Business applications
At the heart of enterprise software strategy are the key business applications upon which every organisation relies. From enterprise resource planning (ERP) to customer relationship management (CRM), financial and accounts software to business intelligence (BI), such applications demand high investments and can deliver high returns. We analyse the latest product developments and the news from major suppliers such as Oracle, Microsoft and SAP.
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News
26 Apr 2024
Post Office scheme was a ‘charade’ that never intended for large compensation pay-outs
The Post Office established a scheme to compensate subpostmasters affected by tech faults, but it was just a ‘charade’, says Public Inquiry KC Continue Reading
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News
26 Apr 2024
European Parliament approves platform worker directive
The approval of the platform worker directive gives member states two years to incorporate its measures into their national legislation, which includes provisions on how to classify the employment of gig workers and deploy algorithmic decision-making at work Continue Reading
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News
15 Oct 2013
Siemens Enterprise Communications rebrands as Unify
The communications company will rebrand in time to launch its latest unified communications solution, code-named Project Ansible Continue Reading
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News
14 Oct 2013
Scottish Government pilots Windows 8 tablets to improve services
The Scottish government is piloting how Windows 8 could be used to improve citizen relationship Continue Reading
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News
11 Oct 2013
Toyota e-learning upgrade aims to cut mechanics' training time by up to a year
Car distributor Toyota Motor Europe is using e-learning to manage the training and certification of motor technicians and engineers Continue Reading
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News
09 Oct 2013
Tesco.com uses agile development offshore to roll out internationally
Tesco used agile methodology, co-ordinating a team of 100 offshore developers, to roll out the Tesco.com website internationally Continue Reading
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News
08 Oct 2013
Rugby Football Union uses analytics to educate and engage with users
The RFU is introducing data analytics technologies for public use to encourage engagement with existing fans and education of the sport Continue Reading
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Feature
07 Oct 2013
High street stores embrace digital to entice customers
Customers are using technology in favour of the high street, but some stores are fighting fire with fire. Continue Reading
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News
01 Oct 2013
Ministry of Defence upgrades Oracle HR and payroll system
The Service Personnel and Veterans Agency of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has upgraded its Oracle HP and payroll system Continue Reading
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News
30 Sep 2013
Charity uses cloud HR system to keep track of staff working in danger zones
It took a disaster in Haiti to demonstrate to charity World Vision why it needed better HR systems Continue Reading
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News
27 Sep 2013
Software acquisition is risk acquisition, says industry panel
New software often means new security vulnerabilities, panel tells the (ISC)2 Security Congress 2013 Continue Reading
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News
26 Sep 2013
Oracle OpenWorld 2013: Tesco takes a multi-channel approach to customer experience
Tesco has been using an array of Oracle technology, including its customer experience (CX) portfolio to turn the company in a multi-channel retailer Continue Reading
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News
25 Sep 2013
Google to rethink resilient networking following dual failure
In spite of running a dual redundant network, Google's Gmail system has had a major failure. Continue Reading
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News
25 Sep 2013
Oracle OpenWorld 2013: Oracle customers continue to invest in big data
Airbus, Thomson Reuters and the New York Stock Exchange have all implemented Oracle's big data products to improve their businesses Continue Reading
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Photo Story
24 Sep 2013
Big trends from Oracle OpenWorld 2013: Big data and cloud
Oracle tackled issues of big data and cloud head on at its annual OpenWorld 2013 user conference in San Francisco Continue Reading
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News
23 Sep 2013
Poor connectivity and battery life hamper mobile working
A study conducted by Vanson Bourne for HP finds almost two-thirds of mobile workers are unable to work effectively due to connectivity issues Continue Reading
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News
19 Sep 2013
Software licences drive Oracle revenue, but hardware takes a hit
A drop in hardware sales dragged down Oracle’s revenue in its Q1 financial results, but software revenue increased Continue Reading
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Feature
19 Sep 2013
A guide to WebRTC
Real-time communications standards aim to help more users speak with ease over the internet. Computer Weekly looks at how the systems work Continue Reading
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News
18 Sep 2013
Most businesses suffer major technology failure over 12 months
79% of businesses had a technology failure in the past year, costing £6.9m, according to a survey of IT professionals and business line heads Continue Reading
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News
18 Sep 2013
BMW gears up IT resilience with private cloud infrastructure
After testing and validating its own private cloud services, BMW's IT team is ready to use it in production Continue Reading
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News
18 Sep 2013
MPs brand NHS National Programme for IT a 'fiasco' as posthumous costs rise
The now-axed NHS National Programme for IT (NPfIT) is still incurring significant costs following the failure of the government IT project Continue Reading
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News
16 Sep 2013
British Army’s manpower planning saves £770m through SAS BI
The British Army's headquarters is using SAS to analyse and more efficiently allocate manpower and resources Continue Reading
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News
13 Sep 2013
After virtualising IT estate, Jaguar Land Rover now eyes cloud computing
Jaguar Land Rover's IT team takes its newly virtualised infrastructure to the next stage of IT evolution by adopting cloud-based services Continue Reading
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News
13 Sep 2013
Businesses hit digital roadblock due to paper processes
A survey of business and IT leaders has found that paper-based processes are creating inefficiencies Continue Reading
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News
11 Sep 2013
£480bn of government revenue depends on "risky" legacy IT
Almost £480bn of the UK government’s revenues are dependent on legacy IT systems that “could present a very significant risk” Continue Reading
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News
10 Sep 2013
Barclays reception IT system falls over globally
Barclays' reception administration system has been down for almost two days, with no sign of when it is set to get fixed Continue Reading
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News
10 Sep 2013
CW Enterprise Software case studies
Brian McKenna presents 6 case studies on enterprise software drawn from the winners of Computer Weekly's European User Awards. Continue Reading
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News
10 Sep 2013
A CW buyer's guide to software asset management
Computer Weekly looks at best practice for software asset management in this 10-page buyer's guide. Continue Reading
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News
09 Sep 2013
Executive interview: Andrew Brem, Connected Homes, British Gas
British Gas is digitising energy. Andrew Brem speaks to Computer Weekly about the internet connected home Continue Reading
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News
04 Sep 2013
Diageo to change how it manages APIs to support digital strategy
Diageo is contemplating introducing a lightweight middleware layer to better manage the APIs that govern the software services it uses Continue Reading
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News
30 Aug 2013
How networks and data win Formula One races for Mercedes AMG Petronas
Tata Communications joins the Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One team to bring speedy connectivity worthy of its cars Continue Reading
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News
28 Aug 2013
eHarmony finds MongoDB the perfect match for data store
Online dating site eHarmony has used open source NoSQL database MongoDB for its data store, to speed up delivery of matches between users Continue Reading
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News
23 Aug 2013
SAP user groups welcome 'partial termination' licensing changes
SAP customers can now partially terminate licenses and will not be required to pay maintenance on unused licenses Continue Reading
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E-Zine
20 Aug 2013
Mixing work and play – how corporate applications can learn from computer games
In this week’s Computer Weekly, we look at the benefits of gamification, the trend for corporate software to use techniques developed for computer games. After the Prism internet surveillance scandal, Switzerland hopes to exploit its neutrality to become a safe location for cloud services – we assess its chances. And we talk to an NHS CIO about the challenges of delivering the government’s goal for a paperless health service. Read the issue now. Continue Reading
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News
16 Aug 2013
UCAS adopts public cloud to process university admissions
Ten days before the A-level results, UCAS adopted a public cloud infrastructure to scale up its IT and to make admission process efficient Continue Reading
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Feature
16 Aug 2013
VPNs: The past, present and future
We give you a rundown of all you need to know about virtual private networks and how the cloud is changing their future Continue Reading
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News
02 Aug 2013
Taylor Wimpey builds cloud forecasting process with Anaplan
Homebuilder Taylor Wimpy teams up with Anaplan to ditch its old Excel suite and head for the cloud Continue Reading
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Feature
31 Jul 2013
Virgin Media uses ETAdirect to manage engineers more predictively
Virgin Media is using predictive analytics to get the right engineer out to the right problem. It believes its use of TOA Technologies cloud-based ETAdirect system gives it a competitive advantage Continue Reading
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Feature
30 Jul 2013
Big data journalism exposes offshore tax dodgers
How journalists harnessed big data to challenge offshore financial secrecy Continue Reading
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News
26 Jul 2013
Hailo taxi app maker drops Sage for NetSuite OneWorld
Taxi cab app maker Hailocab has switched from Sage Line:50 to NetSuite OneWorld, in a bid to speed up accounts reconciliation Continue Reading
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News
26 Jul 2013
Aintree NHS saves £1m a year with electronic patient records
Aintree University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust replaces paper medical records with an electronic system to save £1m per year Continue Reading
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News
19 Jul 2013
Michelin creates fuel efficiency service with Accenture
Tyre maker Michelin has begun a major project to create a business division focused on providing IT solutions for logistics Continue Reading
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News
18 Jul 2013
Case Study: Johnson Matthey consolidates Active Directory with Dell
Chemicals manufacturer Johnson Matthey uses tools from Dell to simplify a complex, multinational Active Directory infrastructure Continue Reading
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News
17 Jul 2013
Windows 8 Secrets
Download a step by step guide to installing Windows 8 from the book Windows 8 Secrets. Continue Reading
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News
17 Jul 2013
Is enterprise social collaboration delivering?
The majority of IT decision-makers are using social networking technologies, but most lack true enterprise collaboration Continue Reading
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News
15 Jul 2013
Lower uptake of cloud, ICT limiting medium-sized enterprises' productivity: CEBR
Medium-sized enterprises in the UK lagging behind large businesses in terms of productivity, because of lower adoption of ICT and cloud Continue Reading
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News
11 Jul 2013
OpenCorporates makes company data public
Company data is being made available as part of an initiative to place more government data in the public domain Continue Reading
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News
10 Jul 2013
Head of Universal Credit denies IT problems
Howard Shiplee tells the work and pensions select committee all is well, denying reports of the failing IT system behind Universal Credit Continue Reading
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News
08 Jul 2013
Post Office Horizon system investigation reveals concerns
Investigation into the allegedly faulty accounting system used by sub-postmasters has revealed serious concerns Continue Reading
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News
08 Jul 2013
Davenport: Travel industry data pioneer has lost way but can be saved
Tom Davenport sees the travel industry as a data pioneer that has lost its way, but can be redeemed Continue Reading
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News
05 Jul 2013
Case study: Toyota fleet management system gathers global fork-lift truck data remotely
Toyota Material Handling Europe develops operational data management system that monitors and controls fork-lift trucks globally Continue Reading
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Feature
04 Jul 2013
From chess to ping pong: How Pegasystems is capturing the Fortune 500
Pegasystems is winning business from the world's leading companies as business process management technology enters the mainstream Continue Reading
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News
04 Jul 2013
CIO interview: Pete Marsden, CIO, Asos.com
As online fashion retailer Asos.com continues to expand, its IT strategy is focused on new international locations and keeping up with web retail Continue Reading
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News
03 Jul 2013
Ocado delivers with in-house software development
Online grocery retailer Ocado built its own software for its own business – and now it delivers for Morrisons Continue Reading
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News
02 Jul 2013
NHS IT to embrace open source
A new report from NHS England promises open source will be at the heart of the plans to digitise the health service Continue Reading
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Feature
01 Jul 2013
Tools for talent management
An increasing number of human resources management systems are coming to market.. What are the benefits? Continue Reading
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News
01 Jul 2013
Oracle 12c database goes to general availability
The Oracle 12c Database is now generally available, its most touted aspect a virtualisation feature called Pluggable Databases Continue Reading
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News
28 Jun 2013
CIO interview: Paul Clarke, director of technology, Ocado
Paul Clarke is responsible for the technology strategy at online grocer Ocado, where IT is used in every aspect of the business Continue Reading
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News
28 Jun 2013
Datacentres must be tuned to the application in the mobile-cloud era: Cisco
Cloud, big data and mobile applications are challenging the traditional datacentre infrastructure, says Cisco Continue Reading
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Photo Story
27 Jun 2013
Computer Weekly European User Awards for Enterprise Software: Winners
The winners of the Computer Weekly European User Awards for Enterprise Software have been announced. See images of the winners. Continue Reading
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News
25 Jun 2013
Oracle offers enterprise software on Azure and Hyper-V
Microsoft and Oracle form an alliance to enable Oracle software to run on Hyper-V and Windows Azure infrastructure Continue Reading
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Photo Story
21 Jun 2013
A tour of the Aston Martin factory
Luxury car maker Aston Martin combines high tech and traditional craftsmanship to design and manufacture its hand made cars Continue Reading
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News
20 Jun 2013
Camden Council goes BYOD with Accellion
Camden adopts a bring your own device (BYOD) strategy to save money, improve security and bring their IT systems into the modern era Continue Reading
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News
19 Jun 2013
HR technology booming as businesses turn to the cloud
Over the next 18 months, 60% of companies plan to roll out HR technology solutions, says analyst group Bersin by Deloitte. Continue Reading
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News
18 Jun 2013
Investigation into Post Office accounting system to drill down on strongest cases
The investigation into the Post Office’s allegedly faulty accounting system will focus on a select few of the 47 claims Continue Reading
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News
14 Jun 2013
Microsoft puts Office Mobile on iPhone
iPhone users can now use Microsoft’s Office Mobile product which is available as a free download from the AppStore Continue Reading
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Photo Story
13 Jun 2013
Software Gallery opens at the National Museum of Computing
The National Museum of Computing has opened a new exhibit charting the history of software Continue Reading
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News
11 Jun 2013
Lloyds customer complaints plummet after automating manual processes
Lloyds is claiming dramatic improvements in the quality of its customer service after automating manual banking processes Continue Reading
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News
10 Jun 2013
Telefonica Digital forms security group Eleven Paths
The business division of mobile operator Telefonica launches Eleven Paths, an independent company working on security issues in the workplace Continue Reading
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News
06 Jun 2013
SAP buys e-commerce company Hybris to move into CRM market
SAP is moving into the CRM market with its purchase of Hybris, a Swiss customer relationship management (CRM) supplier Continue Reading
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News
06 Jun 2013
Sports performance data analytics fuels Opta’s business expansion
Football performance data could play a role in clubs’ scouting efforts, and even in footballer market evaluation, according to OptaSports Data Continue Reading
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E-Zine
05 Jun 2013
VDI and the enterprise app
Over 200 attendees headed down to Briforum recently for two days of in-depth discussions on VDI, application virtualisation, etc including a look at the current state of the market across Europe. CW Europe looks at how European businesses are utilising the technology. This month’s digital magazine brings you the leading stories and expert tips from across Europe. Continue Reading
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News
30 May 2013
Argos uses GIS to support multichannel strategy
Argos deploys a location analytics tool to support multichannel strategy to wind down some leases and focus on online and click and collect Continue Reading
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News
29 May 2013
ARI uses HANA to power self-service BI for fleet management
ARI, the leasing and fleet management business, has used SAP HANA to boost business intelligence (BI) and predictive analytics Continue Reading
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News
29 May 2013
CERN uses ITIL to rethink facilities management
CERN, the particle physics laboratory, is using IT service management to support operations outside the IT function Continue Reading
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News
24 May 2013
Eurovision Song Contest app built and delivered via Google's cloud platform
Service providers Scalr and Grandcentrix used Google Compute Engine to build the app for the second largest television event Continue Reading
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News
22 May 2013
McLaren uses high-speed data analytics to gain Formula 1 edge
The McLaren Group uses high-speed data analytics as it seeks a competitive edge for its Formula 1 racing team engineers Continue Reading
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News
22 May 2013
Tesco uses big data to cut cooling costs by up to €20m
Tesco is aiming to save over €20m a year by using sophisticated analytical technology to ensure its chillers work at optimum temperature Continue Reading
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News
21 May 2013
Microsoft and Janet deal brings cloud to millions of academics
Microsoft and the UK’s research and education network deal gives academic institutions access to Office 365 and millions of students fast and secure access to Windows Azure cloud Continue Reading
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News
10 May 2013
Case Study: Brent Council cuts costs with mobile tech
Brent Council implements mobile technology to cut costs and involve more staff in the future running of the organisation Continue Reading
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News
10 May 2013
CIO Interview: Graeme Hackland, CIO, Lotus F1 Team
Graeme Hackland, CIO of Lotus F1, has worked for the race car team for 16 years. He has seen major changes in IT both on and off the track Continue Reading
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News
09 May 2013
SAP customers could save billions through consolidation
SAP consolidation offers big savings, and HANA is expected to be a big part of the future of business IT, says HCL executive Continue Reading
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News
08 May 2013
Case study: TKAB adopts mobile for Swedish railways
The winners of cloud innovation of the year in Computer Weekly’s European user awards for networking tell us how they have used the Appear IQ mobile platform to boost efficiency and its transport service Continue Reading
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News
08 May 2013
SAP readies the Hana-powered enterprise cloud
SAP is making its Hana in-memory database available as a hosted service to power enterprise applications Continue Reading
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News
07 May 2013
Microsoft to bring back the Start button in Windows 8?
Amid lacklustre take-up of Windows 8 and a declining PC industry, Microsoft may be set to reintroduce the much-loved Start button in Windows 8 Continue Reading
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News
07 May 2013
Salesforce.com targets communities
Salesforce.com says it wants to address communities with its software as a service (SaaS) platform Continue Reading
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News
30 Apr 2013
Tesco uses supply chain analytics to save £100m a year
Understanding return on capital employed was a driving force behind an analytics programme which saves Tesco £100m in supply chain costs Continue Reading
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News
30 Apr 2013
Progress made on Lloyds Bank's Project Verde segregation
Lloyds Banking Group has reported good progress in its project to enable the systems for the new standalone TSB bank which will be sold off when complete Continue Reading
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News
30 Apr 2013
Case study: How SAP runs Cape Town
For the past 10 years, SAP has been running the city of Cape Town, South Africa Continue Reading
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News
29 Apr 2013
Case study: Telefonica Ireland uses business intelligence to reduce churn
O2 Ireland, part of Telefonica, has been using Teradata’s data warehousing and Cognos BI to stop customers leaving and entice them with location-based offers Continue Reading
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Photo Story
23 Apr 2013
Standard Bank uses SAP to bring mobile banking to communities
Many people in South Africa do not have a bank account. Standard Bank has used SAP to help people get started with banking. Continue Reading
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Photo Story
19 Apr 2013
Mega vendors: Quarterly results Q1 2013
A number of the larger IT suppliers reported their quarterly financial results for the first quarter of 2013. Continue Reading
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News
19 Apr 2013
Microsoft reports strong quarterly results for all divisions
Microsoft reported profit of $6bn for the past quarter, up 17% from a year ago, despite a mixed response to Windows 8 and a decline in PC sales Continue Reading
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Feature
11 Apr 2013
Windows XP end of support: What to do next
CIOs may not wish to carry on running a 12-year-old desktop OS, but thousands of incompatible applications leave many with no choice Continue Reading
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News
10 Apr 2013
Mott MacDonald rolls out unified communications
Global engineering firm Mott MacDonald signs Tata Communications for a five-year unified communications deal worth over $20m Continue Reading
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News
10 Apr 2013
UK financial regulator FCA probes RBS IT failure
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) probes an IT failure at Royal Bank of Scotland that also affected NatWest and Ulster Bank customers Continue Reading
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News
28 Mar 2013
Strategic investments drive modest growth in IT spending
The relatively stable economic climate has resulted in modest IT investment, according to Gartner’s latest quarterly spending forecast Continue Reading
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News
26 Mar 2013
Southern Water contracts TCS for transformation
Southern Water is transforming customer service and revenue management through IT services from Tata Consultancy Services Continue Reading
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Feature
25 Mar 2013
The history of OpenFlow
Computer Weekly takes a look back at the beginnings of the software-defined networking protocol and the technology behind it Continue Reading
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News
21 Mar 2013
Oracle Q3 revenues down, operating profitability up, net income flat
Oracle’s Q3 sales dip 1% to $9bn, compared with Q3 the year before, but operating profitability is up and free cash flow in good shape Continue Reading
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News
20 Mar 2013
CIO interview: Darrell Stein, IT director, Marks & Spencer
As M&S develops its multi-channel capability, Darrell Stein and his team are delivering projects focused on innovation and profitability Continue Reading
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News
15 Mar 2013
Accenture delivers rapid reporting for Six Nations
In sponsoring the Six Nations Rugby tournament, Accenture has shown how rapid prototyping can be applied to building enterprise reports Continue Reading