Opinion

Opinion

IT security

• Fire proves that you need to plan

  Last week we revealed that many organisations were revisiting their business continuity plans in the wake of the Madrid bombings....  Continue Reading

• Revisit disaster recovery plans

  In early March IT directors and chief executives met to discuss ways to protect the UK's critical national infrastructure from a...  Continue Reading

• Your shout: Baffled by security recommendations

  I would like to say how much I agree with your article "Secure your technology, secure your business" on Computer-Weekly.com. However, some of your recommendations for achieving this seemed a little baffling.  Continue Reading

• Can user power sway suppliers?

  Does user power work? Can it truly influence how the billions of pounds IT companies invest in product development will be spent?  Continue Reading

• Give the board a consolidation strategy to progress the business

  Take tactical steps to consolidate infrastructure and applications.  Continue Reading

• Your shout! On the necessity of a data back-up plan

  In response to Bill Goodwin's article, which revealed that out of a survey of 1,000 businesses by the Department of Trade & Industry, less than 20% back up their data.  Continue Reading

• Know your data's worth

  Data must be managed like any other asset, says Robin Bloor.  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: Catching the computer virus

  Businesses, like people, are developing an immunity to the viruses going around, says Simon Moores.  Continue Reading

• Analyse the business risk of software defects

  I would be surprised if anyone has been spared the annoyance of having an IT application crash while they were using it, but have...  Continue Reading

• Your shout: Companies are at risk from staff ignorance

  In response to Bill Goodwin's article on the need for companies to improve the security awareness of their staff and reports of the MyDoom virus  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: Judgment of doom

  Millions of PC users are still suffering from Blaster, so imagine the devastation MyDoom will cause, says Simon Moores.  Continue Reading

• Revealed: twin dilemma facing strategy leaders

  Two studies this week neatly illustrate a dilemma that faces all IT directors as they attempt to execute their strategy. How can...  Continue Reading

• IT chiefs need to assess costs before taking a utility computing strategy to the board

  Suppliers are struggling to demonstrate the benefits of utility computing, whereby firms are charged only for the IT resources...  Continue Reading

• Use PKI to beat phishers

  Digital certificates could ward against internet scams.  Continue Reading

• Co-op wins £11m appeal against ICL ruling

  Ruling in the Co-op's appeal against ICL at the Technology and Construction Court has implications for the effectiveness of the...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: Watching you, watching me

  Colin Beveridge wonders if the government has a hidden agenda behind David Blunkett's ID card scheme.  Continue Reading

• Users have set security agenda

  When the IT directors of Royal Mail, BP, ICI and other FTSE 100 companies join together to call for a new universal framework for...  Continue Reading

• Audit will prove Microsoft best for council

  Take note of total cost of ownership when comparing proprietary with open source software  Continue Reading

• Firms must take some blame for hackers

  As Computer Weekly went to press, the attention of the IT world was focused on Aaron Caffrey, who is standing trial at Southwark...  Continue Reading

• Strategy clinic: is there a better alternative to tape back-up?

  While the amount of data in our organisation has spiralled and the technologies for managing data have moved on, we still back up...  Continue Reading

• IT leaders must change the attitude of their own end-users

  Aligning IT with the business is a mantra of many IT directors and chief information officers. But consider this: how many chief...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: Share the love, not the viruses

  Secure your broadband internet connection, or your machine could have consequences on other internet users, warns Simon Moores.  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: Placing trust in trustworthy computing

  After a summer of worms and viruses, our confidence in Windows seems to have dwindled as we question whether trustworthy...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: Who can stop spam?

  If we can be in control of junk mail that comes through our letter box, can't we keep control of the spam that is overloading our...  Continue Reading

• Why you must report e-crime

  This week's Security Special Report highlights the impossibility of getting a reliable picture of the true extent of e-crime and...  Continue Reading

• Groundswell: Have we been let off lightly by virus attacks?

  As we pick up the pieces after yet another virus blitz this August it is worth reflecting that so far, things have not been that...  Continue Reading

• Virus attacks: who is to blame?

  August was possibly the busiest month in the history of computer viruses: 800 new viruses were detected. Although this is not an...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: See the bigger picture

  Don't let virus panic skew your security strategy, use the experience to ensure all your contingency plans are up to date, says...  Continue Reading

• Discuss the data spine dangers

  There has been too little debate around the proposed creation of a national "data spine" for NHS patients' health records. The...  Continue Reading

• Spam: don't let your firm add to the problem

  Hold the Monty Python jokes. Spam is in the news again, and this time it's serious.  Continue Reading

• Will users buy MS antivirus?

  Given Microsoft's shaky record on software security, the news that it is to acquire antivirus technology is a welcome...  Continue Reading

• Is it time to move to 10 Gigabit Ethernet?

  Large 24x7 organisations will find benefits, but most should wait.  Continue Reading

• Guard against the risk to your reputation

  There can be no excuse for failing to take steps to protect corporate information and systems.  Continue Reading

• Back to the future: capitalising on Cobol

  You don't have to rip out legacy code to run modern banking systems.  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: Keeping hold of your identity

  Amid concerns regarding both personal and national security, Simon Moores searches for the ultimate solution on how to prove our...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: Don't you know there's a war on?

  Amid the fears of terrorism and weapons of mass distruction, companies still need to address the risk to cybersecurity. But is it...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: Shooting down the web bombers

  Disproportionate damage is caused by relatively few cyber-attacks and vulnerabilities. Simon Moores urges strong defensive...  Continue Reading

• Thank heavens for good virus writers

  I can't be the only one who finds that packaged software products rarely do what they say on the box.  Continue Reading

• Patch priorities

  Those IT departments who worked throughout last weekend to revive crashed systems will know what havoc the Slammer worm created....  Continue Reading

• Too much trust in the supplier

  Advocates of PFI - the private financing of public investment - say that putting the onus on companies to raise funds and deliver...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:Slammer - a prophet of doom?

  Is SQL Slammer an isolated event, or a step towards the collapse of the internet? asks antivirus expert Eugene Kaspersky.  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: Who gives a damn about security?

  With thousands of businesses hit by the Slammer worm, Simon Moores finds himself in despair over the complacency that bedevils...  Continue Reading

• Let logic prevail from Gateways

  The computing industry was built on the bits, bytes and gateways of Boolean logic. Binary input passes through a gate and...  Continue Reading

• Reduce your software costs

  A good asset management team could save your business more than 30%.  Continue Reading

• Sack data abusers

  In blowing the whistle on computer misuse by Inland Revenue staff, Revenews, the department's in-house organ, has taken a brave...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:Identity is the key to the future

  If the government is to make its e-strategy work, it will have to introduce a workable digital ID system, says Simon Moores.  Continue Reading

• Lessons for the Lord Chancellor

  When a bad poet composes a verse in a Word document, the result may be perfectly laid out in a lavish font, its title grandly...  Continue Reading

• Dressed up for Christmas

  Amazon is setting a brisk new pace for e-tailers by introducing a host of extra features  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:Hazards of the broadband highway

  Simon Moores loves fast cars and motorbikes, but when it comes to broadband he's still got the brakes on. Here's why.  Continue Reading

• Security cannot be neglected

  Investigators are still trying to piece together exactly how hackers managed to break into systems belonging to three leading...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:IT out of Africa

  Simon Moores sees IT talent going to waste in Africa, and looks at the impact of Indian outsourcing on UK job opportunities.  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:The serious business of hi-tech crime

  Too many companies are letting hi-tech criminals get away with it, says Simon Moores after meeting the head of Britain's war on...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:The secret life of IT

  Following a report in the Sunday Times on British secrets on the Web, Simon Moores wonders just how many "secret" IT projects are...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: The IT dangers of coffee

  That innocent-looking latte could do more than just give you a heart attack. Paul Williams looks at corporate security risks as...  Continue Reading

• Make disaster recovery routine

  It is easy to get carried away by the hype surrounding disaster recovery but less hysteria and more sensible precautions, such as...  Continue Reading

• Do you know your staff?

  Your employees might be part-time hackers so don't take them at face value - check references properly.  Continue Reading

• Security: one chief too many?

  Another three-letter job acronym is about to be absorbed into the UK's corporate jargon dictionary. The chief security officer...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:The 24/7 nightmare

  Simon Moores looks into the ever-growing Internet culture and asks whether the communications revolution has improved the quality...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:Sense and security

  Simon Moores believes breaches in IT security have far more to do with sloppy management of people, processes and policy than...  Continue Reading

• Groundswell:The dog that did not bark

  When Microsoft's chief executive, Steve Ballmer, was interviewed before several thousand IT users by leading analysts at the...  Continue Reading

• Keep telecoms options open

  The failure of KPNQwest and WorldCom have demonstrated that no telecoms provider - big or small - is safe. So don't let your...  Continue Reading

• Time for positive action

  Don't let the chief executive get the idea that IT is not important  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:Terror on the Web

  Hard-hitting IT columnist Simon Moores gives his personal take on the hot issue of the day.I'm sitting here trying to write a...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: One key to rule them all

  Hard-hitting IT columnist Simon Moores gives his personal take on the hot issue of the day.Speaking at last week's Net Project's...  Continue Reading

• Remove RIPA ambiguities

  The confusion and consternation surrounding the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) shows no sign of abating. Now,...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:The yellow box road to enterprise security

  Is it possible to run an enterprise system which allows multiple devices to communicate and maintain a secure information...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:Take a hard look at software testing

  Dr David Crocker believes software companies should do more to ensure their products are fault-free.Software is the only...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:What makes someone a world authority?

  Outsourcing and communications expert Martyn Hart looks at a hot issue of the day.I recently found myself at a loss during an...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:Clear and present danger

  Hard-hitting IT columnist Simon Moores gives his personal take on the hot issue of the day.Last week proved more interesting than...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:Learn from public IT disasters

  Hard-hitting IT columnist Simon Moores gives his personal take on the hot issue of the day."You're not making many friends," I...  Continue Reading

• Beware smart worms

  Viruses and worms are becoming more common and more intelligent. Most companies already have anti-virus software, but this needs...  Continue Reading

• Icann's failings

  "The Internet is a global resource of incalculable value, and nothing is of greater importance to its future than the way in...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:Absence of trust

  Hard-hitting IT columnist Simon Moores gives his personal take on the hot issue of the day.In a speech I recently gave at the...  Continue Reading

• Don't shoot the messenger

  Threatening people who report online security problems with court action will harm our industry.  Continue Reading

• Web hosting industry must be flexible

  The future growth of the online marketplace is being jeopardised by elementary errors.  Continue Reading

• To be 'open' is to share knowledge

  Open source software does not necessarily imply free software, available to all and sundry. It can, indeed, be free but need not...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the dayPrevention is the only cure for e-mail viruses

  IT security expert Etienne Greeff measures the effectiveness of antivirus protection.Since the outbreak of the Melissa virus just...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:Hacked to death?

  Hard-hitting IT columnist Simon Moores gives his personal take on the hot issue of the day.The end of the world is near. Well...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:Heavy Internet traffic needn't be taxing

  Chris Hemingway suggests how the Inland Revenue could have made life far easier for itself.Well, it hardly came as a shock. After...  Continue Reading

• Scanning tool gets to meat of the matter

  When Derek Wyatt, Labour MP for Sittingbourne and Sheppey, called last month for ISPs to be made responsible for any unsolicited...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:Responsibility, reliability and respect

  Hard-hitting IT columnist Simon Moores gives his personal take on the hot issue of the day.You may remember that last month...  Continue Reading

• Behind Closed Doors:Judgment day

  Allowing emotions to cloud our judgment when choosing a supplier can prove costly, something we can ill afford in these uncertain...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:Use TV licence fee for better broadband

  Hard-hitting IT columnist Simon Moores gives his personal take on the hot issue of the day.Media guru Jonathan Miller's...  Continue Reading

• Security needs more leadership

  Security eats up 10% of IT budgets, so why are incidents costing about $108,000 a time?  Continue Reading

• Continuity: more than tick-boxes

  There is a high level of anxiety among general business managers about ensuring continuity in the event of an IT failure, from...  Continue Reading

• Spam, spam, spam, spam

  Junk e-mail is now a fact of online life, and forthcoming EU legislation will never stop it.  Continue Reading

• Teradata bolsters data warehouse

  Business intelligence software vendor Teradata is upgrading its data warehouse product so companies can use it as an...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:Do you trust your employer?

  Hard-hitting IT columnist Simon Moores gives his personal take on the hot issue of the day.Employers and vendors of surveillance...  Continue Reading

• Study IT history for good health

  To deliver significant changes to the health service there must be a fundamental rethink in organisation, process and people...  Continue Reading

• Making the most of security

  There is still a lot of confusion about security policies. All businesses are advised to have them, but few seem to know why. And...  Continue Reading

• Unrealistic expectations

  Suppliers and customers should do more thorough homework before contracts are signed.  Continue Reading

• Taking lessons from disaster

  Terrorist attacks and supplier meltdown give impetus to revisiting business continuity plans.  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:Add synergy to your security

  Security expert Dr Peter Tippett corrects some common misconceptions about how to make systems safe.Many IT managers still...  Continue Reading

• The do's and don'ts of back-up

  However good your security, your data is never 100% safe. One of the most important protections is data back-up but unless it is...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:Parliament's porno puzzler

  Hard-hitting IT columnist Simon Moores gives his personal take on the hot issue of the day.Concerns about the growing plague of...  Continue Reading

• Thought of the day: Is Palladium worth the wait?

  Hard-hitting IT columnist Simon Moores gives his personal take on the hot issue of the day.I've been trying to get to grips with...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:Limits of antivirus software

  Research wizard Peet Morris gives his personal take on the hot issue of the day.Antivirus programs cannot truly protect you and,...  Continue Reading

• IT can help people to participate

  E-participation is about using technology to rekindle disaffected citizens' interest in the political process.  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:When too much information hampers the police

  Hard-hitting IT columnist Simon Moores gives his personal take on the hot issue of the day.These days the police are surrounded...  Continue Reading

• Half-time in our toughest year

  The August holiday season is upon us. But it will take more than a pitcher of sangria and a week on the beach to erase memories...  Continue Reading