Opinion

Opinion

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• Software patents – what the European Patent Office ruling means

  The European Patent Office's (EPO) long-awaited decision on the issue of software patentability brings little change at...  Continue Reading

• New breed of project managers drive the recovery

  Holistic project management skills are in the ascendancy, along with the five-figure-plus salaries that such talent now demands, writes Andrew Gardner, senior...

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• Lowering IT costs through hosting

  Small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) have reason to feel optimistic - despite the recession, in the past 12 months, 52% of SMBs reported an increase in revenue, up from 39% in 2008, according to Microsoft Small Business Technology Index 2008. Now ...  Continue Reading

• Opinion: Is IT a utility function?

  Many would argue that the information function, and specifically IT, should be considered a utility. But is this really the case, writes David Chan, director of the Centre for Information Leadership at City University London.  Continue Reading

• Election to bring more flux for banking

  The UK will tomorrow hold its first General Election since the recession, writes Colin Rowland, senior VP EMEA operations at OpTier. With the economy...

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• A tale of two universes - how the Milky Way provides more milk for some than others

  "On the face of it, shareholder value is the dumbest idea in the world. Shareholder value is a result, not a strategy." So said Jack Welch, former chief executive of GE, writes Peter Skyte, national officer at Unite.  Continue Reading

• Security zone: Application security spans IT and information security

  Web application security is an area of IT security that deals primarily with the security of applications - are we vulnerable to SQL injection, cross-site scripting, XSRF, session fixation and a smorgasbord of other nasty Open Web Application ...  Continue Reading

• What’s in a name? Apple fights for rights to iPad name

  With the global roll-out of its much anticipated iPad, Apple has had plenty to deal with, particularly with the branding and trademark issues that have arisen since it announced the launch of the new must-have gadget worldwide.  Continue Reading

• Collaboration is key to ensuring digital data security

  The iPad is the latest addition to a variety of mobile devices that can change the way we interact with people, businesses and, in some cases, government....

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• Ensuring online traffic doesn’t hit a dead end

  Online retail sales in 2009 reached €68bn (£59bn) for Western Europe, recent research from Forrester has revealed, and are projected to grow to €114bn (£99bn) by 2014. On average, €483 (£420) was spent online per person. So, retailers are likely to ...  Continue Reading

• Living with Windows 7, six months on

  Six months ago Microsoft began shipping Windows 7. Greg Lambert, chief technical architect at app compatibility specialist Changebase AOK, has worked with some of the world's biggest enterprises supporting their Windows 7 migrations and examines the...  Continue Reading

• Where are the opportunities in information security?

  Where are the opportunities in information security? By John Colley, managing director EMEA, (ISC)2 Is information security mostly an IT concern...  Continue Reading

• (ISC)2: Crime scene must be protected

  Just because I carry a first aid kit in my car, does that make me equipped to deal with a road traffic incident? Probably not, writes Cheryl Hennell, ISC2 member and head of IT and information assurance LRE, Openreach.  Continue Reading

• BCS: First step is to recognise the threat

  The problem of the internal "black hat" (person intent on doing harm to a computer system) is not a new one. Many organisations choose to implement a system in which they escort staff from the premises when they are made redundant or fired, in order...  Continue Reading

• Gartner: Investigations must be done carefully and correctly

  Human activity is becoming increasingly virtualised. With routine communications and daily activities starting on workstations and taking place across enterprise networks and the internet, it is only to be expected that this is accompanied by a ...  Continue Reading

• ISACA: Rigorous approach is required

  More than 70% of UK homes have a computer, with over 93% connected to always-on broadband. In the majority of criminal and corporate cases, somewhere in the background a computer, PDA or cell phone may be lurking - hence the case for computer ...  Continue Reading

• ISSA UK: Organisations must be prepared

  The scouting motto "be prepared" saved Maldives president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom from assassination in 2008 when a local Boy Scout stepped in to foil his attacker. Being prepared for a security incident affecting computer systems may not produce such ...  Continue Reading

• ISACA Security Advisory Group: Organisations must be forensic ready

  The phrase "Crouching tiger hidden dragon" is a Chinese proverb that has many possible interpretations. My favourite is "everyone conceals their strengths from others to preserve the element of surprise", writes ISACA Security Advisory Group member ...  Continue Reading

• Corporate IT Forum: Downturn has changed employee attitudes

  The plotting of terrorist activity is an extreme example of employee misuse of access, but there is little doubt that the deteriorating economy has impacted on the quality of internal business relationships and, ultimately, heightened employee ...  Continue Reading

• New government must decide quickly how to pay for high-speed broadband

  The news that the 50p-a-month landline tax has been scrapped was widely expected, given the limited amount of time between the levy being announced in the Budget and the dissolution of parliament, as well as the strong Conservative opposition to the...  Continue Reading

• Security Zone: Consider human ability in your IT security policy

  A user who consistently has problems remembering their password may have a learning difficulty such as Dyslexia or poor recall. If this is the case, the problem is not the user, it is the company's password policy.  Continue Reading

• Innovation will suffer without investment

  The 2010 Budget was perhaps the most crucial and eagerly anticipated of our generation, writes Daniel Lowe, founder and managing director, UKSolutions. Yet, as the economy remains disappointingly sluggish following its lowest ebb in almost a century...  Continue Reading

• Socitm’s seven-point plan for IT in tomorrow’s public services

  Martin Ferguson, head of policy at public sector IT professionals association Socitm, suggests the IT priorities that should be adopted by the next government.  Continue Reading

• Election 2010: Forum of Private Business says politicians must tackle ‘digital divide’

  From filing tax returns to bidding for public contracts, the future of entrepreneurship is moving inexorably online. It is therefore surprising to learn that some small businesses are still not embracing the web, writes Phil McCabe, media and PR ...  Continue Reading

• Election 2010: Innovative IT companies need help, says the UK Innovation Initiative

  The General Election provides an excellent opportunity for an incoming government to break away from the destructive status quo that stifles innovation and small and medium enterprises' participation in IT-enabled government service delivery, writes...  Continue Reading

• Effective way for organisations to tackle ‘porn in the office’

  For too long, the "porn in the office" issue has been the elephant in the room - a genuine corporate concern but one that organisations had no idea how to address and so have just ignored, writes Andrew Millington, managing director of Exclaimer ...  Continue Reading

• Election 2010: Communications the life-blood of enterprise, says Communications Management Assn.

  The Communications Management Association has a vision for the future of communications services in the UK public and private sectors and how this should be achieved, writes David Harrington, leader, regulatory affairs, CMA. The way in which the ...  Continue Reading

• Election 2010: Eurim calls for rebuilding confidence in ICT's competence to deliver

  Modern society is critically dependent on reliable local access to efficient online systems in both the public and private sectors, writes Philip Virgo, secretary general, The Information Society Alliance (Eurim).  Continue Reading

• Opinion: Google Italy convictions a concern

  A mixture of concern and disbelief has greeted the news that three...  Continue Reading

• Opinion: An asset with little value can be a big problem

  I was recently part of a team that carried out a network and web application penetration test on the external network of a large UK company. Out...  Continue Reading

• Gordon Brown: Labour would create more IT jobs and help Britain become a leading digital economy

  I want a British future that is more democratic, more green, more inclusive, more high skilled and more prosperous - and that means it needs to be more digital...  Continue Reading

• Nick Clegg: LibDems would scrap ID cards, biometric passports and child database

  Liberal Democrats won't use technology to limit freedom. We will use it to promote fairness. It's a different approach, and one I hope the readers of Computer Weekly will support, writes Nick Clegg…  Continue Reading

• Opinion: How public sector could save £4bn on IT without cutting jobs

  Peter Gershon might be right when he says in his efficiency review that the public sector can save between £2bn and £4bn on IT bills, and I would argue that it might not be necessary to cut jobs and projects because savings could come through better...  Continue Reading

• Regulators turn up the heat on online scammers

  The Office of Fair Trading is ramping up its efforts to protect consumers online, following the establishment of its online enforcement team.  Continue Reading

• Automated abattoirs for sacred cows – what IMIS wants from the new government

  We can see splendid aspirations from the main political parties regarding the use of online services to transform public service delivery. Turning these into practical delivery requires first that government rebuilds its in-house skills as an ...  Continue Reading

• Election 2010: Rural broadband needs urgent attention after 50p tax is axed

  The main political parties have all pronounced on how superfast broadband will contribute to the long-term health and welfare of the nation, but so far have not offered much precision, nor any guarantees, on how universal access to broadband will be...  Continue Reading

• Opinion: 50p tax goes – what's next for UK's lagging broadband?

  In the wash-up leading up to the election, the government scrapped plans for the 50p levy on all phone lines. This tax was designed to help fund next-generation...

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• Opinion: BCS CEO's arguments miss the bigger picture

  CEO David Clarke's recent comment on the call for an extraordinary general meeting at BCS, the chartered institute for IT, cherry picks information to support a point of view, but neglects a broader picture and background.  Continue Reading

• Opinion: Tif sets out IT wish list for new government

  Synergy is a much abused term in business, but there is an opportunity for more of it, and better when it comes to central government and the large IT organisations of the UK  Continue Reading

• Opinion: How government CIOs can buy more from SMEs

  Research by the British Computer Society in 2005 found that only 16% of IT projects are truly successful, writes Leanne Johnson, business liaison manager...

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• BCS CEO David Clarke: Why call for EGM is misguided

  When you go through change of any kind, some people won't like it, and BCS has changed significantly in recent years…  Continue Reading

• Opinion: The impact of Google's trademark victory

  The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has delivered its judgment in the landmark case of Google France versus Louis Vuitton Malletier.  Continue Reading

• Legislation to block websites – a move too far?

  Legislation to block websites - a move too far?

  The UK could be about to adopt some of the most stringent anti-piracy legislation seen to date. If...

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• Security Zone: Ensuring security in offshoring

  For some time, many large corporates have been offshoring and smaller companies have followed suit. But how do you ensure that your company's data remains secure?  Continue Reading

• A security expert’s checklist for deploying software as a service

  As the person responsible for the security of your enterprise data, you need more than faith as assurance that SaaS providers will meet your security requirements  Continue Reading

• Google vs Louis Vuitton: When is a trade mark not a trade mark?

  The case of Google vs Louis Vuitton has today been decided by the European Court of Justice, and Google can continue selling its AdWords  Continue Reading

• Opinion: Ensuring a happy marriage between IT and the environment

  With a comparable carbon footprint to the airline industry, IT has gained a reputation as a major culprit in carbon emissions, writes Brian Murray, principal...  Continue Reading

• Opinion: Why IT professionals' world view is wrong

  The IT profession seems to be preoccupied with its role: IT leaders often worry about the function's position relative to the business, and IT professionals view their discipline as something that is distinct from the enterprise in which they work. ...  Continue Reading

• Opinion: IT industry prepares manifesto to make Britain great again

  Intellect is producing a technology manifesto, Making BrITain Great Again, to highlight how the technology sector can drive economic growth  Continue Reading

• Making the mobile internet accessible for all

  A recent survey found that 53% of people with a vision impairment were using a screen reader on a mobile device, suggesting that an increased emphasis on the accessibility of mobile content and devices is overdue.  Continue Reading

• How SMEs can use social networking to get their message across

  In today's business environment, the ability to be available online for your users 24/7 is increasingly seen as a given. As a result, companies of all sizes...  Continue Reading

• Moving beyond the cost benefits of outsourcing

  When thinking about IT outsourcing ,...  Continue Reading

• How can organisations guard against phishing scams?

  What should information security professionals be doing to ensure their organisations are protected from phishing scams aimed at private enterprise? John...  Continue Reading

• Opinion: Is BCS priority the business or its members?

  Is the BCS, the chartered institute of IT, a charitable business that has as one of its income streams a membership base that pays an annual fee, or is it a group of professional members who join together to fulfil charitable and professional aims, ...  Continue Reading

• Security Zone: Enterprise architecture is too often a missed opportunity for security

  As more and more organisations use enterprise architecture as a tool to fight IT complexity and increase business alignment and agility, security is often...

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• Finding space and time for continuous data protection

  Finding space and time for continuous data protection Modern day businesses, large and small, now have an insatiable appetite for digital information,...  Continue Reading

• CIO Interview: Esat Sezer of Coca-Cola Enterprises

  Adam Burns, senior editor at MeettheBossTV, speaks to Esat Sezer, CIO of Coca-Cola Enterprises, about the role of IT in the company's business transformation programme.  Continue Reading

• Balancing efficiency with resilience

  The challenges facing an IT director in balancing multiple simultaneous, and sometime competing, demands, are nothing new, writes Terry Walby, a director...

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• Security Zone: a recipe for project success

  Project managers and security professionals are both managers of risk. Project managers deal with a wide range of risks during the project life cycle, whereas security professionals focus on specific security risks, writes Alex Clayton.  Continue Reading

• Take control with software asset management

  For most, software asset management (SAM) starts with the aim of establishing an organisation's software licence compliance status  Continue Reading

• Try before you BI: budgeting and reducing costs on business intelligence

  It is good business practice to keep tight control of spending and to minimise costs, but traditional business intelligence (BI) systems make it very hard to follow this rule.  Continue Reading