Opinion

Opinion

• Government proposals to cut permit bureaucracy lack steel

  Tony Haque, a solicitor with Baker & McKenzie, wonders if the new permit plans will stem the skills crisis  Continue Reading

• Y2K firm leaves UK

  Greenwich Mean Time, the company run by one of Britain's best known year 2000 gurus, Karl Feilder, is to close down its British...  Continue Reading

• Your department has a virus: ditching the 'negs' is the cure

  The CEO, and board-level peers, are important power bases for the IT director to be aware of, and act on. But there is a force...  Continue Reading

• ASPs face a multi-platform challenge

  
  
  Erich Clementi

  Soapbox

  The Internet explosion is causing a tidal wave of transactions. By 2003 more than 500 million people will...

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• Firms quit UK over RIP Bill

  I've heard that petrochemical firms and several banks have been quietly taking their international secure IT processing out of the UK - to Ireland, Singapore and the US.  Continue Reading

• IT mix drives Jamjar

  Direct Line is using both in-house and outsourced solutions to reap the benefits of two new online ventures, writes Julia Vowler  Continue Reading

• UKCMG: e-business won't save mainframe

  
  
  

  It was like turkeys waiting for Christmas. The UKCMG, the bastion of mainframe computer users, has voted against the mainframe in a debate on platforms...

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• Market picks up after Y2K embargo

  Happy days are here again! After the delayed pick-up in work after the Y2K lockdown, it looks like the UK software and services...  Continue Reading

• Microsoft break-up will not benefit the users

  Microsoft, which the US Department of Justice wants broken up, now has to tell District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson what he...  Continue Reading

• Love Bug prompts security shake-up

  Cost of lax security hits home as virus takes a heavy toll worldwide  Continue Reading

• Achieving start-up vitality in a well-established set-up

  
  
  David Taylor

  Inside track

  Go into any new company, one that is just starting out. Witness the enthusiasm, energy and excitement...

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• Could you cope with success?

  
  
  Toby Poston

  Editor

  Everbody working on an e-business project hopes that it will be a winner - but have you ever considered the...

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• Anti-trust remedy splits Microsoft into two parts

  
  
  David Bicknell

  Users have welcomed the US Department of Justice's plans to split Microsoft into two companies - one focusing on...

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• Measuring business benefit

  How can you justify any investment in e-business projects? Are there any methodologies for calculating return on investments, or...  Continue Reading

• How can I get into contracting?

  Advice on how to break into the contracting market  Continue Reading

• Page impressions: Waterstones takes to the web

  Sue Jenvey, Internet marketing manager, Waterstones explains how the bookseller's brand straddles both online and High Street...  Continue Reading

• MPs to quiz stock exchange senior management over systems crash

  
  
  Political Reporter

  An all-party committee of MPs is investigating last month's London Stock Exchange computer crash.

  They are to...

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• Time for the fast followers

  Charlie Blackburn explains why traditional firms have to lose their lethargy if they are to make their market muscle count in the...  Continue Reading

• Stymied by standards

  
  
  John Riley

  Groundswell

  The lack of standards in e-procurement is proving a major bottleneck, of rapidly mounting concern to...

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• Most users will use mobile Internet

  
  
  Guy Campos

  Readers have given are sounding thumbs-up to the broadband mobile Internet in this week's Computer Weekly/Harvey Nash...

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• Secret handshakes will empty our pockets for a PC

  History may yet look back at the launch of Microsoft's PocketPC operating system as the new century's first true example of a...  Continue Reading

• Heart stopping stock markets

  
  
  

  Last month, I went for a cardiac checkup. I lay on the couch with my eyes glued to the display as surround-sound speakers pumped out the sound of my blood...

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• Campaign promoting women in IT gets boost

  A campaign to attract more women into IT, and into engineering and science in general, to solve skills shortages has been...  Continue Reading

• Netstore float bucks the dotcom slide

  
  
  Ian Mitchell

  City briefing

  Last week saw the successful flotation of Netstore, the UK's first "pure play" application services...

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• Relax and survive: get more out of work - and life

  
  
  David Taylor

  Inside track

  In your final moments on this earth, how many of you will look back on your lives and say, "I really...

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• Let's get tough on users of unlicensed software

  We need muscle to combat software sharp practice  Continue Reading

• Time to get real - or die

  Most manufacturers, retailers and distributors are facing intense price wars and the threat of losing major customers has never...  Continue Reading

• When off-the-wall is spot on

  Developing an effective e-commerce strategy demands an approach that breaks free from the old corporate straitjacket. Even the...  Continue Reading

• Three stage solution to directors' dilemmas

  
  
  Directors' Dilemmas by Patrick Dunne

  Kogan Page

  price £12.99

  The "win-win" scenario might have become a...

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• Crazy games for crazy guys

  Setting up consultancy Craze with his brother-in-law provided Adam Reynolds with the opportunity to put development ideas into...  Continue Reading

• Antitrust judgment is bad news for consumers

  
  
  Jack Schofield

  Opinion

  Silicon Valley has, as expected, triumphed over Microsoft. But it's been hurt by the rebound. Following...

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• Who gains from portals?

  
  
  In a world full of e-business hype, it is nice to see one user company produce some numbers this week, even if they are estimates.

  Car giant...

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• Tomorrow wreaks revenge on today

  It was somewhat ironic that the IT industry's trade body, the CSSA, should choose as the theme 'Tomorrow came today' for last...  Continue Reading

• UK dotcom needs DSL

  The two-year wait for DSL could be disastrous for the UK dotcom  Continue Reading

• Ready to sacrifice Windows for open source mania?

  
  
  Simon Moores

  Tech Talk

  It's encouraging to see that intelligent debate is alive and well within the industry. Most recently, IR35...

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• When it's right to break rules

  
  
  John Riley

  Groundswell

  At least once in their career an airline pilot is likely to need to break the rules to escape a tricky...

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• Strengthen your argument for IT investment

  Our expert panel advises on the difficult task of setting out a business case for IT investment for e-commerce.  Continue Reading

• Five steps to project prowess

  
  
  David Taylor

  Inside track

  When I started in electronic data processing, five out of 10 projects failed to meet the needs of the...

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• Dotcom survivors

  
  
  It's too soon to assess the impact of the share price crash on the world of IT. But one thing is certain: as Internet start-ups fail, there will be a lot...  Continue Reading

• Dumb cash, dumb ideas

  
  
  E-business

  As recent events show, despite all the hype which has surrounded dotcoms, traditional bricks and mortar companies are still the...

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• Watch out, Big Brother's here

  
  
  John Riley

  Groundswell

  Beware suppliers offering juicy Web-based, one-to-one, drill-down customer relationship management...

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• As giant tumbles, stock market falls

  
  
  Ian Mitchell

  City Briefing

  What a rollercoaster ride last week was! It had everything from a threatened compulsory break-up of...

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• What the flat structure approach to business processes failed

  
  
  david taylor

  Inside Track

  One of the big fads of the last 10 years was the so called "flat structures". Business process...

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• Users call on Microsoft to stop wasting money

  
  
  Users have told Microsoft to accept defeat in its Department of Justice case, and spend the time and money it will save by delivering stable...  Continue Reading

• When success is not profit

  When the US leader in business-to-business still can't make a profit what hope is there for lesser mortals? Will turning its...  Continue Reading

• Lord Mayor calls for e-business hallmark

  
  
  John Riley

  Plans to create a distinctive UK e-commerce hallmark for the City-based financial services industry moved a step forward...

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• How to find an analyst you can trust

  With so many analysts bombarding you with their opinion read what our panel expert has to say on the subject of sorting the wheat...  Continue Reading

• Counter Net crime with a dose of classroom ethics

  Tony Blair is worried that a lack of computers at school and high charges for Internet access might leave British kids falling...  Continue Reading

• The great e-escape

  Steve Gandy heads Quip! the e-telco backed by his former employer, BT. He tells Helen Beckett about life without the corporate...  Continue Reading

• The name change short-change

  When I read of yet another mega merger, I always wonder who is going to have to pay how much to whom to have the name change...  Continue Reading

• Outsourcers must speed up to meet growing demands

  
  
  David Bicknell

  E-business

  If outsourcers want to keep their customers happy and competitive, they will need to offer a faster...

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• Computer weekly comment

  
  
  It may take several years before the fate of Microsoft is finally decided, but breaking up this software superpower is not the right...  Continue Reading

• Wap: a rocky road lies ahead

  
  
  You cannot read a newspaper anywhere in the world right now that does not feature a piece at some point in the week on "the Wap phenomenon" and how we will all...  Continue Reading

• Boos for boo.com: an example of how not to do it

  
  
  The online clothing retailer Boo.com is in many ways exemplary - in the sense that it offers a perfect example of how not to do an e-commerce site....  Continue Reading

• Connect with your Intranet

  
  
  David Taylor

  Inside Track

  The new global agenda is on everyone's lips. Any organisation that follows the simple rule, that there...

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• ASP potential set to make big impact

  
  
  Ian Mtchell

  City Briefing

  I have been a believer in the application service provider (ASP) business model for some time, partly...

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• A time for nifty footwork from ISPs

  
  
  Toby Poston

  It has been a busy month for Internet service providers. In reaction to a move made by their rivals, BT and Freeserve, two of the...

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• Council of users helps Microsoft reshape models

  
  
  John Riley

  A dozen top UK users, including Marks & Spencer, the Woolwich and Credit Suisse First Boston, have directly helped reshape...

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• ISPs need legal clarity

  
  
  The case of Godfrey-v-Demon - the Internet libel case settled out of court last week - leaves IT professionals mystified and concerned as to what it means...  Continue Reading

• We must get the framework right

  The e-minister plans to make interoperability standards mandatory, in pursuit of open government  Continue Reading

• Good time for technology start-ups

  
  
  Ian Mitchell

  Following last week's budget, there has never been a better time to join a start-up technology company. The Chancellor has improved...

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• Big Blue demonstrates lack of original zing

  Lou Gerstner has saved IBM. The problem is, he doesn't have a clue what to do next. Big Blue has become Big Grey  Continue Reading

• "E" stands for ethics

  
  
  Consider this business arrangement. I will do business with you only if you can provide me with supplies more cheaply and faster than anyone else. Even if...  Continue Reading

• What matters most is getting the job done

  
  
  John Riley

  Groundswell

  Choosing a new supplier is as fraught and as tempestuous as the forging of any new personal relationship....

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• Users fill void with non-IT graduates

  
  
  The failure of universities to keep pace with the demand for skilled IT staff is encouraging employers to turn to graduates from the arts and other disciplines...  Continue Reading

• IT look to big cheese

  
  
  Mark Lewis

  If you've attended any IT conferences recently, you may have been surprised to see fellow delegates spending their coffee breaks...

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• IT has a major role to play as Best Value takes effect

  The Government's Best Value regime is about to come into force. Its aim is to shake up the delivery and assessment of local...  Continue Reading

• Developing Web commerce skills

  
  
  I am a 24-year-old analyst programmer with two years' experience developing business applications. My main skills are C and Unix. I am currently...  Continue Reading

• Engage right brain

  
  
  An IT department's credibility is based on perception rather than performance, and is influenced more by its relationship with management and political...  Continue Reading

• Pocket PC OS: a Microsoft in the hand

  It's not often you hear me getting excited about Microsoft, but earlier this month, the company invited me to Seattle to hear the...  Continue Reading

• Access for all as Wap walls come down

  
  
  Antony Savvas

  Mobile phone operators are pulling down their "walled gardens" to allow any company to have their corporate Web sites read by mobile...

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• Expert warns of ERP perils

  Failure to implement change-management is behind the performance dip suffered by companies post-ERP roll-out Hooman Bassirian  Continue Reading

• IT managers welcome apprenticeship scheme

  
  
  Mike Simons

  Most IT users would be happy to take on school leavers or graduates as apprentices.

  The Computer Weekly/Harvey Nash...

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• Income tax IT row harms Government programme

  
  
  Mike Simons

  The Inland Revenue is deeply concerned that competition between outsourcers will undermine moves towards "joined-up...

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• If they don't click on, you could click off

  
  
  

  John Riley

  Groundswell

  Can you imagine the destructive effect on your business of your company not responding to a third of...

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• Will Sun see the light over open sourcing?

  If Sun is a company that truly wishes to embrace the open source philosophy then we should welcome an open source version of its...  Continue Reading

• Barclays has infrastructure to get e-banking right

  
  
  John Riley

  "A big world needs a big bank" is the message Barclays Bank is trying to put across in its new advertising campaign.

  And it seems...

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• MPs probe Chinook

  Parliament's most powerful select committee has begun enquiries into software problems on the Chinook helicopter that crashed  Continue Reading

• E-business boom set to deepen skills crisis

  A long-term view can help avert an IT skills crisis.  Continue Reading

• Bloated Web sites frustrate even the unmetered Net user

  
  
  Free (unmetered) Internet use is sweeping the UK. And while it's changing the way people use the Net, I don't think it will affect the backlash against bloated...  Continue Reading

• CSL admits benefit IT chaos

  
  
  Mike Simons

  IT outsourcing company CSL is failing to deliver an adequate service on more than half of its housing benefits...

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• Free Internet access - but at a price

  Antony Savvas looks at the free Internet access packages launched, what's on offer and any hidden problems  Continue Reading

• Co-op to save cash from IT merger

  
  
  Bill Goodwin

  IT will play a key role in reducing costs following the merger of the two largest players in the co-operative movement...

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• Internet voting has huge impact on US state election

  
  
  The voters of Arizona, USA, may just have made political history. Eighty thousand of them turned out in a presidential primary that was already as good as won...  Continue Reading

• Judgment puts IT users in the firing line on purchasing

  Until now IT users have usually won the backing of judges when suing their supplier over a flawed system. Now a ground-breaking...  Continue Reading

• Typecast for action?

  The dynamic world of e-commerce demands that ideas are put into action. But are you employing the right people? Mark Lewis...  Continue Reading

• Thomas Cook integrates Web and back-office to offer two million holidays online

  
  
  Thomas Cook has integrated its Web site with its back office systems to offer any of two million holidays online, writes Guy Campos.

  The agency...

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• European innovation is driving IT revolution

  
  
  John Riley

  There was much razzmatazz when Ford announced recently that it is providing PCs with Internet access to all its employees. But...

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• Users face uncertainty future with Baan

  Following Baan's sell-off of its Coda financial application family, users were warned last week that more products are likely to...  Continue Reading

• Tivoli offers management agents for palm handheld

  Tivoli has announced a roadmap to provide systems management on handheld computers, cable modems and, at a later date, mobile...  Continue Reading

• Blowing the froth off e-tailers

  
  
  Are you thinking of investing in lastminute.com? If so, be honest. Have you concluded it is an excellent company that is going to win a significant amount of...  Continue Reading

• Users shy of PKIs

  
  
  Suppliers of public key infrastructure technology (PKI) are facing a market shakeout as users shun their marketing message.

  Suppliers such as RSA,...

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• Obituary: Alan Benjamin OBE

  
  
  Many of our readers will have heard of the death of Alan Benjamin OBE. Alan's contribution to our industry would be difficult to...  Continue Reading

• Your IT department: are you sitting on a goldmine?

  
  
  Is your IT department worth more than the business? On the face of it this may seem a ridiculous question, but given the valuations attached to IT...  Continue Reading

• You can't blame the boffins

  The flawed development of Chinook's systems holds vital lessons for IT managers.  Continue Reading

• When time is of the essence

  
  
  Mike Pilcher

  Opinion

  Most large-scale application development projects come in over budget, over time or unsuccessful. The...

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• IT is the business

  Sir John Harvey Jones complains that it is about time Britain saw the importance of IT to business and argues that if we don't we...  Continue Reading

• Health services lag behind general growth

  Spending on IT in the NHS is growing - but not as fast as the average for the whole economy. Behind the figures, say IT...  Continue Reading

• Does HP's ePC herald the era of the disposable machine?

  
  
  Everyone knows that the cost of PCs has fallen over the past 20 years. However, not enough people have taken the idea to its logical conclusion: that...  Continue Reading

• Boo.com fails to live up to the hype

  
  
  Isabel Choat

  Call me old-fashioned but one of the pleasures of clothes shopping is being able to flick through a rail of the season's latest...

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