Opinion

Opinion

IT security

• Send in the tigers to fix public sector IT projects

  It seems the chancellor has woken up to the argument that while an aggressively "wired" public sector seems like a jolly good...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:No holiday for the business

  Incisive columnist and IT expert Colin Beveridge looks at a hot issue of the day."Captain's Log, star date 45-06 point 8: Mr...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:The same but different

  Outsourcing and communications expert Martyn Hart looks at a hot issue of the day.When you're searching data you usually look for...  Continue Reading

• Behind Closed Doors:Valuable data or just plain sludge?

  We IT professionals need to start asking the right questions about data. Just what is worth capturing and how do we keep our...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:The speed of state spending

  Hard-hitting IT commentator Simon Moores gives his personal take on a hot issue of the day.By the time you read this column, I'll...  Continue Reading

• Extend Whitehall blunder controls

  Recommendations to prevent another ILA debacle should be extended across the entire public sector.  Continue Reading

• Security for free: Don't let staff download files

  Turn off some browser settings and change the supplier's defaults  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:It's good to talk . . . if you can

  Hard-hitting IT columnist Simon Moores gives his personal take on the hot issue of the day.It's a secret, you know, the new BT...  Continue Reading

• Child's play?

  Caroline Bassett looks at how Sonia Livingstone's book Young People and New Media opens up the subject of how children interact...  Continue Reading

• Is your company ready to upgrade its ERP?

  Should you splash out £10m on Web-based alternatives for your enterprise resource planning system or settle for a £5m upgrade?  Continue Reading

• Intrusion detection systems are overhyped and underdelivered

  Hardly a day goes by when IT security - or more to the point, an IT security scare of some description - doesn't make the...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:Beware Trojan Horses, stick with plastic giraffes

  Hard-hitting IT commentator Dr Simon Moores gives his personal take on the hot issue of the day.Trend Micro is giving away...  Continue Reading

• Users quail in the face of Microsoft

  With no one prepared to stand up to new software charges, it is time to meekly learn our lessons  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:RIP our freedoms

  Hard-hitting IT commentator Dr Simon Moores gives his personal take on the hot issue of the day.Two years ago I gave a speech at...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:Dragging our heels on spam

  Hard-hitting IT commentator Dr Simon Moores gives his personal take on the hot issue of the day.As expected, the European...  Continue Reading

• Who watches the watchers?

  The Civil Aviation Authority must come clean about how it has policed Nats' computer systems  Continue Reading

• It is time to learn to trust your computer

  Computers are already ubiquitous, but we have not yet developed an unquestioning instinct to rely on them as we do other 20th...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:The power of paper

  Communications and outsourcing expert Martyn Hart looks at a hot issue of the day.We are forever being told that paper is on the...  Continue Reading

• Suppliers must heed smartcard warning

  Four years ago, Computer Weekly ran an article assessing the limited success of the Mondex electronic cash card trial in Swindon....  Continue Reading

• Nurture mainframe skills

  At a recent conference in Las Vegas run by Afcom, a 3,000-strong international association of datacentre managers, president Len...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: The great escape

  Incisive columnist and IT expert Colin Beveridge looks at a hot issue of the day.I need your help. I'm forming an escape...  Continue Reading

• Selling Blackpool to the Arabs in a spam desert storm

  Sitting in my hotel room in sunny Riyadh, channel hopping between Arab-language TV stations, I was startled to see our very own...  Continue Reading

• Is technology a cure-all or a cog?

  Investment in technology is a waste of money so as long as organisations expect it to deliver "magical" solutions when what we...  Continue Reading

• Can you deliver continuity?

  IT has a crucial role in preparing the business for disaster recovery  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:The end of history or the end of trust?

  Hard-hitting IT commentator Dr Simon Moores gives his personal take on the hot issue of the day.When Francis Fukuyama wrote The...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the Day: Don't let systems go Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

  Incisive columnist and IT expert Colin Beveridge looks at a hot issue of the day.I haven't seen the new London production of...  Continue Reading

• A new model for brand management

  In a wired world, your reputation can be destroyed in hours. It's time for a new approach.  Continue Reading

• Does your service make the grade?

  Internet operations provision, from co-location to full outsourcing, is an area of IT services that's crying out for service...  Continue Reading

• Behind Closed Doors:Why sleep when you can work?

  The long-hours culture rules the IT community to the detriment of us all, argues Colin Beveridge. So whatever happened to the...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:The great European wotsit

  Hard-hitting IT commentator Dr Simon Moores gives his personal take on the hot issue of the day.I've just ducked a call from...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the Day:Protect corporate integrity

  Hard-hitting IT commentator Simon Moores gives his personal take on the hot issue of the day.Once upon a time, a catastrophe...  Continue Reading

• Hackers laugh at the law

  This year's Infosecurity Europe conference will hit London's Olympia next week. In advance of the show, Computer Weekly has this...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the Day:No hiding place

  Hard-hitting IT commentator Dr Simons Moores gives his personal take on the hot issue of the day.According to this week's...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the Day:Seeing red over blue Hotmail

  Hard-hitting IT commentator Dr Simon Moores gives his personal take on the hot issue of the day.Today I have an urgent request...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the Day:Better out than in?

  Hard-hitting IT commentator Dr Simon Moores gives his personal take on the hot issue of the day.The catastrophic events of 11...  Continue Reading

• Balancing IT performance and IT cost

  During the next three years IT directors will need to make the most of shrinking budgets, while delivering ever improving levels...  Continue Reading

• Four goals of security

  Most people who have gone beyond the mistaken assumption that anti-virus equals the totality of information security will have...  Continue Reading

• Spammers may force you to change your e-mail address once a month

  Soon, you may no longer need to nag users to change their passwords every few weeks - they will have to change their e-mail...  Continue Reading

• Take a holistic view of software costs

  You need to make savings, but remember that the cost of software is not limited to the price of the licence  Continue Reading

• Q: what's in a name? - A: branding

  Recently, a well-known food firm launched its latest brand on national TV. The firm secured high profile national coverage and...  Continue Reading

• Getting rights right

  Digital rights management is becoming more important as we head towards chargeable content. Danny Bradbury finds out more.  Continue Reading

• Revenue created a one-horse race

  The Aspire competition, the Inland Revenue's attempt to inject some measure of competition into the tendering process for its...  Continue Reading

• We are blind to site visitors' needs

  Do not assume your customers are as knowledgeable as you are when building a Web site  Continue Reading

• Inland Revenue seeks partner that can meet its aspirations

  The Inland Revenue's director of business services explains why it decided to hold a competition, codenamed "Aspire", to select a...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:The silence of the LANs

  Hard-hitting IT commentator Dr Simon Moores gives his personal take on the hot issue of the day.  Continue Reading

• Open source opens doors

  Whether or not your organisation is ever likely to go down the open source software route, you should welcome the formation this...  Continue Reading

• Behind Closed Doors: Business continuity planning is a disaster waiting to happen

  We have still not taken on board the need to get ourselves properly organised to sustain operations in the event of circumstances...  Continue Reading

• A step in the right direction

  The sector-wide software deals signed last week mark a turning point in government procurement  Continue Reading

• You must secure the future

  If IT managers can prove the value and reliability of security systems businesses will be prepared to invest in them, despite the...  Continue Reading

• Lock down the law

  We would never dream of dispatching police officers to the scene of a crime with their hands tied behind their backs. Yet this is...  Continue Reading

• What if the Internet collapsed?

  A vulnerability in SNMP could have horrendous implications for us all  Continue Reading

• E-gov standards body must deliver

  Plans to develop the UK's first standards body for e-government could not be better timed.  Continue Reading

• Prove your business worth

  Take a lead in making sure that IT delivers visible business benefits  Continue Reading

• Go hunting for e-books

  Stalking new markets, Safari Books Online has IT workers in its sights  Continue Reading

• Clear and present danger: why CW refused to give up on Chinook

  The loss of Chinook ZD576, with its four crew and 25 VIP passengers, was more than a helicopter crash. It led to a notorious and...  Continue Reading

• Beat the security maze

  Providing adequate security is a responsibility companies must learn to take seriously  Continue Reading

• Planning for the Osama effect

  Business continuity should be a serious concern for the coming year  Continue Reading

• How to define the real benefits of CRM

  Everyone is talking about return on investment (ROI) in customer relationship management (CRM), but what is really achievable?  Continue Reading

• NHS IT in poor health

  In London last week health secretary Alan Milburn announced another £85m for NHS IT and Microsoft's Bill Gates assured...  Continue Reading

• The consumer really is king

  Give them what they want, not what you want - organisations are starting to find that their overall brand strategy is...  Continue Reading

• The key to e-Christmas success

  IT managers have helped e-tailers overcome problems with security and Web site navigation, but they still have a massive role to...  Continue Reading

• Editorial: Public money, private profit

  Today Microsoft co-founder and chief technology architect Bill Gates is due to stand on a stage with senior UK government...  Continue Reading

• Christmas crackers: how we did it

  Richard Brain, technical director at ProCheckUp, explains how the results of his company's report on e-commerce security were...  Continue Reading

• Cybercrime and punishment

  Businesses and authorities across the world need to get together and come up with a suitable punishment to act as a deterrent to...  Continue Reading

• Bring the board online with IT governance

  The commitment of board directors to effective IT governance is vital, says Paul Williams. And if they fail to take the lead,...  Continue Reading

• BACs to the future

  The mooted shake-up at Bacs could prove a great leap forward for the role of technology in the UK payments industry.  Continue Reading

• Virus prevention is better than 'cures'

  Never before has Internet security been at the forefront of so many minds - and that includes the security experts. Threats of...  Continue Reading

• Web watch

  In times of trouble you've got to turn somewhere, says Steve O'Brien  Continue Reading

• Talking is not dissent

  Behind the scenes alarm bells are ringing at the lack of consultation as the Government prepares the anti-terrorism legislation.  Continue Reading

• IT community should heed Turnbull recommendations on risk

  Compliance with the Turnbull Report's recommendations has been a mandatory element of company report procedures for all London...  Continue Reading

• Soon all you'll need is a small plastic card

  The concept of digital identity has moved on so far that PKI is fast becoming outmoded  Continue Reading

• Would you let a doctor fix your car?

  Five reasons why you shouldn't let your in-house staff develop your security systems  Continue Reading

• Welcome to the old economy

  It is time to man the lifeboats for an increasing number of dotcoms; and some senior executives over in the US are definitely...  Continue Reading

• Super Hackers: Truth or reality?

  Does the 'super hacker' exist or is it all just myth-making on the part of the press? Two industry specialists give EBR their...  Continue Reading

• Super Love Bug will strike this year

  New versions of the Love Bug e-mail virus with far more devastating payloads are likely to strike IT departments over the next 12...  Continue Reading

• More to B2B than counting e-costs

  The B2B e-commerce sector has an unhealthy pre-occupation with costs. Customers, both on the buying and selling side, are...  Continue Reading

• Why security must come first

  Keeping your site secure should be your first New Year's resolution, says Glyn Moody  Continue Reading

• Ethical Hacker: Gotcha!

  Someone was spending hours every night hacking his friend's PC. Call the ISP? No. For Sten Kalenda the fun was just beginning  Continue Reading

• Disaster recovery solutions

  A good disaster recovery solution is essential - especially if your IT department is one man band.  Continue Reading

• Solution: Internet misuse at work

  Like the technology, Internet abuse appears to have proliferated in recent years. There are, however, two ways to tackle this...  Continue Reading

• Lessen the risk of buying IT

  Colin Beveridge, director of the interim managers association Premit, warns of some of the pitfalls in corporate IT procurement  Continue Reading

• Questions raised over Jini as Sun joins rival plug-n-play consortium

  Pervasive computing took another step forward last month when Sun Microsystems joined the Universal Plug and Play Consortium...  Continue Reading

• Report any e-crime to local police

  
  
  John Riley

  Groundswell

  When it comes to tackling computer crime, especially e-crime, there's a crippling Catch-22 situation....

   Continue Reading

• e-Government: the whats, whys and whens

  Cabinet Office minister Ian McCartney says UK Online means the Government wants to get people online rather than having to wait...  Continue Reading

• RIP Act extends culpability

  E-commerce expert Catrin Turner explains the implications of the RIP Act, which makes firms criminally liable for intercepting staff e-mails and similar communications  Continue Reading

• Internet security must be taken seriously

  Security is not being taken seriously by a great many UK companies that trade on the web. This could be an expensive mistake,...  Continue Reading

• So it'll never happen to you?

  
  
  P> The Internet changes everything, so the saying goes, and while most investor attention has been focused on dotcoms, then infrastructure and security,...  Continue Reading

• Who cares if closed IT tendering is unlawful?

  The use of framework contracts of questionable legality could lead to all public sector IT purchases being met by a small number...  Continue Reading

• Act now on distance selling laws

  
  
  Andrew Rigby

  The Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Regulations, which implement the EU's Distance Selling Directive come into force on 31...

   Continue Reading

• Security tops list of concerns for IT managers

  
  
  IT managers are not happy about the UK's Internet trading security measures, according to the results of this week's Computer Weekly/Harvey Nash Big...  Continue Reading

• Normal trading rules apply for e-procurement

  
  
  Most business-to-business (B2B) marketplaces have the potential to generate enormous savings over more traditional methods of selling or procuring goods...  Continue Reading

• Web host glitch exposes data

  Security: Business data is left exposed while security standard lies idle  Continue Reading

• Web control or Web anarchy?

  The ignorant in pursuit of the uncontrollable.  Continue Reading

• Two-Jags Prescott in online petrol auction

  The petrol crisis may have caused problems for drivers up and down the country, but others saw it is a golden opportunity to make...  Continue Reading

• Counting the cost of security

  Internet security giant Baltimore Technologies has just splashed out 91 million of its shares to buy Content Technologies  Continue Reading

• Make a case for security before it's too late

  Why is the UK still lagging when it comes to security policies? IT managers should take the opportunity to take the lead in this...  Continue Reading

• Is Unix infallible?

  
  
  Paul Ducklin

  Soapbox

  There seems to be a lot of debate about whether Unix anti-virus products are useful. Some people even think...

   Continue Reading

• Outlook carries Pokemon virus

  
  
  Simon Moores

  Tech talk

  So, what do an obscure Pokemon character and Microsoft Outlook have in common? They share the same address...

   Continue Reading

• Managing growth can mean living on the edge

  Inside Track  Continue Reading

• Take time to consider security

  Security specialist Gordon Stephenson thinks firms are preparing for catastrophe when the dangers are far more mundane. Ross...  Continue Reading