Opinion

Opinion

• Nats: accept the facts, take action

  It is vital that Nats executives recognise there are problems with Swanwick's air traffic systems  Continue Reading

• Hoist by our own ROI petard

  ITmanagers who use suppliers' calculations of return on investment to justify the investment in IT in their organisations now, in...  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

• Opinion: Reclaim your rightful role as enabler in the business

  As IT leaders, it is entirely our choice as to whether we lead our departments in cost-saving or in real, measurable profit...  Continue Reading

• Tech talk: Long odds on the Tablet PC

  History suggests that Microsoft's Tablet PC will struggle to make its mark in businesses.  Continue Reading

• Thought for the Day:Don't let copyright stymie IT innovation

  Research wizard Peet Morris gives his personal take on the hot issue of the day.As far as I can tell, a .doc file is,...  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

• Thought for the day:Expensive medicine?

  Hard-hitting IT columnist Simon Moores gives his personal take on the hot issue of the day.This week, I'm feeling a little...  Continue Reading

• Nats PPP: Labour's poll tax on wings?

  Labour's 1997 manifesto promised better standards and safety for the UK's airspace. But at the start of a new millennium, has its...  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

• Intelligent about culture

  Culture wields a strong influence over us all. At the national level, it defines, among other things, how we are brought up and...  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:Three cheers for the home office

  Hard-hitting IT columnist Simon Moores gives his personal take on the hot issue of the day.Ever had one of those days? I'm sure...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:Are blades really cutting edge?

  Hard-hitting IT columnist Simon Moores gives his personal take on the hot issue of the day.This industry has a talent for taking...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:The price of telecoms continuity

  Telecoms law expert Clive Douglas wonders how safe our networks are in the event of a supplier going under.Businesses concerned...  Continue Reading

• Tech talk: Wintel's cornucopia of choices

  Corporate IT people who think that all Wintel systems are the same are living in the past.  Continue Reading

• Weakest links are your staff

  Kevin Mitnick, who was jailed after he stole the source code for Sun's Solaris operating system and hacked Tsutomu Shimomura's...  Continue Reading

• Big five suppliers map out service-based future for IT

  Disparities in the wealth and power of nations have been thrown into the spotlight at the Johannesburg Earth Summit. A few rich...  Continue Reading

• Inland Revenue washes its hands

  Draconian measures over NI data cleansing are an arrogant shirking of responsibility by the Revenue  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

• Thought for the day:The OS security dilemma

  Hard-hitting IT columnist Simon Moores gives his personal take on the hot issue of the day.Security - or, should I say,...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:IT sorcerers have lost their magic

  Incisive columnist and IT expert Colin Beveridge looks at a hot issue of the day.Once upon a time, in a land far away, a wicked...  Continue Reading

• Getting Wired: Business will be caught in the battle for Net freedom

  Users will suffer as corporate bullying over online practices increases.  Continue Reading

• Telcos seek network revamp to make data pay

  Fierce competition and flagging demand for plain old voice services is making the question of how to make money out of data the...  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

• Net is the key to linking systems

  Getting disparate systems to communicate used to require specialist knowledge, but the arrival of Internet technologies has...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:Spam rationing - it's about time

  Hard-hitting IT columnist Simon Moores gives his personal take on the hot issue of the day.Microsoft's announcement that it will...  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

• Thought for the day:The power of collective bargaining

  Outsourcing and communications expert Martyn Hart looks at a hot issue of the day.If you asked the 70-odd members of the National...  Continue Reading

• Challenges for today's CIO: Global IT strategy

  Having no co-ordinated approach to IT across your company is a great way to waste money without really trying, says John Handby....  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:Sex-obsessed? Surely not...

  Hard-hitting IT columnist Simon Moores gives his personal take on the hot issue of the day.You won't believe this, but mention...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:Cat fights?

  Outsourcing and communications expert Martyn Hart looks at a hot issue of the day.S-CAT and G-CAT catalogues (generically X-CAT)...  Continue Reading

• Connected:Using the Internet to build your network

  In the third of his fortnightly series on communications, Antony Savvas considers how companies should evaluate IPVPN security...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:Trust me, I'm an e-government expert

  Incisive columnist and IT expert Colin Beveridge looks at a hot issue of the day.It's very nice to be popular, especially if you...  Continue Reading

• Taking lessons from disaster

  Terrorist attacks and supplier meltdown give impetus to revisiting business continuity plans.  Continue Reading

• Thought for the DayIf it ain't broke, don't fix it!

  Hard-hitting IT columnist Simon Moores gives his personal take on the hot issue of the day.Chairing a Microsoft Forums seminar on...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:Who's reading your e-mail?

  Hard-hitting IT columnist Simon Moores gives his personal take on the hot issue of the day.As I'm quite unused to sensible...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:The real world of Web services

  Hard-hitting IT columnist Simon Moores gives his personal take on the hot issue of the day.Web services are, as we know, a...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:The best things in life are free

  Research wizard Peet Morris gives his personal take on the hot issue of the day.The Web never ceases to astound me with the...  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

• No time for complacency

  The IT skills shortage has abated, but it will soon return if IT bosses fail to stay alert and invest  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

• Sun must cure its corporate schizophrenia

  Before the dotcom boom, Sun was the "sports car" supplier of the IT world - selling to tech-savvy IT directors looking for a...  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

• Web services get real

  Web services are a set of common IT standards wrapped around a business application that allow it to interact with any other...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:Don't mention the penguin

  Hard-hitting IT columnist Simon Moores gives his personal take on the hot issue of the day.Linux and Unisys don't sit easily...  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

• Thought for the day:Vote for Web democracy

  Research wizard Peet Morris looks at how you can influence the quality of the information you find on the Net.From very early on,...  Continue Reading

• Apple struggles with lame ducks

  Mac OS X is a winner, but Apple is hamstrung by slow chips and a 1970s business model.  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

• The real cost of telecoms bills

  The growing diversity of telecoms operators and products being used by companies will make it increasingly difficult to allocate...  Continue Reading

• Open source hits release 1.0

  The release of Mozilla 1.0 brings a complete open client and server solution a step closer  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:The ageist agenda behind recession

  Hard-hitting IT columnist Simon Moores gives his personal take on the hot issue of the day.My friend, a long-standing director of...  Continue Reading

• The case for contractors

  Our editorial of 15 August set the cat among the pigeons when it suggested that IT contractors struggling in the current economic...  Continue Reading

• Mega deals struggle with change

  The deal being forged by ABN Amro and EDS will fuel the ongoing debate over the wisdom of so-called "mega" IToutsourcing deals -...  Continue Reading

• Connected: Time to turn on to wireless?

  In the second of his fortnightly series on communications, Antony Savvas examines the security issues raised by wireless...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:The art of the contract

  Outsourcing and communications expert Martyn Hart looks at a hot issue of the day.Listening to Radio 4 the other day, I heard an...  Continue Reading

• UK taxpayers deserve better

  This has been an inauspicious week for online public services delivery in the UK. Last week, the Liberal Democrats said the...  Continue Reading

• End this CSA debacle

  Last week we learnt that a £200m IT system being developed by services giant EDS for the Child Support Agency (CSA) is £50m over...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:Linux - It's time to lose the beard!

  Hard-hitting IT columnist Simon Moores gives his personal take on the hot issue of the day.Linux again. And, once more, its time...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:Indian summer of outsourcing

  Legal expert Peter Hall asks if the benefits outweigh the risks of offshore deals.There has been a lot of publicity lately about...  Continue Reading

• Behind Closed Doors:IT projects don't always mean business

  These days everyone seems to want to present their projects as business initiatives. But when a project is pure IT with no ROI in...  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

• Thought for the day:When is a process not a process?

  Outsourcing and communications expert Martyn Hart looks at a hot issue of the day.Many suppliers and users boast about their...  Continue Reading

• Few tears shed for contractors

  Struggling IT contractors will find little sympathy among IT bosses who remember their Y2K antics.  Continue Reading

• Free MS upgrades are meaningless to most users

  It was a momentous week: there was darkness at noon, the undead walked the streets, and Microsoft Licensing v6 came into effect.  Continue Reading

• Getting Wired:Real opens up online media battle

  Can RealNetworks beat Microsoft by making key parts of its media players open source?  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:Is anybody working?

  Hard-hitting IT columnist Simon Moores gives his personal take on the hot issue of the day.I counted six men standing by the...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:More aggregation, less aggravation

  Hard-hitting IT columnist Simon Moores gives his personal take on the hot issue of the day.We are, it appears, leading an...  Continue Reading

• Connected: The high price of GPRS

  In the first of a fortnightly series, Antony Savvas uncovers the technology and management issues behind the big telecoms and...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: Have flat management structures gone flat?

  Outsourcing and communications expert Martyn Hart looks at a hot issue of the day.There is an "older" person that I see regularly...  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:Lack of broadband is leaving us gridlocked

  Research wizard Peet Morris gives his personal take on the hot issue of the day.One day, impractical, computationally intensive...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:Put a check in the post

  Hard-hitting IT columnist Simon Moores gives his personal take on the hot issue of the day.I had to visit my nearest Post Office...  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:Brits get uptight in laid-back Europe

  Hard-hitting IT columnist Simon Moores gives his personal take on the hot issue of the day.The large white sign ahead said...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:Open day at the Office

  Research wizard Peet Morris gives his personal take on the hot issue of the day.You know, I used to be well against the open...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:Business travel's going nowhere

  Online conference expert Mireia Fontbernat puts the case for staying home.Business travel is archaic, expensive and ineffective....  Continue Reading

• Security for free: Don't trust everything in e-mail

  E-mail security has several threads, as there is a wide range of vulnerabilities. We have all heard about the Love Bug, BadTrans,...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:In light of the bottom line

  Chief information officer Catherine Doran tackles a hot issue of the day.The history of technology adoption is well known:...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:Tend it like Beckham

  Outsourcing and communications expert Martyn Hart looks at a hot issue of the day.Judging by the e-mails we get it seems that the...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:Pass the e-mail parcel

  Incisive columnist and IT expert Colin Beveridge looks at a hot issue of the day.How many times a day do you play pass the parcel...  Continue Reading

• MoD remains unaccountable

  Whitehall has set a dangerous precedent by allowing the MoD to stand by its Chinook verdict  Continue Reading

• Opinion:Cash transfusion is not the right remedy for NHS IT

  The Government's plans for NHS ITmay be well-meaning, but the basis for change is not supported by the available evidence, even...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:Protect and survive Web services

  Iain Franklin gives his personal take on the hot issue of the day.Believe it or not, we have been talking about Web services...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:A little e-government is a dangerous thing

  Hard-hitting IT commentator Simon Moores gives his personal take on a hot issue of the day.It seems that the Chancellor has also...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day:Computer science and the Class of 2002

  Research wizard Peet Morris gives his personal take on the hot issue of the day.Yippee! I've got my Software Engineering Master...  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

• Inland Revenue is over a barrel

  Since late February the Inland Revenue has been seeking a strategic partner to deliver technology services when its ongoing...  Continue Reading

• Telcos: All things to all men?

  Telcos must choose: will they deliver content, networks or services?  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

• Opinion: Winning the Linux gamble

  I'm an equal opportunity employer. Really I am. I'm prepared to consider Linux as a serious operating alternative to anything...  Continue Reading