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.
-
News
30 Oct 2025
Post Office scandal investigator warns public inquiry about Horizon defect at large for years
Forensic investigator who helped expose Horizon scandal described defect ‘sufficiently serious’ to inform public inquiry Continue Reading
-
News
29 Oct 2025
Zoom looks to launch next era of custom enterprise AI
AI-first work platform provider deploys AI leader’s technology to adapt to users’ personal work habits through model customisation and retrieval-augmented generation, with federated AI stack Continue Reading
-
News
25 Jun 2015
Universal Credit costs leap by more than 20% to £15.8bn
Figures reveal increase in lifetime cost since changes to the plan made to 'reset' the troubled welfare reform programme Continue Reading
-
News
25 Jun 2015
CIO Interview: Ian Bell, CIO, Cambridgeshire Police Service
The CIO of Cambridgeshire Police Service talks about the constabulary’s move to digital for collaboration and information sharing in its effort to increase efficiency Continue Reading
-
News
25 Jun 2015
John Swainson, president of Dell Software, argues the case for rethinking datacentres
Having previously worked for Silver Lake, CA and IBM, Swainson now heads the company’s software business Continue Reading
-
News
24 Jun 2015
Box ties up with IBM to boost enterprise credibility and global reach
IBM and Box have forged a global partnership to integrate their existing products and services, and develop new ones for secure collaboration Continue Reading
-
Feature
24 Jun 2015
App development companies fight back against digital piracy
How can digital companies protect their IP against a tidal wave of smartphone boosted piracy? Is digital rights management software effective enough, or is it better to adapt your business model? Continue Reading
-
News
23 Jun 2015
Pharmaceutical companies use BPM to cut cost of clinical trial drugs
Pharmaceutical companies have developed an IT system to secure the supply of medicines they need for clinical studies, saving hundreds of thousands on their drugs bill in the process Continue Reading
-
News
19 Jun 2015
Google eyes Tesco’s customer analytics arm Dunnhumby
Google is reported to have joined the scramble to buy Dunnhumby, the customer analytics unit behind Tesco’s Clubcard Continue Reading
-
News
19 Jun 2015
Legacy systems holding back 90% of businesses
Most businesses are being held back from making digital advances by their reliance on legacy applications Continue Reading
-
News
18 Jun 2015
The diagram that scares the next generation of banking IT professionals
The next generation of IT professionals in the banking sector will face the same legacy headache as their predecessors Continue Reading
-
News
17 Jun 2015
Royal Bank of Scotland goes back to 1970s values with big data
RBS, once the world's largest bank, is using analytics technology to go back to the era of personal customer service Continue Reading
-
News
16 Jun 2015
CIO interview: Alan Jensen, Dansk Supermarked
Danske Supermarked is moving to an omni-channel model, and the CIO must ensure IT and business departments are on the journey together Continue Reading
-
News
15 Jun 2015
NHS e-Referral system goes live, despite 33 issues and GDS warning
NHS England has launched its replacement hospital appointment booking service, even though it has known errors and failed to follow government digital guidelines Continue Reading
-
News
11 Jun 2015
Is HMRC making tax more taxing for non-digital taxpayers?
Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has made tax data accessible online – but how should it cater for those unable (or unwilling) to use digital services? Continue Reading
-
News
09 Jun 2015
Case study: What the enterprise can learn from Etsy's DevOps strategy
Jon Cowie, operations engineer at online marketplace Etsy, advises enterprises on how to develop a DevOps-friendly business culture Continue Reading
-
Opinion
08 Jun 2015
The top 10 myths about agile development
Examining some of the most common misconceptions in the growing field of agile software development Continue Reading
-
News
08 Jun 2015
Digital services not saving government departments money, says NAO
Government departments are not making the savings digital services were aiming to deliver Continue Reading
-
News
29 May 2015
CIO interview: Billie Laidlaw, RSPCA
RSPCA CIO Billie Laidlaw explains how the charity's cloud-first approach to IT procurement benefits the animals in its care Continue Reading
-
Feature
25 May 2015
Digital customer experience: Beyond the website
Organisations are faced with the challenge of delivering their customers with an online experience that goes far beyond just a website Continue Reading
-
Photo Story
22 May 2015
Air Traffic Control gallery opens at The National Museum of Computing
Sponsored by Nats, the air traffic control gallery features IRIS radar, a restored PDP-11 and high definition air traffic control simulator Continue Reading
-
News
21 May 2015
CIO interview: Austerity drives joined-up council IT with Force.com
Peterborough has become a big user of software-as-a-service for council services. We speak to its IT head Continue Reading
-
News
20 May 2015
IT system related to subpostmaster prosecutions under review by CCRC
The Criminal Cases Review Commission receives 20 applications from subpostmasters related to prosecutions for account shortfalls Continue Reading
-
News
20 May 2015
Government cloud adoption hit by ongoing legacy tech investments
IT supplier Eduserv wants government departments banned from investing in legacy tech to drive up cloud adoption Continue Reading
-
News
19 May 2015
GDS will not scale locally with continued bespoke approach
If the Government Digital Service (GDS) continues to develop bespoke digital services, the progress it has made to date will not scale at a local level, Eddie Copeland, head of technology at the Policy Exchange, has warned Continue Reading
-
News
19 May 2015
Google slashes public cloud prices to undercut rivals
Google cuts cost of its public cloud services to pass on hardware savings in line with Moore's Law Continue Reading
-
News
15 May 2015
Rentokil opens up core IT systems to business
The IT department at Rentokil Initial has delivered coding interfaces to its back-end ERP system to enable the business to create new applications Continue Reading
-
News
13 May 2015
Retailers still not delivering omni-channel experience, says Accenture
Research by Accenture finds customers think retailers could provide a more unified approach across all platforms Continue Reading
-
News
12 May 2015
Former nurse’s career blighted after blowing whistle on IT problems
Southwark's continuing care database included names of patients who had been dead for several years, a tribunal is told Continue Reading
-
E-Zine
08 May 2015
CW Europe – May 2015 Edition
In this issue, CW Europe's security editor investigates whether the legislation could strangle Europe's productivity and whether businesses see the regulations as a burden. Continue Reading
-
News
05 May 2015
Sapphire 2015: McDermott declares SAP natively digital
SAP CEO Bill McDermott declares the company “digital” at Sapphire 2015 and made “empathy” the watchword of his keynote Continue Reading
-
News
29 Apr 2015
Criminal Courts Review Commission set to review subpostmasters' claims of wrongful prosecution
The Criminal Courts Review Commission (CCRC) reviews subpostmasters' claims of wrongful prosecution by the Post Office due to IT problems Continue Reading
-
Feature
24 Apr 2015
Apache Spark speeds up big data decision-making
Spark, the open-source cluster computing framework from Apache, promises to complement Hadoop batch processing Continue Reading
-
News
22 Apr 2015
Zurich Insurance turns to augmented reality to train 10,000 managers
The £74bn turnover company aims to harness the capabilities of augmented reality to train 10,000 employees in 170 countries Continue Reading
-
News
21 Apr 2015
SAP core banking platform will ease Deutsche Bank split following strategic retail review
Deutsche Bank plans a major IT project as strategic review advises spinning off its retail operations – but its SAP platform will ease the split Continue Reading
-
News
20 Apr 2015
Post Office failed to investigate account shortfalls before legal action, report claims
Post Office too quick to take legal action against subpostmasters, finds independent report Continue Reading
-
News
16 Apr 2015
Pure e-commerce approach does not work for every retailer
Retailers can no longer be successful with an e-commerce approach alone, according to NYU professor of marketing Scott Galloway Continue Reading
-
News
16 Apr 2015
Retailers should think of consumers as “omni-customers”, says OVS Spa
Retailers should refocus their strategy to treat consumers as “omni-customers”, according to the director of e-commerce for Italian brand OVS Spa Continue Reading
-
News
15 Apr 2015
NCR promises 40% annual savings with thin-client cash machines
NCR has developed smart thin client cash machines to replacing ageing Windows XP-based ATMs Continue Reading
-
News
09 Apr 2015
InfoVista buys Ipanema to boost application performance offer
Network management supplier InfoVista buys application and network performance firm Ipanema to realise software-defined WAN ambitions Continue Reading
-
News
08 Apr 2015
Exit checks system for UK borders finally goes live
The Home Office launches a system for making exit checks of travellers at UK borders, following the scrapped e-Borders programme Continue Reading
-
News
08 Apr 2015
CIO interview: Bruna Pellicci, global head of IT, Ashurst
Global law firm Ashurst is rolling out a new IT strategy based on single platforms worldwide for its core business areas Continue Reading
-
News
30 Mar 2015
Rural payments service failed GDS assessment but still went live
The troubled rural payments digital service failed its most recent assessment by the Government Digital Service, but was still launched to farmers Continue Reading
-
News
30 Mar 2015
Sky Italia looks to the cloud for better customer experience
Sky Italia “remakes” its customer acquisition, customer service and change order management processes using cloud Continue Reading
-
News
30 Mar 2015
KPMG teams up with Microsoft to boost enterprise cloud adoption
Advisory firm to draw on Microsoft technologies to deliver cloud-based data analytics, and business transformation services to clients Continue Reading
-
News
27 Mar 2015
NHS announces £78m technology fund for health and social care providers
The NHS will give £78m integrated digital care funding to health and social care providers in 2015 to help them invest in technology Continue Reading
-
News
27 Mar 2015
National Police ICT Company operational after four years of wrangling
The national Police ICT Company is operational and aims to save £465m a year – nearly four years after Theresa May proposed its creation Continue Reading
-
News
27 Mar 2015
Talk Talk moves HR systems to cloud
Managers now have accurate information on their workforce numbers, salary and overtime costs Continue Reading
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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