Opinion

Opinion

IT security

• Beware of spies in the machine

  While spyware is widely used to track the patterns of individual users' internet usage, there is an unexplored and more sinister...  Continue Reading

• Your Shout! On the likely rise in cost of the ID card project

  In response to the news that the Home Affairs Select Committee expects the national ID card project to cost more than £3bn (Computer Weekly, 3 August)  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: Unite to beat the bad guys

  Work with your users to protect corporate systems, says Stuart Okin  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: Too many questions asked

  Crime prevention is being used as the excuse to obtain personal information before providing basic services. Simon Moores asks...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: The thin red line

  As the saying goes, just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you - and technology is increasingly making...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: Take a deep breath

  ... And then step back from the ID card precipice before you do something we will all regret, Simon Moores urges the government  Continue Reading

• Microsoft tightens up

  On the matter of security, Microsoft comes in for more flak than most, but the imminent roll-out of Windows XP Service Pack 2 is...  Continue Reading

• The risk is real, so be prepared

  We live in a society that seems to increasingly abhor the idea that there should be any risk. As health and safety officers...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day IT downtime is a crisis

  Educate the board in the importance of IT continuity to reduce the business' exposure to risk, says Russell Flower  Continue Reading

• Bad data eats IT budgets

  Effective data integration is vital for business success  Continue Reading

• Thought for day: Spot e-marketing pitfalls

  IT directors should take heed of EU anti-spam ruling, says Gillian Cameron  Continue Reading

• Calculate true outsourcing gains

  Initial hype may hide the long-term costs and risks  Continue Reading

• Your shout! On how no employee can be indispensable

  With regard to the Strategy Clinic "No one has the skills to be my replacement" (Computer Weekly, 29 June), where an IT manager was having trouble finding a competent replacement for when he retired  Continue Reading

• Secrecy culture must be stopped

  Machiavelli once wrote that misjudgements and wrong turns are like tuberculosis: hard to detect and easy to cure in the...  Continue Reading

• Integrate data for business gain

  Staff spend too long tracking relevant data, says Chris Harding  Continue Reading

• Your shout! On whether spammers own the internet

  In response to Simon Moores' Thought for the Day (computerweekly.com), who suggested that the internet is becoming overrun by spam and is inherently insecure  Continue Reading

• Revenue cannot afford a failure

  This week will see the largest ever transfer of IT staff, systems and intellectual property in the public sector.  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: Daylight robbery

  The internet is already dominated by spammers and organised crime - how long before it becomes unviable for business use, asks...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day : Is that a USB in your pocket?

  A single USB stick can hold a wealth of data, but have companies realised the security risk these pose, asks Colin Beveridge.  Continue Reading

• Your Shout! On new rules to force disclosure of IT failures

  In response to news that governance regulations could force companies to reveal the details of failed IT projects (computerweekly.com, 28 May)  Continue Reading

• Public bodies must act now on FOI rules

  IT directors in the public sector need to tackle the huge legacy of paper and electronic records in their organisations now if...  Continue Reading

• It is time for software suppliers to take charge of patch management

  Users should not have to bear the security burden  Continue Reading

• Your shout: How to turn round a demotivated IT team

  More responses to Robin Laidlaw, who advocated sacking the worst-performing 25% of your staff to revitalise the IT department (Computer Weekly, 11 May)  Continue Reading

• Your shout: How flexible working can bring women to IT

  In response to a review of how flexible working has been accepted and promoted in IT over the past year to attract women to the industry (Computer Weekly, 4 May)  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: The attack of the phishers

  Phishing has begun to grow at a epidemic rate, but beware of spyware - it's as bad, says Simon Moores.  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: Governance is IT's game

  The next boardroom mandate will be IT security, says John Colley.  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: Seen it all before?

  As the latest virus hits our desktops, Simon Moores is having a sense of déjà vu.  Continue Reading

• Securing a partnership

  Set security policies that cover business partners  Continue Reading

• Your shout: Combining risk and security in one post

  In response to Robin Laidlaw's opinion (Computer Weekly, 6 April), where he said the balance of security and risk management needs to be carefully managed  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: Cyberterrorism or cyberhype?

  Is the fear of cyberterrorism from the Middle East causing us to neglect the security of our own systems, asks Simon Moores.  Continue Reading

• Your shout: Deploying CRM systems in councils

  Although it is true that there are widely divergent views about how the requirements of data protection and freedom of information can be delivered consistently, we see evidence of this being actively considered by councils and of a willingness to ...  Continue Reading

• Look forward to web services collaboration

  Whitehall departments have been urged to tighten their approach to internal security to ensure civil servants are only accessing...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: Deliver solutions for today

  Businesses need immediate solutions to software problems, and if Microsoft does not deliver it will face a loss of public...  Continue Reading

• Your shout: The legality of bounced virus warnings

  In response to Terry Davies' comments (Letters, 30 March) that returned virus alert e-mails are breaching the Data Protection Act  Continue Reading

• 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