Opinion

Opinion

• Pay attention, Sir Humphrey

  What does it take for central government to learn the lessons from IT failure? If the report by MPs published last week is correct, the Office of Government Commerce has been unable to get the right messages across.  Continue Reading

• Basel 2 set to change the face of financial IT

  Basel 2 regulations are likely to have a knock-on effect across the financial sector and its technology suppliers. IT directors need to act now to stay ahead of the game  Continue Reading

• False economies of beat-the-clock coding

  Giving developers the time to improve software quality at the development stage is more cost-effective than fixing bugs during the testing phase  Continue Reading

• When IT should come last

  A new approach is needed to avert public sector failure  Continue Reading

• Your shout: Revenue culture, cooler blades, piracy

  Have your say at computerweekly.com  Continue Reading

• Stop bluster over IT for ID cards

  The home secretary was clearly struggling in the ID Cards Bill debate last week. His attempt to show that the government has a strong track record in running large-scale IT projects backfired badly.  Continue Reading

• Women shouldn't be put off by techie label

  Working in IT is not just about being a "techie" - by increasing your exposure to the whole of the business it can open doors to wider career opportunities  Continue Reading

• Why retention is just as vital as attraction

  Government and industry should act to address the gender imbalance in IT  Continue Reading

• Classes of service won't guarantee quality of service in the brave new world of MPLS

  What every business should know before deploying Wan connectivity technology  Continue Reading

• Early adopters may gain IP telephony edge

  With 75% of the world’s voice traffic predicted to be IP-based by 2007, most firms need to decide not whether to make the move, but when it would be most beneficial  Continue Reading

• After 30 years of success in the City, service providers take Ethernet into a wider future

  Banking and insurance drive demand for greater bandwidth and scalability  Continue Reading

• Sky's the limit on CIO pay

  What makes some CIOs worth seven-figure salaries?  Continue Reading

• Career paths can lead to better public IT

  Government CIO Ian Watmore outlines his plans to create career opportunities that will be of mutual benefit to individuals as well as the public  Continue Reading

• US card fiasco is a warning for all

  The security breach which exposed the full personal and banking details of 40 million MasterCard, Visa and other card holders should act as a wake-up call to us all.  Continue Reading

• Your shout: tax campaign, girls clubs, NHS security

  Have your say at computerweekly.com  Continue Reading

• Your shout: Tax system, piracy and jobs

  Have your say at computerweekly.com  Continue Reading

• Outsourcing power play

  Customers must negotiate better to redress balance  Continue Reading

• Honesty is key to better tax system

  The drive for honesty, accountability and openness in government and business has been central to several successful Computer Weekly campaigns. It is also a vital force behind our new campaign for a more transparent, low-cost and responsive tax ...  Continue Reading

• Microsoft gives push to mobile market vision

  Microsoft's push e-mail strategy was finally unveiled by chief executive Steve Ballmer at this month's TechEd 2005 developers conference in Florida.  Continue Reading

• DPM's diary: CP bound

  The first hot weather of the year sees the return of a few old challenges to the department.  Continue Reading

• How do I become a business analyst?

  I am 24 and have a BSc in busienss IT. How do I become a business analyst?  Continue Reading

• Mobile means agile

  A survey by Morgan Stanley revealed that mobile and wireless systems are one of the top three priorities for business spending in 2004/2005.  Continue Reading

• Your shout: On the implementation of NHS smartcards

  Readers put their point of view  Continue Reading

• Planning an escape route

  Negotiate termination rights at the start of a contract  Continue Reading

• A CIOstands up for openness

  Steve Lamey, chief information officer at the newly merged HM Revenue and Customs, has set himself the task of removing major inefficiencies. He has discovered, for example, that staff in each of the UK's 72 tax offices do things differently.  Continue Reading

• Get it in writing on outsourcing

  Pre-nuptial agreements should not just be the prerogative of Hollywood stars  Continue Reading

• Line up to do the business

  It's time for more practical steps to business alignment  Continue Reading

• Your shout: Recruiters in the spotlight

  Readers put their point of view  Continue Reading

• Reliability and performance testing is the only way to guarantee quality of service

  If you want a successful IP network, test it before, during and after implementation  Continue Reading

• Infrared meets speed and security needs

  Bluetooth and its ilk may be making the news, but there is an alternative, and in the battle for wireless networks the...  Continue Reading

• Should you plump for a fat or thin wireless Lan?

  Off-the-shelf products may appeal, but it is worth remembering that you get what you pay for  Continue Reading

• Is Blair really listening?

  Complaints from business about the "burden of regulation" are almost as clich'd as Tony Blair and Gordon Brown's claims that...  Continue Reading

• Book profile: Clarity of purpose is foundation of success

  Be decisive in pinning down supporters and goals at the outset  Continue Reading

• Use the power of the people's IT

  Security, security and security are the three big priorities for many IT directors these days. Along with worms and viruses,...  Continue Reading

• Win the web name game

  Avoid domain name conflict with a few simple steps  Continue Reading

• Tactics for winning the information battle

  Synchronisation of corporate data across disparate systems is vital to give the business the intelligence it needs to compete,...  Continue Reading

• Letters: SMS, e-terror, recruitment

  Readers have their say  Continue Reading

• Cybercrime fight under-funded as millions 'wasted' on software piracy convictions

  National Hi-Tech Crime Unit should give piracy a lower priority  Continue Reading

• Budgets: the art of spending well

  Be sure your investment strategy has a clear client focus  Continue Reading

• Your shout: security, outsourcing, recruitment

  Readers have their say  Continue Reading

• E-learning versus classroom courses: a question of value

  Fads generate millions of devotees, deliver results for a short period and then suddenly fail, leaving fans dejected and...  Continue Reading

• Toward a step change in IT professionalism

  Following the general election, government CIO Ian Watmore sets out his agenda for change in the first of a series of exclusive...  Continue Reading

• Procurement: make it pay to be ahead of the pack

  "Nobody ever got fired for buying IBM" was a maxim of the industry for many years. While the phrase certainly reflected the...  Continue Reading

• Recruitment in disarray?

  Common sense on jobs will bridge the skills gap  Continue Reading

• Your shout: Skills, security and communications

  Have your say at computerweekly.com  Continue Reading

• Eclipse offers adaptable IDEs for Java and C++ programming work

  Eclipse is the chosen platform for constantly evolving IDEs  Continue Reading

• Next move: Do I finish my MSc or gain technical skills?

  Our panel of experts answer your IT problems  Continue Reading

• Outsourcing: be clear, be organised

  Outsourcing works best when the company thoroughly understands what it is buying and why it is buying it.  Continue Reading

• Are you an unrecognised sleeping leader waiting to rise to the corporate summit?

  In the third of four exclusive articles, David Taylor, author of best-selling management book The Naked Leader, shares the skills...  Continue Reading

• Taking the lead in global digital excellence

  Labour aims to end digital divide and improve public service delivery  Continue Reading

• Targets mean nothing if IT does not deliver

  Lib Dems say user experience is true measure of e-government success  Continue Reading

• Developers should be encouraged to write security into the code for new applications

  Securing applications is as important as securing systems but is often overlooked  Continue Reading

• Don't become a sitting duck

  IT departments are fighting an increasingly fraught battle to keep their systems free of security vulnerabilities  Continue Reading

• Information security: Seeing the big picture

  Information security is about securely bringing together the organisation's two most important assets - information and people.  Continue Reading

• Application lifecycle management tools improve the life expectancy of IT projects

  Don't underestimate the benefits of managing applications throughout their use  Continue Reading

• Don't fear e-terror hype

  The evidence fails to support the doom-mongers  Continue Reading

• Your shout: Security and skills

  Have your say at computerweekly.com  Continue Reading

• Blogs: footprints in cyberspace

  Employees and employers need to be wary of blogging  Continue Reading

• It's a long road to genuine cost cuts

  Some Conservative and Labour politicians talk about cutting waste as if central government's excesses were stacked up like tins...  Continue Reading

• Cut bureaucracy and build for the future

  In the first of three articles by the major political parties, the Conservatives explain their stance on IT issues and how they...  Continue Reading

• Seeing the big picture

  Information security is about securely bringing together the organisation's two most important assets - information and people.  Continue Reading

• Adobe/Macromedia to offer alternative to MS

  Adobe’s £1.8bn acquisition of Macromedia is major news for the software industry, although not altogether surprising. Macromedia...  Continue Reading

• Your shout: Careers, skills and security

  Have your say at computerweekly.com  Continue Reading

• Voice over IP: finding a balance between flexible access and risk of external attack

  The maturity of internet telephony technology opens up network safety concerns  Continue Reading

• IT employers need to grow their own skills to stave off shortages

  Vacancies for skilled and experienced IT staff have more than doubled over the past 12 months and for most skills they are back...  Continue Reading

• Combine to beat crime

  The IT industry must work together to do more to protect itself and help the police bring cybercriminals to justice  Continue Reading

• Identify security gaps

  A three-step process will let you bridge the divide between your current security regime and a more robust system  Continue Reading

• Know your partners

  Whether compliance is seen as a distraction or a useful tool, someone has to marshal and present the facts  Continue Reading

• Babies and bathwater

  Throwing away your spam filter so it cannot prevent crucial messages reaching your inbox rather misses the point  Continue Reading

• Join the programme

  InfoSecurity Forum standard will help firms draft a comprehensive best-practice plan of action for security  Continue Reading

• Defining the real spyware

  Some anti-spyware products may leave you no better off  Continue Reading

• Plug-and-play perils

  Portable data storage may be convenient, but pen-sized high-capacity devices are becoming the latest threat  Continue Reading

• More than lip service

  The test of regulatory compliance is business process change and ensuring employees are not your biggest threat  Continue Reading

• Lock up data or lose it

  Confidential data leakage can be devastating, but the cause is often ignorance rather than malicious intent  Continue Reading

• The race for power

  Forty years ago Gordon Moore predicted with uncanny accuracy how the computer industry would evolve, revolutionising businesses...  Continue Reading

• Building bridges is just the start

  Tomorrow's launch of the Strategic Supplier Relationship Group is an important landmark in the development of our industry.  Continue Reading

• Neither thin nor fat, the smart client model could offer users the best of both worlds

  Microsoft is 'betting big' on hybrid approach to application management  Continue Reading

• Next move: Project management

  The question  Continue Reading

• Your shout: Skills, agile programming and RFID

  Have your say at computerweekly.com  Continue Reading

• Software industry told it must learn from the past and stop acting like 'hairdressers'

  Software development is generally more like a fashion industry than professional engineering because IT specialists fail to learn...  Continue Reading

• Guide spells out key risks of Basel 2

  A guide about the forthcoming Basel 2 code on risk management has been published by consultancy BearingPoint.  Continue Reading

• Make suppliers take responsibility

  In a further extract from his book, computer security expert Bruce Schneier looks at where to apply pressure to improve products  Continue Reading

• Review IT department's structure to improve efficiency

  To operate more effectively, large IT departments should review their complex structure and prioritise projects, Forrester...  Continue Reading

• UK can't see its own skills

  "Skills shortage" is largely due to sidelining SMEs  Continue Reading

• Compliance can help

  Increasing regulatory requirements should not be seen simply as a business burden. Organised and implemented policies can deliver...  Continue Reading

• Good IT wears a human face

  It is unfortunate that the public is often most aware of IT when it goes wrong, or when organisations use it to provide...  Continue Reading

• Your shout: cybercrime, ageism and business continuity

  Have your say at computerweekly.com  Continue Reading

• RFID: a threat to privacy?

  Surveillance is becoming much easier thanks to radio frequency identification (RFID) technology - a fact not lost on...  Continue Reading

• Strategy Clinic: What makes a good IT manager for SMEs?

  Our panel of experts answer your IT problems  Continue Reading

• E-law needs a champion

  Appoint an e-crime minister to co-ordinate the fight  Continue Reading

• There will always be 'must have' security - but can you identify the 'don't need'?

  The first step to managing risk is to identify the dangers to your organisation  Continue Reading

• You can lead a horse...

  There is a valuable lesson to be learnt from the International Petroleum Exchange's drawn-out shift to online trading  Continue Reading

• Mean business to beat IT blues

  If there is such a thing as a free lunch, it looks as if we in the IT industry ate ours last year. 2004 saw a burst of IT...  Continue Reading

• Control mobile workers' access to devices to protect the firm from security breaches

  Different levels of security policy must be set to protect access to information  Continue Reading

• Your shout: Have your say on ageism contributing to the skills shortage

  In response to Next Move (Computer Weekly, 15 March) where the question was whether 37 is too old to be a network engineer  Continue Reading

• Take the initiative on security certification to meet the demands of corporate partners

  Signing up to security standards such as BS7799 could ease pressure on SMEs, says Arthur Barnes  Continue Reading

• Your shout: Patents, careers and project management

  Have your say at computerweekly.com  Continue Reading

• Pay-as-you-go politics

  IT must call procurement shots in move to on-demand  Continue Reading

• Don't let test data open a security loophole

  Using real business data to test new applications is vital, but take precautions, says David Chalmers  Continue Reading

• Your shout! On alternatives to 'users' and 'the business'

  In response to Naked Leader David Taylor's first monthly column (Computer Weekly 22 February)  Continue Reading