Opinion

Opinion

IT security

• 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

• 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