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
20 Jun 2025
Election workers’ data stolen in cyber breach of Oxford City Council
Oxford City Council election workers had personal information stolen by cyber attackers in an attack over the weekend of 7-8 June. The council has stated that most disrupted systems are back online Continue Reading
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News
20 Jun 2025
UK data reforms become law
UK passes wide-ranging data protection reforms to ‘simplify’ organisations’ sharing and processing of data, but questions remain whether changes will be accepted by European Commission when renewing UK data adequacy Continue Reading
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News
27 Mar 2015
Retiring MP aims to uncover truth of alleged Post Office computer system problems
Retiring MP James Arbuthnot is determined to get to the bottom of problems with the Post Office system that led to subpostmasters being blamed for account shortfalls Continue Reading
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News
26 Mar 2015
Samsung targets business with Microsoft tools integration
Samsung has pre-installed Microsoft OneNote, OneDrive, and Skype on the new Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge, as it expands into business Continue Reading
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News
24 Mar 2015
Swarovski opts for cloud HR to move function to strategic level
Swarovski’s move to cloud HR system demonstrates its desire to move HR from an operational function to a strategic level Continue Reading
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News
23 Mar 2015
IT priorities 2015 – IT budgets on the rise as economy recovers
Almost three-quarters of IT managers in the UK expect their IT budgets to increase or stay the same in 2015 Continue Reading
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News
20 Mar 2015
What went wrong with Defra's rural payments system?
A £154m system to process payments to farmers has been forced to resort to paper forms. What went wrong – and is this a digital disaster? Continue Reading
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News
18 Mar 2015
Satya Nadella: Every business will be a software business
Digitisation may the buzzword business leaders are trying to grasp, but Microsoft has begun its journey to build a digitisation product portfolio Continue Reading
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Feature
13 Mar 2015
How building information modelling is changing the construction industry
The Cabinet Office says that by 2016, “collaborative 3D building information modelling will be required on all government projects” Continue Reading
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News
04 Mar 2015
CIO interview: Connected cars set CIO agenda at Volvo
IT has always tried to align with the business, but for Klas Bendrik, group CIO at Volvo Cars, it seems business has aligned with IT Continue Reading
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News
04 Mar 2015
Latest new UK bank launches virtually
Challenger financial services firm Charter Savings Bank has been launched, taking advantage of the lower cost of a virtual presence Continue Reading
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News
24 Feb 2015
ARM unleashes internet of things potential with starter kit
Chip-maker ARM has collaborated with IBM to launch the mbed IoT Starter Kit, pitched at SMEs and application developers Continue Reading
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News
16 Feb 2015
Infosys acquires Panaya for automation
Infosys continues its move to non-linear business models through the acquisition of US automation software maker Panaya for $200m Continue Reading
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Opinion
11 Feb 2015
What is government as a platform and how do we achieve it?
There are lots of discussion going on at the moment about digital “platforms”, and the impact they might have on UK public services Continue Reading
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News
06 Feb 2015
Symantec continues cloud investment in spite of poor Q3 results
Symantec has reported third quarter 2015 revenue of $1.64bn, a drop of 4% compared with $1.70bn over the same period in 2014 Continue Reading
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News
03 Feb 2015
Post Office CIO would talk to any subpostmaster about IT problems, promises CEO
The CEO of the Post Office defended the organisation’s support for users of its accounting system in a select committee inquiry into alleged problems Continue Reading
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News
02 Feb 2015
Self-service BI, data integration top information management issues
Self-service business intelligence and data integration top information management challenges for IT and finance professionals Continue Reading
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News
30 Jan 2015
IT sector outdoing rest of economy despite rise in IT supplier insolvencies
Insolvencies among information and communication suppliers increase by a fifth as the economy continues to pull out of recession Continue Reading
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Feature
29 Jan 2015
What are the options for electronic patient records in the NHS after NPfIT?
Many hospitals lack comprehensive electronic patient record (EPR) systems. What are the options now, in the wake of the NPfIT disaster? Continue Reading
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News
29 Jan 2015
Microsoft gets a step closer to Office everywhere with Office on Android
Microsoft has released a preview version of Office for Android, almost 10 months after the iPad version was released Continue Reading
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News
28 Jan 2015
Wellcome Trust builds 1,728-core grid for DNA analysis
The Wellcome Trust Centre has deployed a high-performance computing cluster based on Fujitsu servers Continue Reading
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News
23 Jan 2015
Mobile banking will help the poor transform their lives, says Gates Foundation
Mobile banking can help the poor change their lives and two billion people who don’t have bank accounts store money by phone by 2030 Continue Reading
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News
21 Jan 2015
Case study: Hedge fund AHL Man Group uses MongoDB to feed quants with data
Hedge fund AHL Man Group replaces disparate relational databases with a single data platform built on NoSQL database MongoDB Continue Reading
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News
21 Jan 2015
MPs force inquiry into Post Office subpostmaster mediation scheme
MPs force inquiry into Post Office scheme to redress grievances of subpostmasters claiming to have been wrongly punished for false accounting Continue Reading
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News
20 Jan 2015
SAP’s Cohen on 2014 results: Europe strong north and south
SAP’s Emea president Franck Cohen optimistic about the supplier’s growth prospects in southern and northern Europe Continue Reading
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News
19 Jan 2015
NHS to bring two IT systems in-house away from BT
Two NHS IT systems will be moved from BT to be managed in-house by the Health and Social Care Information Centre from February 2015 Continue Reading
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News
19 Jan 2015
HMRC trials Gov.uk Verify in busiest month of the year
Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs is to trial the government’s Verify identity assurance scheme in its busiest month Continue Reading
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News
19 Jan 2015
Microsoft Azure had more downtime in 2014 than main cloud rivals
Microsoft Azure suffered more downtime than its main rivals in 2014, according to detailed analysis Continue Reading
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News
15 Jan 2015
Supplier relationship management lessons from the car industry
IT can learn a lot from the car industry, which has transformed supplier relationship management Continue Reading
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Photo Story
13 Jan 2015
International CES 2015: The themes at the biggest tech show of the year
This Computer Weekly photo story explores the themes of this year's 2015 International Consumer Electronics Show held by CEA in Las Vegas. Continue Reading
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News
09 Jan 2015
User groups defend licensing, but should Oracle rethink remuneration?
Two Oracle user groups have defended Oracle's licensing policy following open letter by Campaign for Clear Licensing Continue Reading
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News
08 Jan 2015
Forrester: IT maintenance saps budget as tech spending increases
Technology spending is set to rise modestly, but the majority of IT spending will still go on maintaining existing systems Continue Reading
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News
08 Jan 2015
Sainsbury's Bank IT system problems a warning to new banks
Sainsbury's Bank has experienced IT problems that left customers unable to use their credit cards for a day Continue Reading
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News
07 Jan 2015
Oracle will lose out unless it changes its software licensing
In an open letter, Campaign for Clear Licensing highlights the risk to Oracle’s future earnings due to aggressive licensing Continue Reading
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News
07 Jan 2015
Case study: UniCredit uses Fico to apply prescriptive analytics to risk management
Italian bank UniCredit is using Fico software to apply prescriptive analytics to risk management Continue Reading
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News
05 Jan 2015
Deal between RBS and CA over IT failure will remain secret
The details of the financial settlement between RBS and CA Technologies in relation to a massive IT failure will remain secret Continue Reading
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News
19 Dec 2014
CIO interview: Mark Maddocks, Cambridge University Press
Technology has prompted unprecedented innovation and transformation in the media sector – Cambridge University Press is no exception Continue Reading
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News
18 Dec 2014
MP accuses Post Office of acting "duplicitously" in IT investigation
MPs claim Post Office was being "high handed" towards MPs and running a "flawed, deteriorating" accounting system Continue Reading
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News
17 Dec 2014
US interception in the EU faces new legal challenges
US government orders against Microsoft to hand over email data 'infringes privacy legislation' in other countries Continue Reading
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News
16 Dec 2014
MPs to debate subpostmaster IT injustice claims
Debate about the Post Office scheme to redress grievances of subpostmasters will be held in Westminster Hall Continue Reading
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Feature
11 Dec 2014
The state of mobile back end as a service
Common mobile application services are increasingly being hosted on central back-end servers – but what does that mean for the enterprise? Continue Reading
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News
11 Dec 2014
CIO interview: Sarah Leslie, CIO, Iglo Foods Group
Sarah Leslie, CIO at Birds Eye manufacturer Iglo Foods Group, is focused on delivering simplified and standardised IT systems Continue Reading
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Feature
10 Dec 2014
Dutch organisations gradually take up cloud HCM software
While organisations in the Netherlands tend to use the traditional HR modules of the large software packages, some diversity is beginning to emerge Continue Reading
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News
10 Dec 2014
Why MPs lost faith in the Post Office's IT investigation, but vowed to fight on
A group of 140 MPs has removed its backing for a Post Office scheme to redress subpostmasters' grievances over alleged false accounting Continue Reading
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News
08 Dec 2014
MPs blast Post Office over IT system investigation and remove backing
Post Office scheme to redress sub-postmaster grievances over IT system is failing, say MP group supporting alleged victims Continue Reading
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News
08 Dec 2014
M&S turns to predictive analytics to keep shelves stocked over Christmas
Marks & Spencer is using predictive analytics to keep shelves stocked with mince pies and turkeys over Christmas. Continue Reading
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News
01 Dec 2014
ABN Amro re-signs IBM for 10-year, multibillion-euro IT contract
ABN Amro has extended its multibillion-euro outsourcing deal with IBM by another 10 years Continue Reading
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Feature
27 Nov 2014
In-store retail experience evolves with the demands of tech-savvy shoppers
The increasing demands of today's "always-connected" shoppers are redefining the in-store buying experience Continue Reading
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News
26 Nov 2014
HP results disappoint ahead of split
HP has announced disappointing fourth-quarter earnings ahead of the company’s planned split aimed at reversing its recent decline Continue Reading
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News
25 Nov 2014
Pressure on Universal Credit’s digital service mounts as testing begins
Risks remain for Universal Credit as DWP continues its twin-track gradual roll-out of live and digital services Continue Reading
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News
19 Nov 2014
Home Office continues to engage with suppliers over Emergency Services Network
The Home Office is continuing its discussions with suppliers around the requirements for the new Emergency Services Network (ESN). Continue Reading
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News
17 Nov 2014
CIO success is all about winning friends and influencing people
If Gartner’s predictions are true, CIO working practices have to change to keep IT relevant Continue Reading
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News
12 Nov 2014
Amazon not the biggest threat to high street retailers
Competition from online-only traders does not pose the biggest threat to high street retailers, with cautious attitudes a bigger risk Continue Reading
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News
11 Nov 2014
What to expect from AWS re:Invent 2014
Amazon is all set to unveil new services and features at its AWS re:Invent 2014 Continue Reading
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News
11 Nov 2014
Drinks maker Edrington outsources SAP enterprise resource planning operation to Atos
Glasgow-based distiller Edrington outsources its ERP development, support and hosting to IT services firm Atos Continue Reading
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News
11 Nov 2014
Qantas puts Oracle ERP in the cloud with Tata Consultancy Services
Airline Qantas signs IT outsourcing services firm TCS to upgrade its Oracle ERP platform and move it into the cloud Continue Reading
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News
10 Nov 2014
Future Decoded event raises questions on digital risk
Is technology good for society or bad? This was one of the issues covered at the Future Decoded event in London Continue Reading
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News
04 Nov 2014
Airbus interview: research, innovation and the future of aviation
IT plays a substantial role in creating the aircraft of the future, with research and innovation at the core of the Airbus business strategy Continue Reading
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Feature
30 Oct 2014
Currency exchange business Travelex cuts HR costs by 25% with cloud IT systems
Travelex's cloud human resources (HR) project survived a budget overrun to cut costs and job recruitment times Continue Reading
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News
29 Oct 2014
Tackling bloatware in the age of cloud-based apps
Microsoft Office general manager Julia White on Office 365 security and making cloud apps easier for users Continue Reading
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News
28 Oct 2014
Government replaces Becta education IT procurement framework
Government seeks up to 20 suppliers to form a £300m procurement framework for ICT services to public-sector education organisations Continue Reading
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News
27 Oct 2014
Hitachi Data Systems ploughs ahead with social innovation plans
Hitachi Innovation Forum expects 16,000 delegates to share user cases on how technology is making society safer Continue Reading
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News
24 Oct 2014
Universal Credit digital service set for first public test in Sutton
Digital service for Universal Credit to start testing with benefit claimants in Sutton, south London, in the next two months Continue Reading
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News
23 Oct 2014
Finance IT group wants to push forward banks' cloud discussion
The Banking Industry Architecture Network (Bian) calls on industry to decide on the core banking systems to move to cloud platforms and share Continue Reading
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News
23 Oct 2014
Universal Credit digital system reaches key milestone as DWP delays roll-out
The digital system supporting the Department for Work and Pension's Universal Credit programme has passed a major development milestone Continue Reading
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News
22 Oct 2014
Firms lack technology for workforce of the future
European businesses will rely increasingly on freelance, geographically dispersed employees as they vie to attract the top skills to their organisations over the next 5 years. Continue Reading
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Photo Story
17 Oct 2014
Making waves at Dreamforce 2014
Love him or hate him, Salesforce.com CEO Marc Benioff draws a crowd. This is a cloud software company with an increasing focus on application development Continue Reading
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News
15 Oct 2014
B&Q launches online kitchen planning and design tool
The DIY retailer debuts its B&Q Spaces planning and design tool which allows customers to plan their kitchen, bathroom and bedroom projects online Continue Reading
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News
15 Oct 2014
CIOs fear poor cloud investment is making businesses uncompetitive
CIOs and CFOs fear their enterprises are missing revenue opportunities due to poor cloud strategies Continue Reading
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News
10 Oct 2014
SAP teams up with Birst to offer cloud analytics on Hana
SAP is working with cloud BI supplier Birst to provide “instant analytics in the cloud” on the Hana in-memory database platform Continue Reading
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News
10 Oct 2014
Starbucks uses cloud to manage innovation and disruptive technologies
Starbucks coffee chain innovates IT strategies to hone its competitive edge using cloud services, says IT director Robert Teagle Continue Reading
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News
07 Oct 2014
Engineering company rolls out talent management software across 17 countries
Meggitt is deploying cloud-based HR technology as it seeks to integrate 60 diverse business units into a multinational operation Continue Reading
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News
02 Oct 2014
CIO interview: Ben Hine, technology director, UKTV
UKTV director Ben Hine says every piece of the company's technology has been replaced over the last four years Continue Reading
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News
02 Oct 2014
Oracle OpenWorld 2014: Lloyd's Register goes mobile with Oracle
Lloyd’s Register Group tells delegates at the Oracle OpenWorld 2014 conference how it developed a mobile working application for clients and staff Continue Reading
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News
01 Oct 2014
Microsoft readies Windows 10 Technical Preview
Microsoft is today releasing a preview of Windows 10, the next version of the Windows desktop operating system Continue Reading
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Photo Story
01 Oct 2014
Oracle Openworld 2014
Every September, San Francisco plays host to Oracle’s user conference, where customers, users and developers descend on the city to learn the latest on the supplier’s products and services. Continue Reading
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News
30 Sep 2014
Oracle OpenWorld 2014: Xerox aligns business and IT in streamlining applications
Xerox's IT division has been working with the business to standardise its HR management on a global basis Continue Reading
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News
30 Sep 2014
Oracle OpenWorld 2014: Toms expands global e-commerce
Footwear retailer Toms relaunches e-commerce websites with Oracle platform to grow and improve customer experience Continue Reading
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News
25 Sep 2014
Oracle releases OpenStack Support for Oracle Linux and Oracle VM
Oracle has made its Oracle OpenStack for Oracle Linux distribution generally available to support customers Continue Reading
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Feature
25 Sep 2014
Q&A: MarkLogic CEO Gary Bloom talks strategy
Gary Bloom, CEO of NoSQL database supplier MarkLogic, talks to Computer Weekly about strategy Continue Reading
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Feature
24 Sep 2014
The digital CIO: Why embrace digital innovation?
Having the right digital strategy can make or break an organisation Continue Reading
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Feature
23 Sep 2014
Demystifying Kubernetes: the tool to manage Google-scale workloads in the cloud
We are witnessing a new technology wave in the form of immutable infrastructure and micro-services Continue Reading
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News
19 Sep 2014
SAP acquires Concur to build cloud-based expense management
SAP has agreed to acquire online travel and expense management SaaS provider Concur Technologies for $8bn Continue Reading
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Photo Story
19 Sep 2014
Larry Ellison: Of plane, sails and zen
After 35 years at the helm, Larry Ellison has stepped down as Oracle's CEO Continue Reading
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News
17 Sep 2014
KPMG: IoT, 3D printing and healthcare IT to have most impact
Internet of things (IoT), 3D printing and biotech or healthcare IT are among the IT trends that will change the way people work and live Continue Reading
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News
12 Sep 2014
Claims against Post Office IT system approach completion
Investigation into sub-postmaster claims against the Post Office over problems with its Horizon accounting system coming to an end Continue Reading
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News
10 Sep 2014
Accenture: 48% of UK survey respondents fail to find big data talent
An Accenture survey has found that nearly half of UK respondents are struggling to find enough skilled data management professional Continue Reading
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News
10 Sep 2014
Fresh questions raised over Post Office IT system's role in fraud cases
A leaked report has revealed more details about the role of the Horizon accounting system in sub-postmaster fraud cases Continue Reading
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Feature
08 Sep 2014
Sweden’s Klarna and Spotify design big data architectures to aid business growth
Many organisations still don't know how to capitalise on big data. Swedish firms Klarna and Spotify are making use of its possibilities Continue Reading
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News
08 Sep 2014
BP spends £2m developing apps to train business leaders
BP is scrapping online courses in favour of apps and portals that can deliver bite-sized information and training when it's needed Continue Reading
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E-Zine
08 Sep 2014
How cloud is saving lives
In this week’s Computer Weekly, we look at how the power of public cloud is helping scientists to tackle diseases such as cancer and malaria. Big banks are turning to tech startups for innovation – we ask why. And our latest buyer’s guide examines micro-datacentre technologies. Read the issue now. Continue Reading
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News
05 Sep 2014
Barclays bank launches biometric authentication
Barclays bank plans to launch biometric readers that read users' finger veins to authenticate customers Continue Reading
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News
03 Sep 2014
Morgan Motor Company swaps Sage for integrated IFS
Morgan Motor Company is replacing its Sage 500 accounting system with IFS Applications Continue Reading
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Opinion
01 Sep 2014
Watermelon SLAs – making sense of green and red alerts
Often IT SLAs don’t reflect the real service and service experience of users. They also aren’t focused enough on the business results Continue Reading
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Opinion
01 Sep 2014
Define a software delivery strategy for business innovation – four key steps
As software takes a central role in modern business models, application delivery capability has become the key enabler of disruption Continue Reading
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News
29 Aug 2014
Tesco to reduce IT spend in a bid to cut costs
Supermarket giant Tesco has announced that it will be cutting costs from its IT budget to save money Continue Reading
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News
29 Aug 2014
Ocado’s technology under fire, causing share price to fall
Ocado’s IT has come under fire in a financial analyst's report that claims the market has over-valued the retailer's automation technology Continue Reading
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News
28 Aug 2014
Surface Pro 3: An enterprise IT review
The latest version of Microsoft's Surface Pro tablet is the company's most compelling alternative to Apple. But how does it fit into corporate IT? Continue Reading
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Feature
27 Aug 2014
Choice and ease of use: key elements of a good app store
Companies need to focus on individual user requirements and make sure their app store delivers the right tools for the right job Continue Reading
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E-Zine
26 Aug 2014
Can national security and privacy co-exist?
In this week’s Computer Weekly, we talk to NSA whistleblower Bill Binney about the often-conflicting needs of security and privacy. We find out how Google is using artificial intelligence to improve datacentre energy efficiency. And we look at a project to use wearable technology and big data to help tackle Parkinson’s disease. Read the issue now Continue Reading
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Feature
20 Aug 2014
The internet of things is coming: Is your datacentre ready?
Gartner estimates the IoT will see 26 billion units installed by 2020 – channelling huge volumes of data traffic into datacentres Continue Reading
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News
19 Aug 2014
Bayern Munich teams up with SAP to hit sporting and commercial goals
FC Bayern Munich and SAP today cemented a sports analytics and enterprise software partnership at the club’s Allianz Arena Continue Reading