Opinion

Opinion

• A helping hand with IT governance

  There’s no need for wrong turns on the road to achieving effective IT governance. Frameworks can offer a clear path to better risk management and value  Continue Reading

• Don’t let them kick you out after 40

  Unemployment need not be the fate of IT’s elders  Continue Reading

• See the bigger picture on data security

  Don’t let suppliers put the blinkers on – even the best electronic security won’t safeguard your data if the physical aspects of protection have been overlooked  Continue Reading

• The basics of good security

  Are you suffering from security fatigue? Does trying to plug every possible gap in the network or ensuring every bit of data is only seen by those who should see it starting to weigh you down?  Continue Reading

• Converged networks: How to work smarter

  Converged networks technology is enabling end-users to work in new ways and can deliver substantial cost savings to the business.  Continue Reading

• SOA as a catalyst for better IT governance

  Effective framework helps deliver business value  Continue Reading

• Be clear about £140m lesson

  The decision by the Department for Work and Pensions to drop its £140m Benefits Processing Repayments IT project could be much more than just another central government IT failure.  Continue Reading

• Help the business get a sense of direction

  Successful IT depends on effective coordination  Continue Reading

• Downtime: No trout about it – silence is golden on the riverbank

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• Why shared services will benefit everyone

  IT collaboration frees up public staff to add value  Continue Reading

• Unhealthy tale of NAO report

  The National Audit Office is a great British institution - or was.  Continue Reading

• Why we must shout about our IT security

  Promote security measures to reassure customers  Continue Reading

• Challenges of consolidation

  Infrastructure and applications consolidation have dominated the agendas of the UK's IT departments during the past few years. And rightly so.  Continue Reading

• Campaigning your way onto the board

  Here’s a conundrum: I have never met a CIO on the board of any company who believes they are there because they are the functional head of IT. But I have met many who are not on the board and believe they should be because they are the functional ...  Continue Reading

• Question time over NHS data

  To lose one datacentre may be regarded as a misfortune to lose both looks like carelessness.  Continue Reading

• Profit motive is what drives the best in IT

  Technologists must make grade on business stage.  Continue Reading

• Getting the IT skill mix right

  The number of advertised vacancies for contractors has suffered its biggest fall for four years, according to the latest Computer Weekly/SSL salary survey. Where contractors lead, permanent jobs tend to follow.  Continue Reading

• Licensing for today's world

  Getting a grip on software licensing complexity is a challenge that IT users and their suppliers cannot afford to shirk.  Continue Reading

• Avoiding nasty contract surprises

  Taking some time to review the supplier's terms early on can help you to avoid contractual traps and get the most from your software licensing agreement, says Jimmy Desai  Continue Reading

• Don't stay in denial on information risk

  Boards must lead from the front on data security, says Ian Wylie  Continue Reading

• Innovative moves that may herald the storage cluster revolution

  Developments in network-attached clustering signal new storage approach, says Steve Broadhead  Continue Reading

• Recruit on ability, not colour or accent

  True equality brings underused talent to the fore, says Ibukun Adebayo  Continue Reading

• Web 2.0 offers a better place to stay

  It is the latest label that online software service suppliers are keen to deck themselves out in, but what exactly is Web 2.0 and what can it do for business?, asks Neil Ward-Dutton  Continue Reading

• Chasing the merger gold

  There are few signs that the task of integrating systems when companies merge is any easier now than before the advent of sophisticated middleware and web-enabled systems.  Continue Reading

• In the beginning was the mainframe

  The powerful geological processes that uplifted the Earth's mountains and formed the landscape are replicated in the evolution of computing platforms  Continue Reading

• Comment: Where do you want to go?

  Could it be that positioning IT management at board level has become a shibboleth for those working in the higher echelons of the industry?  Continue Reading

• Don't let the wheels come off your deal

  There has been a lot of publicity about users taking outsourced operations back in-house, but if you ensure you have the right ingredients for an outsourcing arrangement at the outset there is no reason for the relationship to founder.  Continue Reading

• Don't pass the buck on skills

  From the dawn of the UK computer industry there have been dire warnings about skills shortages. There have also been drives to “professionalise” the industry, with qualifications to provide individuals with proof of their expertise, and employers ...  Continue Reading

• Banish bafflement in the boardroom

  Boards of directors urgently need to get to grips with IT – potentially the most profitable yet also one of the most costly of all a company’s departments  Continue Reading

• Microsoft’s metrics mean business

  Microsoft unveils plans for performance planning software  Continue Reading

• Smoothing the e-mail upgrade path

  Ollie Ross explains what you need to consider before upgrading a Microsoft Exchange system  Continue Reading

• Right NHS formula is to ‘keep it simple’

  Over-complex IT results in diminishing returns, says Andrew Sakals  Continue Reading

• Checking the form on file formats

  Ensuring data is widely accessible is a key concern for all businesses, says Jack Schofield  Continue Reading

• Your shout: Gut feeling can end in a costly recruitment error

  Computer weekly readers have their say  Continue Reading

• Dealing with the data explosion

  We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.  Continue Reading

• Microsoft has never been just about Bill Gates

  Microsoft has always encouraged entrepreneurship in its people, in its products and in the tools that millions of people around the world use every day to start, grow and run their businesses and follow their passions.  Continue Reading

• We must put an end to IT victim culture

  IT needs to stand up for itself in the business  Continue Reading

• NHS IT report plays too safe

  The National Audit Office’s report on the NHS National Programme for IT (NPfIT) should be the start, not the end, of independent scrutiny of the UK’s largest ever IT investment.  Continue Reading

• Why first impressions really add up

  We all select our friends, partners or business partners based on a combination of our knowledge, experience and instinct of whether we will get on.  Continue Reading

• So SOA will make life simple... but for who?

  The demands of service oriented architecture  Continue Reading

• Search engines need to start finding

  With internet content growing at a staggering rate, search engines need to hone their approach to get the right results and unearth what the user wants.  Continue Reading

• Union launches equality charter for women in IT

  Trade union Amicus, which represents a large number of IT professionals, has launched a campaign to promote and enhance the role of women in IT.  Continue Reading

• Wanted! Meeting of minds at the top

  Governance: Getting the best returns on IT investment is an important part of IT governance. But to achieve this, the gap between IT and the business needs to close.  Continue Reading

• What’s in a name? A lot if it’s on an e-mail

  High Court decision is a sign of the times  Continue Reading

• Talk is the key to effective IT

  The word “governance” is enough to make any old-time techie reach for a gun – either to shoot himself in a fit of depression or to get even with those whose sole mission seems to be to take the last scraps of fun out of computing.  Continue Reading

• Why IT governance is the great enabler

  Most organisations would deem anyone making the statement in the title of this article totally mad.  Continue Reading

• Your shout: IT strategic importance, Vista, compliance

  Have your say at computerweekly.com  Continue Reading

• Take the sting out of the tail-end of a deal

  You can terminate your contract without the tears  Continue Reading

• Vital skills for today's professionals

  A candidate's technology grounding is easily verified, but assessing 'soft' skills such as communications and innovative thinking needs a fresh approach  Continue Reading

• Standards for new age of IT

  The revelation that thousands of innocent people were labelled as criminals by the Criminal Records Bureau may not do much to damage politicians’ already basement-level credibility.  Continue Reading

• IT industry is paying high price of ageism

  According to an Age Concern/ICM poll conducted in December 2001, 1.8 million people in the UK between the ages of 55 and 64 have suffered ageism in employment. There is no reason to believe that this situation has improved since the poll was ...  Continue Reading

• Web access is in the balance

  When Tim Berners-Lee gave the world a simple way to share documents over the internet in a common format, he demonstrated the true power of standards.  Continue Reading

• Rush to fulfil prime minister's NHS vision tripped up IT programme

  Expert argues that national programme is being built on unstable foundations  Continue Reading

• It's time to get equal

  Technology has become the great equaliser, allowing small and medium-sized enterprises to work alongside the largest of businesses. This is nowhere more apparent than in the use of mobile technology.  Continue Reading

• Open source grows big and strong

  How Red Hat and JBoss will tempt more users to open source  Continue Reading

• The four domains of data security

  Security professionals are expected to be proficient with a range of security techniques, but which qualifications do you need to progress your career?  Continue Reading

• A new ITIL for the integration age

  The revised IT Infrastructure Library will offer the enterprise an up-to-the-minute framework for maximising business value of IT-based services  Continue Reading

• Don't be caught by licence to print money

  Buyer beware still needs to be the watchword  Continue Reading

• Punish real cyber villains

  New readers of this publication will have much sympathy for hacker Gary McKinnon who was recommended for extradition to the US by a judge last week. But the wise will question the effect McKinnon’s potential sentence will have on those tempted to ...  Continue Reading

• Nurture talent inside the business

  Recognising and developing talent within an organisation in line with business strategy should be considered a normal part of the job for IT directors  Continue Reading

• Your shout: IR35, compliance, faddism

  Computer Weekly readers have their say  Continue Reading

• Strategy clinic: How to win over business leaders to enterprise-wide data security

  Our panel of experts offer advice on IT management dilemmas. This week: gaining a managing director’s commitment to system security  Continue Reading

• Making best practice work for you

  Do not follow prescribed frameworks blindly, says Aidan Lewes. Understand underlying principles and adapt methods for your business to maximise return on investment  Continue Reading

• Why security is good value

  Many of the findings from Computer Weekly’s inaugural CIO Index were fascinating and troubling, but none more so than the fact only one in three CIOs believes IT security is adequately funded in their organisation at present.  Continue Reading

• NHS IT audit should study the big picture

  Politicians, not just IT experts, must face scrutiny, says Wendy Currie  Continue Reading

• Storage: Win the generation game

  Companies need to look ahead to make sure that the data they are storing today can be accessed tomorrow, and that it remains secure over the long term, says Cliff Saran  Continue Reading

• It’s not size, but how it is used that matters

  As suppliers introduce different sizes of hardware and pile functionality into ever smaller devices, are they meeting user demands, or simply creating the next gimmick?, asks Clive Longbottom  Continue Reading

• Unlocking the value of IT

  Business goals, not cost cuts, must drive outsourcing, says Adrian Polley  Continue Reading

• Leader: Patchy security is not enough

  Industry consolidation and the acquisitive nature of large suppliers has in many ways given IT directors a level of stability, providing the ability to buy from a single large supplier. These companies have snapped up best-of-breed product ...  Continue Reading

• Your shout: NHS IT, operational efficiency

  Computer Weekly's readers have their say  Continue Reading

• Be future-proof with a broader set of skills

  IT professionals will need a more sophisticated, business-focused skillset to meet changing demands, with integration, mobile IT and security expertise at a premium, says Karen Price  Continue Reading

• Freedom comes at a price

  Mobile IT requires staff to take greater responsibility, says Mark Beattie  Continue Reading

• Weighing up the security options

  Vision is vital, but dogma can be disastrous. This holds as true in IT security as in life generally, and it should be remembered by all those at this week's Infosec conference as they thrash out the merits and possible drawbacks of ...  Continue Reading

• Give Soca clout to tackle e-crime

  Unveiling the Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca) on 1 April may not have given the latest addition to the UK's army of crimebusters the most auspicious of starts. It has certainly left the agency open to obvious quips about the timing of its ...  Continue Reading

• See security as a resource

  The boardroom is recognising that direct threats to the health of the business are increasing in volume and sophistication, but is less clear on how to be responsible with information security risk.  Continue Reading

• Microsoft plan for mini-tablet PCs unfolds

  Microsoft is backing a new ultra-mobile PC (UMPC) format, code-named Origami.  Continue Reading

• Have we been here before?

  A lot has been written about the positive aspects of service oriented architecture (SOA). This has led to a fashion that requires every self-respecting IT department to be seen with at least one SOA project underway.  Continue Reading

• Scrutiny is vital for NHS success

  Computer Weekly welcomes the unprecedented open letter calling for an independent audit of the world's largest civil IT scheme, the NHS's national programme for IT (NPfIT).  Continue Reading

• Good governance will deliver BPO success

  Business process outsourcing deals need to be grounded on a clear understanding of how governance procedures and metrics align between all partners  Continue Reading

• Hard line could backfire on NHS

  When one of the world's leading IT services companies announces it is taking a £260m hit on a government contract, something has gone badly wrong, not just for the company, but for the project as a whole.  Continue Reading

• Limits of token gestures

  When talking about authentication, two-factor means something you know and something you have.  Continue Reading

• Ensure it's not your fault

  Criminal hacking is on the rise and threatening the security of domestic and international business, but firms must be careful that their own negligence does not contribute to the problem.  Continue Reading

• Ensure data doesn't leave with your staff

  If your data or developments would be at risk when an unscrupulous employee leaves, take a lesson in self-defence, and be ready to act promptly  Continue Reading

• Research and preparation are keys to interview success

  Polish you shoes, turn up on time. This could be considered good advice for preparing for an important interview, but what do you do if you really want that job? If you are serious then you need to prepare.  Continue Reading

• Brown's budget cuts rely on IT

  As the smoke clears after Gordon Brown's budget last week, it is clear that the chancellor is relying on IT to deliver cost savings across Whitehall.  Continue Reading

• Plan for a slow roll-out of Windows Vista

  Delays to the Vista operating system should not prove a big problem for users as its immediate benefits may not make a compelling case for a speedy upgrade.  Continue Reading

• Leaving do for your data?

  What happens in your company when an employee leaves, taking customer or database information, copies of programs or code, or business-critical information?  Continue Reading

• Why time is the vital ingredient

  IT directors of pension providers have spent much of the past year working to prepare for the simplified pensions tax regime.  Continue Reading

• A real tool against terror?

  Industry has doubts over Data Retention Directive  Continue Reading

• Business intelligence: Use your intelligence to prevent a disaster

  Shifting the focus of BI tools to identify patterns of behaviour could help improve security and re-purpose data created in the course of compliance  Continue Reading

• Getting more than integration from SOA

  More than merely linked web services, SOA has the potential to enable IT and the business to talk and collaborate using a common language  Continue Reading

• Building an SOA without the hype

  One cannot help but notice the buzz around the concept of the service oriented architecture (SOA). With so much industry talk on the topic, it is a wonder how users ever managed before.  Continue Reading

• Thin line between advertising and spying

  Although the legal issues surrounding adware and spyware have yet to be fully examined in UK courts, the Data Protection Act and copyright laws can provide guidance  Continue Reading

• Source of transformation

  There are so many models of sourcing - from business process outsourcing to offshore; application service providers to supply chain management - that many decision-makers are unsure of the best way to move forward.  Continue Reading

• How the four Ps pay off

  Don't be obsessed by price for outsourcing to succeed.  Continue Reading

• Cost of IT's long hours culture

  Research showing that IT professionals work more unpaid overtime than any other group of employees in the UK (see Perks are on the rise as employers fight to attract and retain staff with top IT skills) will not surprise many of our readers.  Continue Reading

• The end of the paper trail

  Imagine the scene: you are disgruntled with a supplier. You do your best to make sure your communications with them are measured and calm. Internally, though, you e-mail a colleague with some colourful language expressing your frustrations.  Continue Reading

• IT due diligence can be a clincher

  Buyer beware is always a useful adage, but times are changing and it is no longer enough.  Continue Reading

• What to expect from a recruitment expert

  Anyone looking for a job is now in a much stronger position thanks to the Employment Agencies Act which ensures a much improved supply of information.  Continue Reading

• DPM's Diary

  DPM's Diary by C P Bound  Continue Reading