policies is essential in heading off potential legal and compliance costs  Continue Reading

• Reclaiming the role of the CIO

  It has become fashionable to question the value of the role of CIO, but much of this discourse is both self-serving and without foundation  Continue Reading

• Enterprise architects: Please leave your framework at the door

  Enterprise architects should use architecture frameworks for inspiration, rather than trying to apply the entire structure to their organisation  Continue Reading

• The Great Deverticalisation – part 5: Mind the GaaP

  Politicians and government have the opportunity, through the power of open platforms, to take the lead in creating modern public services  Continue Reading

• Why IT contracts are bound to fail

  Traditional IT contracts are ill-suited for today’s dynamic and consumer-driven business environment  Continue Reading

• Tips for master data management best practice

  Master data management (MDM) projects must be business-owned, joined up, and proven step-by-step  Continue Reading

• Students set the IT agenda through BYOD schemes

  Kevin Papworth, UK Director at education IT supplier Ellucian describes how BYOD is changing the use of IT within higher education  Continue Reading

• Getting the right processes in place to benefit from big data

  Most executives recognise that the vast amounts of data coming into their organisation can be used to make the business better, but few are taking full advantage  Continue Reading

• How to build a business continuity and recovery plan

  Practical tips on how to build a comprehensive business continuity and recovery plan for your business  Continue Reading

• Tips for better governance and compliance

  What is the relationship between regulation, governance and IT, and how can they contribute in ways that support the business?  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Basic engagement principles can boost IT security’s profile

  How can information security make business sense?  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Security often overlooked in M&As

  What role do IT security professionals play in mergers and acquisitions?  Continue Reading

• Get serious about people risk to reduce cyber crime

  Organisations can become blinded by compliance to the point where they have a false sense of assurance about managing people-related risk.  Continue Reading

• Forrester: Five important guidelines for business technology governance

  Forrester believes that "good" IT governance is business technology governance – a conscious process by senior executives to establish strategies, structures, processes, and measurements for the management of technology to boost business results  Continue Reading

• How to make IT contracts agile

  Agile software methodologies have been around for years, yet many in the legal profession still feel they are entering unchartered waters  Continue Reading

• Consumer capital: The new reality of 21st century data exchange

  Consumers are beginning a counter-offensive against the monopoly that industry has enjoyed over the spoils of big data  Continue Reading

• Where does the ICO's new cloud guidance take you?

  It is not possible to follow the ICO's advice on cloud computing and still have a “cloud” solution  Continue Reading

• Building trust and transparency into business culture

  As controversy over the Libor fixing rate continues, ethics and transparency are highlighted as priorities for company executives  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: SQLi is basically a process problem

  Why does SQL injection remain a successful way of attacking web applications?  Continue Reading

• Protecting your business from copyright infringement

  The implications of the Digital Economy Act for businesses and employees  Continue Reading

• Reducing your online risk exposure to cyber attacks

  Key steps for reducing your organisation’s exposure to risk and making it a less attractive target for hackers  Continue Reading

• Why IT leaders should adopt a venture capitalist approach

  When it comes to risky ventures, CIOs should take inspiration from their high-flying cousins in the world of venture capitalism  Continue Reading

• 440 million reasons to learn three IT risk lessons

  Companies can change their game to better prevent incidents, enable faster value creation, and avoid wasted time and money when managing risk  Continue Reading

• Forrester: How to build a security change plan

  When the risk associated with a serious breach becomes overwhelming, organisations must invest to improve the skills, processes and controls  Continue Reading

• Getting the most from public sector data

  There were plenty of nodding heads within KPMG’s IT Advisory team following a new report by Policy Exchange entitled Big Data Opportunity. The report recognises that the information underpinning public services is an essential asset in the battle...  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Flame shows why risk management is a business essential

  What can enterprise learn from initial analysis of Flame malware?  Continue Reading

• Tech companies facing mounting IP challenges

  The recent flurry of patent buying and selling activity in the global tech sector illustrates dramatic changes in the way some of the biggest technology companies are approaching their intellectual property (IP)  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Are companies too confident about targeted attacks?

  What can enterprise learn from initial analysis of Flame?  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Flame a good reason to keep up with emerging threat analysis

  What can the enterprise learn from the initial analyses of the Flame malware?  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Flame – business must prepare for the unpredictable

  What can enterprise learn from initial analysis of Flame?  Continue Reading

• Why IT contractor salaries are rising

  Overall contract rates in London have increased 3.4% year-on-year, which is indicative of where employers’ priorities lie at the moment, with many looking to bring in IT specialists capable of making key improvements on a project basis, according to...  Continue Reading

• Enterprise log managers: An unsexy but vital tool

  In today’s enterprise, you would be culling through millions of events if you were not relying on enterprise log managers to correlate that data  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: The only sustainable approach to security is intelligence-led

  What should organisations be doing to benefit from the move to intelligence-led security?  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Intelligence-led security demands planning ALREADY USED

  What should organisations be doing to benefit from the move to intelligence-led security?  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Intelligence-led security could give IT pros the edge

  What should organisations be doing to benefit from intelligence-led security?  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Intelligence-led security is about risk management

  What should organisations be doing to benefit from move to intelligence-led security?  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Intelligence-led security is more efficient and effective

  What should organisations be doing to benefit from move to intelligence-led security?  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Security intelligence needs a plan

  What should organisations be doing to benefit from the move towards intelligence-led security?  Continue Reading

• Security Zone: Patch me please

  The technical reasons for failing to patch are fading into the past  Continue Reading

• Cookie consent: Preparing for the compliance crunch

  Data privacy specialist Phil Lee from law firm Field Fisher Waterhouse answers some commonly asked questions about the new cookie rules  Continue Reading

• Cloud choices: How to select the right hosted services

  Adopting cloud computing can save money, but it is important to choose the right cloud solution for your business needs  Continue Reading

• History lesson points way forward on data management projects

  Data management projects often suffer from historic amnesia. Projects that co-locate business and IT staff and keep to a manageable scale can achieve remarkable results, says consultant Andy Hayler.  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Outsource only run-of-the-mill security functions

  What should and what should not be outsourced in IT security?  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Effective management essential for IT security outsourcing

  What should and what should not be outsourced in IT security?  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Start with capability gap when outsourcing security

  What should and what should not be outsourced in IT security?  Continue Reading

• Time to assess the value of the data you hold

  Martha Bennett offers strategic advice for managing growing volumes of corporate data.  Continue Reading

• Security Zone: Business continuity: putting the plan to work

  A strong business continuity model – with performance criteria and supporting management systems – is required to assure a workable roadmap to recovery  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: How can business achieve compliance and security? (Part 8)

  What can businesses do to make regulatory compliance a priority without losing focus on security basics?  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: How can business achieve compliance and security? (Part 7)

  What can businesses do to make regulatory compliance a priority without losing focus on security basics?  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: How businesses can achieve compliance and security (part 5)

  What can businesses do to make regulatory compliance a priority without losing focus on security basics?  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: How businesses can achieve compliance and security

  What can businesses do to make regulatory compliance a priority without losing focus on security basics?  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: How businesses can achieve compliance and security

  What can businesses do to make regulatory compliance a priority without losing focus on security basics?  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: How businesses can achieve compliance and security (Part 2)

  What can businesses do to make regulatory compliance a priority without losing focus on security basics?  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: How can business achieve compliance and security? (Part 1)

  What can businesses do to make regulatory compliance a priority without losing focus on security basics?  Continue Reading

• How to prepare for proposed EU data protection regulation

  The proposed EU data protection framework is under scrutiny and debate, but there are practical steps that companies could usefully be considering now.  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: How to prepare for EU data protection rules (part 7)

  The changes to the EU data protection laws are intended to simplify what has become a quagmire of differing standards derived from existing legislation  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: How to prepare for EU data protection rules (part 6)

  With the new EU Directives for Data Protection knocking on the door of organisations, it is time to wake up and prepare for the data privacy law changes  Continue Reading

• Collaborating on IT best practices

  It makes business sense for similar organisations to speak to each other and take a more collaborative approach when it comes to their use of IT.  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: How to prepare for EU data protection rules (part 5)

  There is consensus among members of The Corporate IT Forum that while proposed changes to data protection regulation might lead to greater consistency in the handling of personal data across the EU, ratification without any amendment could add ...  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: How should UK business prepare for EU data protection rules? (part 4)

  There are eight main areas of the proposed EU data protection framework organisations should note, according to global IT security association ISACA  Continue Reading

• UK courts show the way on piracy

  The UK courts are taking the right approach to online piracy, says John Moffat, senior attorney at Avidity IP  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: How to prepare for EU data protection rules (part 3)

  If your CIO has little board input or budget responsibilities, now is the time to make these changes – to empower the CIO with budget responsibility and board influence  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: How to prepare for EU data protection rules (part 2)

  Proposed changes to the existing EU Data Protection Directive aim to unify the existing legislation of each EU Member State, theoretically making it easier for businesses to transfer data throughout the EU and beyond  Continue Reading

• Registering improvements in IT service management

  If you stay where you are then in effect you will be going backwards - so it is for IT service provision.  Continue Reading

• Security Zone: Adopting cloud services with confidence

  Cloud-based services are highly attractive to many organisations. But what are the emerging issues you need to know about?  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: How should UK businesses prepare for EU data protection rules?

  The European General Data Protection Regulation represents the most significant change to data protection in the UK and EU since 1995. The ISF, working with its members, has identified the top five actions to take  Continue Reading

• Opinion: Is big data just big hype?

  If the deluge of headlines and vendor marketing materials is anything to go by, big data is the next big thing. So how much is there really to all this big data talk?  Continue Reading

• Identity management: helping to stay one step ahead of cyber criminals

  The increase in high-profile cyber attacks has shown that basic security perimeters have been breached. Identity management is part of the solution.  Continue Reading

• Mobile devices: balancing security and morale

  In today's ever-evolving world of new gadgets, devices and connected technologies, it is becoming increasingly difficult to keep a cap on the new risks that arise on a daily basis, writes Clint Merritt, CISSP, senior information security analyst for...  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Challenges and opportunities of smartphone security policy (part 8)

  The use of smartphones in the workplace brings many benefits to organisations, but also risks. Increasingly, users want to experience the functionality available to them in their private lives in their professional lives, and certainly businesses ...  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: What are the challenges/opportunities of smartphone security policy? (part 7)

  Smartphones have become wide spread in both the consumer and business realms. More importantly, employees expect they can hold just one device for their everyday use thus the boundary between personal and business usage is diminishing. The companies...  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Challenges and opportunities of smartphone security policy (part 6)

  The main rising challenge for many businesses is that of bring your own device (BYOD) and the related issues, the key issue (as always) being that of the data. And in particular, how the ownership of the data on the device is agreed, or at least ...  Continue Reading

• Reach out to children to secure tomorrow's workplace

  Organisations should be working with current knowledge of how behaviour is changing in the workplace  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Challenges and opportunities of smartphone security policy (part 5)

  There are security challenges throughout the whole smartphone lifecycle, from device creation and marketing, through purchase, implementation and operation, to the eventual recycling or destruction of the device.  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Challenges and opportunities of smartphone security policy (part 4)

  In many ways, smartphones can be more secure operating platforms than PCs, but there is one major policy issue that needs to be dealt with first, writes John Pescatore, vice-president and distinguished analyst at Gartner.  Continue Reading