Opinion

Opinion

• Innovation out of recession: what’s ahead in 2011

  The technology sector has played a leading role in recovery from the downturn and IT departments will have to get to grips with being the brokers of IT services, writes Mark Settle, CIO of BMC Software.  Continue Reading

• The seven most common project management mistakes CIOs make

  CIOs spend much of their time identifying the right strategies for IT implementations, which invariably morph into projects and programmes, writes Raed Haddad.  Continue Reading

• Don’t let techno-babble cloud your judgement

  Robert Morgan believes businesses must fully understand what cloud computing actually is and what it means to them as 2011 inevitable brings with it a new wave of cloud hype in the outsourcing sector.  Continue Reading

• Why FTTC isn’t enough and how the UK might do more

  The UK government recently announced its strategy to deliver improved rural broadband services - one of the longstanding and well-documented problems facing the UK. The ambition to construct the best broadband network in Europe by 2015 is admirable,...  Continue Reading

• Fibre rates – time to repeal the modern equivalent of the window tax

  Why would anyone tax windows? Well it seemed like a good idea to some in late 17th century England and in 18th century Scotland and France  Continue Reading

• Saving money through software asset management

  In the midst of global financial uncertainty, it is becoming increasingly important for organisations to effectively manage and account for their software to help to optimise IT expenditure. A common misconception is that managing software assets is...  Continue Reading

• Government broadband strategy will fail unless fibre rates are challenged

  The government strategy for broadband fails to address the taxation of fibre-optic infrastructure and puts at risk the creation of a regulatory and policy environment which would allow the market to deliver.  Continue Reading

• Security Zone: More effort needed to manage third party connections

  We are increasingly aware that every day new hazards appear on the internet as the software and systems we use continue to develop vulnerabilities at alarming rates. At the same time, businesses crave the new functionality and features found in the ...  Continue Reading

• The legal considerations of cloud computing

  It's a misconception to think that all law firms are stuck in the technological dark ages.  Continue Reading

• CW Security Think Tank: How to prevent security breaches from personal devices in the workplace

  What are the most effective security practices for allowing employees to use their own computing devices while ensuring corporate data is secure? John...  Continue Reading

• Youngsters driving the cloud to tipping point, says Rangaswami

  Cloud has reached tipping point in enterprise and the younger generation of employees are driving it. JP Rangaswami, chief scientist at Salesforce.com, talks...  Continue Reading

• Opinion: Plugging the gaps in the government's broadband strategy

  The government has outlined its vision for Britain's superfast broadband service. Chris Conder, who has first-hand experience of community networks, has...  Continue Reading

• Stopping the cloud taking your IT career away

  Most industry observers recognise that cloud computing represents a radical and irreversible transformation in the way business uses technology.  Continue Reading

• Why data analytics must change

  Wanted: people with the ability to see the relationships in big data, says Stephen Brobst, CTO of Teradata  Continue Reading

• Women could fast track the alternative IT needs

  I often sing the praises of the multi-disciplinary education that I received at the University of Sussex in the early 1990s. I 'majored' in Social...  Continue Reading

• Refining the language of risk

  When it comes to risk analysis, one of the most important tools an IT executive can deploy is compelling language.  Continue Reading

• Security Zone: Cloud computing puts the spotlight on security architecture

  Security is still regularly cited as a blocker to the adoption of cloud services, or other shared services, or anything being delivered "as a service". Assurance...  Continue Reading

• Which IT suppliers will win in next 18 months?

  While virtually all private sector companies publicly acclaim news of a shrinking public sector, the reality is often quite different. For example, pharmaceutical...  Continue Reading

• Ten trends you cannot ignore

  Vice-president of Nucleus Research, Rebecca Wetteman, counts down 10 issues which should be top of the IT agenda.  Continue Reading

• Freedom of action: preventing paralysis from risk

  In today's competitive markets, businesses must work increasingly hard to ensure they eliminate incidents of risk that impact company reputation and market...  Continue Reading

• Career structures for IT professionals: HR toys or levers for change?

  As we come out of the recession, many companies are now busily engaged in revising their IT career structures. Some are driven by mergers: they need a single...  Continue Reading

• The new EU cookie rule – so, we need to get consent then?

  In October 2009 the European Commission adopted the Citizens Rights Directive, part of the reform package for the regulation of the electronic communications...  Continue Reading

• Will a UK technology hub really rival Silicon Valley?

  Earlier this month, prime minister David Cameron set out the government's ambitious plans to create a technology hub to rival Silicon Valley in London's...  Continue Reading

• How to collaborate: Six lessons from BT Expedite

  1. Have the commercial discussion early and agree the ground rules before you begin. Is the customer jointly funding a specific project or taking a stake in the supplier's product or even a wider business venture? Does the customer get an ...  Continue Reading

• Beyond PCI DSS: Protecting more than just card data

  The latest version of the PCI Data Security Standard, formally released last month (Version 2.0, 28 October 2010), gives merchants, service providers, auditors and banks an opportunity to briefly review how far (or not) the card payment industry has...  Continue Reading

• Clearer visibility of product roadmaps improves IT planning

  Today's organisations are operating at a time when IT budgets are tight and careful planning is essential. At the same time there is an ever-increasing demand on IT to support the business. While many IT departments would like to be more strategic ...  Continue Reading

• LTE: Will high speed mobile internet mean higher speed business?

  The next generation of mobile broadband offers us unrestricted internet, optimised infrastructure, ubiquitous access and increased opportunity.  Continue Reading

• Forrester: Harnessing mobile UC to transform the business

  The appeal of unified communications (UC) has been the convergence of all business communication applications across the range of enterprise interfaces, including the PC, telephone, web, and mobile  Continue Reading

• Hacking work: the businessman's Trojan

  People are increasingly bypassing corporate-supplied tools so they can do their job the way it really needs to be done.

  The way we organise work matters....

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• Security Zone: Mobile device management - chore or chance?

  There is an opportunity for organisations to realise cost savings by allowing staff to leverage their privately owned device to access their business correspondence  Continue Reading

• DNSSEC update

  On 1 July this year, a signed (DNSSEC-enabled) root zone was published by the 13 root name servers. DNSSEC prevents hackers from redirecting traffic from...

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• Spending Review: Prepare for the insider threat as staff are squeezed

  The growing uncertainty across the public sector workforce attracts a number of risks and opportunities around staff behaviour. Public sector leaders need...

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• Apps will make the smart grid worthwhile

  The timetable for the UK's energy grid will be driven by a combination of political, regulatory, technical, economic and market factors, but it will be the...

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• Exploiting knowledge for project value

  Free copy of project management research for Computer Weekly readers  Continue Reading

• Time for the UK to act on cybercrime

  Until now, the coalition government, and the Labour government before it, has merely paid lip-service to the threat posed by serious cybercrime.  Continue Reading

• Vote in the Computer Weekly IT Blog Awards 2010

  Vote in the Computer Weekly IT Blog Awards 2010 - voting will end on the 19 November.  Continue Reading

• The only way is tough – the future of data protection law

  Not many IT professionals will have failed to notice that data protection law is toughening up. And most of the momentum is attributable to HM Revenue & Customs…  Continue Reading

• Tightening the reins – getting a grip on mobile device management

  Today's workforce is becoming increasingly mobile, which can result in a number of new security concerns for ICT directors, ranging from mobile malware to the loss of confidential business information…  Continue Reading

• Mac vs PC: Which should I buy?

  Which is better – Macs or PCs? Computer Weekly content editor Faisal Alani gives his opinion on their respective advantages and disadvantages  Continue Reading

• Why banks are wary of public clouds

  Banks have traditionally kept close control of their IT, supporting large in-house teams and, until recently, building their own datacentres.  Continue Reading

• How to avoid getting caught out by Oracle Unlimited Licence Agreements

  Oracle is one of the most popular databases for business-critical applications among large enterprises, and this popularity is growing.  Continue Reading

• Security Zone: Faking IT support

  There is plenty of fakery of all sorts in the IT business, and the security sector has seen more than its fair share  Continue Reading

• Make mobility standard business practice

  A recent Forrester survey shows CIOs are making mobile expansion a priority. In fact, while mobile is front and centre for 62% of CIOs and IT leaders across the globe, 16% see it as a critical priority, and a striking 46% see it as a high ...  Continue Reading

• The hidden costs of a private cloud

  The phrases "private cloud" and "public cloud" have become commonplace, but when you think about the benefits of a real cloud computing environment, the hype around a private cloud doesn't measure up  Continue Reading

• How the changing nature of IT sourcing will redefine CIO roles

  Commoditisation is sweeping the IT world as core business systems, once the sole domain of in-house IT, are outsourced, shared, or floated out into the cloud…  Continue Reading

• What you need to know about the Equality Act 2010

  October sees the main provisions of the Equality Act 2010 coming into force, in a move to update the anti-discrimination laws protecting individuals with disabilities and their rights to access online material. The changes will place further ...  Continue Reading

• IT alignment – it’s not rocket science, it just takes passion

  Many industry observers talk about the gap between business managers and IT professionals. But with the right strategies in place, this gap need not be troublesome. In fact, with the best strategies, there should not be a gap in the first place.  Continue Reading

• 360°IT: CIO vs CIO - the evolution of the species

  The speed at which the IT industry has developed and altered the way we all live and work has not been matched by a similar level of acceptance for the individuals who research, develop and deploy the technology as professionals.  Continue Reading

• Security Zone: An open source approach to web application security

  By following some practical steps companies can build a cost-effective web application security programme by using tools, documents and procedures developed by volunteers from open source organisations such as OWASP and WASC.  Continue Reading

• 360IT: Smart IT needs heroes

  Information technology is now central to almost every organisation's success. Without it, we'd be in the technology dark ages, writes ex-CIO Denise Plumpton.  Continue Reading

• Six reasons why the NHS National Programme For IT failed

  Like many men, I don't go to the doctor very often. The last time I did, I was with my GP for 25 minutes: five minutes discussing my symptoms and 20 minutes helping her to understand how to use her new computer system to record my symptoms, her ...  Continue Reading

• The problem with patents

  A near hysterical debate has broken out in the world of patent law surrounding the news that one of Paul Allen's companies, Interval Licensing LLC, has filed...

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• Uncovering the hidden costs of fragmented data

  CIOs are throwing money away if they do not regularly defragment their virtualised systems, says Thomas Doria, business development manager for Diskeeper EMEA  Continue Reading

• Security think tank: Value added cloud security services

  What can be done better in the cloud and can it really be safer than hosting on-site?  Continue Reading

• Wikileaks highlights need for better data access control

  Whistleblowing site WikiLeaks has caused controversy in the US as highly confidential government data has found its way on to the site and into the public arena.  Continue Reading

• The growing security threat from mobile phone apps

  It was only a matter of time, but it looks like mobile applications are now sufficiently ubiquitous to attract the serious attention of cyber criminals.  Continue Reading

• Don’t just rely on technology to cut emissions, green IT is about people too

  Since 2007 the IT sector has reduced annual CO2 emissions by more than 32 million metric tons worldwide, but efforts so far have largely focused on low-hanging fruit…  Continue Reading

• The Corporate IT Forum: Users are human and part of the risk matrix

  Dani Briscoe, services manager, The Corporate IT Forum (Tif), points out that secure user authentication is a difficult balancing-act for IT security professionals.  Continue Reading

• Gartner: What matters is risk-appropriate authentication

  A glib answer to the first part of the question would be, "No. We have already passed that stage." But that would not be universally true.  Continue Reading

• ISF: Federated identity services may be the way forward

  In a world where users expect access any time, any place, anywhere, the days of an employee just sitting at an office desk in front of a desktop PC and accessing 'the network' by entering a single username and password are long gone  Continue Reading

• ISACA: more complexity delivers security, but not without cost

  We are all familiar with the string of characters '12345' - according to some articles it was the most commonly used password at the dawn of the internet. Passwords are used on a daily basis to access online applications or systems.  Continue Reading

• ISSA: Strike a balance between security and co-operation

  "George?" Not normally a question that requires an answer, but this was the challenge used by the American airborne during Operation Huskey one in WWII to identify each other during night operations.  Continue Reading

• ISC2: The more complex the technology, the greater risk users will bypass it

  Are we reaching a stage where passwords need to be replaced by two- or even three-factor authentication methods and is there a future in federated identities?  Continue Reading

• Private sector IT can give cost-cutting lessons: an open letter to Francis Maude

  Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude has appealed for help from anyone who can help the government cut costs.  Continue Reading

• Patent ruling re-opens door to do business in the US

  A recent ruling in the US Supreme Court has made it possible once again for software manufacturers and other producers of computer-based business systems to seek patent protection in the US  Continue Reading

• IT contracts: standard terms & conditions explained

  Standard terms and conditions are used by most technology suppliers. We have noticed some themes developing over the past 12 months during contract negotiations…  Continue Reading

• Why in-sourcing ERP support makes good business sense

  Most companies use ERP systems to run part of their operations, often covering the back-office functions such as finance, HR and procurement, and many go even further, using ERP to run the core operational systems specific to their business.  Continue Reading

• Byte Night: Your chance to make a difference

  How did you sleep last night? Was your bed comfortable? How about those teeth - did you get a chance to brush them?  Continue Reading

• Security zone: Cultivating the secure mindset for systems development

  In speaking at the inaugural IT Decisions conference held in Birmingham last month, I asked delegates to consider how we can tackle the issue of software security with better decision making and what would be required to make this possible, writes ...  Continue Reading

• Death in cyberspace: Why you should leave your passwords in your will

  There is no escaping technology - even in death. Technology is something we need to consider when preparing a will. Think of this as a "personal business continuity plan".  Continue Reading

• Confessions of an unexpected CIO

  When an experienced chief information security officer took up a new role as CIO for a US Senate campaign, he found he had more to learn than he expected  Continue Reading

• Demonstrating innovation in local government IT

  The so called age of austerity may not be anything especially novel to those working in local government. Councils have been operating in a cash-constrained environment for some time and, as a result, they are a hotbed of IT-based innovation and ...  Continue Reading

• Cost control is in bringing offshore contracts back in-house

  Repatriating roles that had previously been moved offshore - or back-shoring as it has become known - is receiving increased coverage, both in the popular press and business journals. But such stories need to be put in context. Studies suggest that ...  Continue Reading

• Think tank: What is the ideal standpoint for security decisions?

  Are security decisions in companies made from an economic, organisational or technological standpoint and what is the ideal?  Continue Reading

• How to fine tune your ERP system and maximise value

  Large organisations have invested a lot in enterprise resource planning software. Although the value of these applications is unquestionable, many still fail to maximise their full functionality.  Continue Reading

• UK unlikely to follow German approach to wireless networks

  Following a court ruling in Germany, concern has been expressed that, under the Digital Economy Act, individuals may be responsible for copyright infringements that occur on their wireless networks  Continue Reading

• Getting value from the CISO

  The business has good cause to be dubious about the value that the CISO brings. Data loss incidents continue to occur with frequency and information security organisations are looking impotent as a result.  Continue Reading

• Security Zone: ITIL to integrate security management processes

  The enormous interest in the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) framework can really only be compared with the PRINCE2 Project Management methodology and the ISO 27000 series Information Security standards.  Continue Reading

• Rethinking contracting frameworks for effective multi-sourcing

  Sourcing trends go in cycles. For most of the past three decades customers of outsourcing services heavily favoured relying on a single provider to perform all related functions.  Continue Reading

• What the budget means for the IT sector

  I agree with Jos Creese that this emergency budget did not acknowledge the importance of IT to the public sector, writes Niki Dixon is Head of Technology at Grant Thornton.  Continue Reading

• Delivering more for less will force government to simplify processes

  We have talked of efficiency savings and good practice in the planning and procurement of government IT for over a decade. In the mid-1990s I chaired a group of more than 20 public sector heads of IT set the task of summarising a mountain of ...  Continue Reading

• IT Headaches for Continental and United Airlines

  The merger of United and Continental Airlines - soon to be known as United Airlines - will give the new company control of around seven per cent of routes worldwide and a fifth of all US flights.  Continue Reading

• How to achieve ERP success: part 3 - support and development

  As the new system enters its business as usual phase there needs to be an organisational structure in place to both support and develop the ERP solution on an ongoing basis. There are a number of ways of doing this - all with some advantages and ...  Continue Reading

• How to stop cookies stealing your personal information

  The Office of Fair Trading reported in May on the effects on consumers of online advertising presented as a result of tracking the user's online behaviour, writes Steve Smith, managing director at Pentura.  Continue Reading

• Think Tank: Are businesses ready to meet the requirements of e-discovery regulations?

  To what extent is e-discovery understood and accommodated by IT and the business?  Continue Reading

• Federated SOA – seven steps to success

  Organisations embarking on large-scale, company-wide service-oriented architecture initiatives should consider a federated approach to minimise costs and risks, while balancing flexibility at a local and organisation level,  Continue Reading

• Security Zone: An incident response function is essential for business

  There is an intriguing move underway to replace the often part-time security incident response teams or committees tasked with reacting to security incidents with a number of key dedicated full-time individuals and a more full-fledged function for ...  Continue Reading

• Review: iPhone 4 - FaceTime, iMovie, iBooks and a gyroscope

  Last night Apple unveiled it's newest version of the iPhone, the iPhone 4, with a faster processor, better screen and front and rear cameras for FaceTime video calling.  Continue Reading

• How complex event processing could help stop hooliganism at the World Cup

  As kick-off for the 2010 World Cup looms, security measures are ramping up. Earlier this month South African police released images of its police units in armoured uniform to deter crime and send a message to potential football hooligans that ...  Continue Reading

• Private data: balancing customer privacy against the need for useful data

  The interaction between customers and suppliers is simple: suppliers seek to meet customer needs by understanding their preferences and providing them with the most attractive products to meet their needs.  Continue Reading

• Apply commercial nous to government IT, say IT leaders

  The new administration would do well to learn from corporate norms in optimising efficiency and benchmarking continuous performance improvement…  Continue Reading

• Opinion: What Facebook should do next

  Facebook is at a crossroads. If it continues to give the impression that its approach to consumer privacy is flexible or indifferent, it risks alienating its 400 million users.  Continue Reading

• The impact of technological change on risk management

  As the business community begins to investigate opportunities to introduce new technology devices in their business, questions are starting to arise about...  Continue Reading

• Security Zone: Setting security boundaries for de-mergers

  There are many texts explaining how information security can be affected by company mergers. But what happens when part of your organisation is being sold off, or spun off as a separate company? Michael Pike, CISSP, an information security ...  Continue Reading

• Government spending cuts: can outsourcing save public sector IT jobs?

  It seems inevitable that internal IT staff are likely to be the main victims of the spending cuts as the government turns to the private sector to get a better return on investment  Continue Reading

• Microsoft Q&A: What the new government could mean for IT staff

  Phil Cross, Microsoft UK's professional audience manager, looks forward to life under the coalition government as the recession comes to an end,  Continue Reading

• Is the future of enterprise Wi-Fi on the edge?

  Devin Akin, Aerohive's chief Wi-Fi architect, has identified clear phases in the development of the Wi-Fi industry and believes intelligence is finally making its mark  Continue Reading

• Are businesses ready for the MySpace generation?

  Over the next few years, businesses worldwide will be welcoming in a new generation of employees. As many companies still view social media as bad for business and restrict employees' access to collaborative tools, they may soon have a battle on ...  Continue Reading

• BI: How to make intelligent use of data

  BI: How to make intelligent use of data Over the past few years the number of businesses implementing business intelligence (BI) projects has grown....  Continue Reading

• Whitehall focus on long-term IT cuts deflects focus from short-term savings

  While public sector budgets will be falling in 2010, Whitehall's preoccupation with long-term strategies may distract attention from initiatives to reduce costs today and, in doing so, create barriers to lasting efficiency gains.  Continue Reading