Business intelligence and analytics

Larry Ellison: Of plane, sails and zen

After 35 years at the helm, Larry Ellison has stepped down as Oracle's CEO Continue Reading

Muji takes on cloud platform to increase sales

Retailer Muji is using a cloud-based platform from IT services firm Infosys to help it understand customers and target sales Continue Reading

Clarks shoes steps into digital

Shoe manufacturer Clarks is replacing its legacy e-commerce sites with a global cloud-based system next month Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Retailers need to adopt ‘fail fast’ attitude to technology

Retailers experimenting with digital technologies must take a “fail fast” approach so they can deliver new innovations quickly Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Boots to roll out real-time stock visibility in coming weeks

Health and beauty retailer, Alliance Boots, is about to roll out real-time stock visibility to its stores and customers using SAP Hana Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

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

By

• Brian McKenna, Enterprise Applications Editor

EY seeks tech startups to address challenges of right to be forgotten

Professional services firm Ernst & Young is looking for startups to find technology solutions to the ‘right to be forgotten’ regulation Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

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

By

• Jenny Stadigs

Ordnance Survey to release open data on green spaces

The Ordnance Survey is to release information and statistics on green space in England and Wales as open data Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

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

By

• Brian McKenna, Enterprise Applications Editor

FT turns to cloud to manage advertising bookings

Business newspaper replaces 20-year-old ad-booking system with a cloud-based service Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

CIO interview: Dave Ubachs, CIO, Staples Europe

Staples is undertaking major IT projects in Europe that will see e-commerce improvements and back-end consolidation in 16 countries Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Why John Linwood is not to blame for BBC’s failed technology project

Former BBC CTO has won his case for unfair dismissal over the failed £100m DMI project, but what lessons can be learned? Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

CW Europe - August 2014 Edition

The hype around data mining may have receded, but it remains a critical discipline for the data scientist. This issue of CW Europe looks at what exactly data mining is, how and when it is used – and why it should not be mistaken for business analytics. Continue Reading

Wearable technology will up the game for sports data analytics

Wearable technology is a big industry thanks to the ‘quantified self’ movement. It’s now giving a boost to professional sports data analytics professionals Continue Reading

By

• Simon Creasey

Location-based analytics helps Wendy's find its way to new sites

Most people remember geography class as a liberal arts concentration. But John Crouse of Wendy's is showing that geographic knowledge can make for a valuable pairing with statistical analysis as part of location intelligence efforts. Continue Reading

By

• Ed Burns

Oracle in-memory option creates licensing pain and audit risk

A former Oracle employee has highlighted a major issue in the way the new Oracle Database 12c Release 12.1.0.2 is licensed Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

NAO reveals Home Office spent £347m on failed ICW programme

The Home Office spent £347m closing its Immigration Case Work programme, which was supposed to replace legacy databases Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

SAP helps Germany lift the World Cup

Germany-based software company SAP played its part in the national football team's victory over Argentina in the World Cup final in Brazil Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Enterprise Applications Editor

Analytics scours World Cups for greatest footballer of all time

Sports data company Opta’s analytics of every World Cup finals match ever played since 1966 adds to the debate on who is football’s greatest of all time Continue Reading

By

• Simon Creasey

ISPs take legal action against GCHQ over mass network infrastructure surveillance

Six global internet service providers (ISPs) have filed a legal complaint calling for a halt to GCHQ’s use of network infrastructure for surveillance Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Wimbledon bunker tour: The IT behind the tennis championships

Computer Weekly goes behind the scenes at Wimbledon to investigate the technology supporting of one of the biggest tennis championships Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

A peek into Intel’s Internet of Things lab in Swindon

Intel's new IoT lab in Swindon is researching connected devices such as a connected coffee machine, targeted ads and live Twitter analyses Continue Reading

By

• Archana Venkatraman, Datacentre Editor

Design a business intelligence system properly -- for business users

Rick Sherman explains how to avoid common mistakes when planning and designing BI systems, saying that the varying needs of different business users must be front and center. Continue Reading

By

• Rick Sherman, Athena Solutions

The CIO Playbook – Innovation

Nicholas R. Colisto describes a comprehensive practical method to tap into your company's reservoir of innovation to solve real business problems in this extract from his book. Continue Reading

Unilever puts SAP at the captain’s table

Consumer goods company Unilever works hand in glove with SAP in “speeding up its growth”, according to senior executives at the two firms Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Enterprise Applications Editor

Wimbledon to analyse social interactions at tennis championship

The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club at Wimbledon will be analysing social interactions throughout tennis championship Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Travel group Expedia aims to predict your holiday plans

Travel group Expedia is developing technology that will predict the needs of its customers before they call about their travel plans Continue Reading

UK airports lead move to cloud services

UK airports are at the vanguard of using cloud to develop innovative services, says Gatwick CIO. Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Sapphire 2014: Plattner restates radical, in-memory computing future

SAP's Hasso Plattner restates his case that enterprise applications face a radical future, based on in-memory computing Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Enterprise Applications Editor

Author: Data mining projects depend on excavating meaningful data

In a Q&A, book author David Nettleton offers advice on avoiding data mining pitfalls and pinpointing valuable business data to mine and analyze. Continue Reading

By

• Melanie Luna, TechTarget

Do predictive analytics projects require data scientists?

Expert Mark Whitehorn explains what skills are required for predictive modeling -- and whether business users can do the work of data scientists. Continue Reading

By

• Mark Whitehorn, University of Dundee

Business Objects use increases among SAP users, but Hana uptake low

More UK and Ireland SAP customers are using Business Objects now than even two years ago, but only 15% are using Hana Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Enterprise Applications Editor

IT headcount lags behind growth in digital strategies

There is a huge gap in technology staffing for e-commerce operations, according to a new report from analyst Forrester Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Justifying the business case to update Oracle eBusiness Suite

To justify the upgrade cost needed to move to Oracle eBusiness Suite Release 12, IT departments need consider how the implementation can deliver value. Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Air Transport Industry Insights 2014

This report from SITA looks at the impact of business intelligence on airlines and airports. Continue Reading

UK helping US military build intelligence software for drone targeting

The UK has been helping the US military build software to share intelligence for weapons such as drones for the past 14 years Continue Reading

By

• Mark Ballard

City University London launches data science and cyber security courses

City University London will this year begin its first post-graduate courses in data science and cybersecurity. Continue Reading

Oracle updates Solaris, but is its server strategy sound?

Oracle has released a beta versdion of Solaris 11.2. But does Solaris and the Sparc server platform have a future? Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Gartner: CIOs spend more on BI as business growth returns

The return to business growth is driving IT spending among UK and Irish CIOs, according to Gartner's 2014 CIO Agenda survey Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has his Trustworthy Computing moment

In 2002, Microsoft chief Bill Gates sent out the Trustworthy Computing memo to staff. Microsoft’s new CEO, Satya Nadella, had his Trustworthy Computing moment this week. Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Are retailers using data analytics to their advantage?

Computer Weekly looks at the challenges the retail sector faces in taking advantage of data analysis Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Workday sees opportunity for cloud financial management in Europe

Workday plans to push cloud finance and accounting services to enterprise in Europe, but observers say its background in HR technology may prove an obstacle Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Seven secrets of SQL Server Management Studio

SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) is the principal interface for working with Microsoft SQL Server. However, many subtleties of this powerful tool evade even the most seasoned professionals Continue Reading

By

• Andy Hogg

Analysis: Care.data – where next?

Following the public debate surrounding the NHS Care.data plan, it was unsurprising the topic dominated the UK’s largest health IT event Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

The digital CIO: How digital technology will change the way organisations work

If you are an IT leader, digital technology is likely to be a pivotal factor in your career over the next five years Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Case study: How John Lewis conquered the web

An in-depth look at the inside story of John Lewis' £40m e-commerce strategy. Continue Reading

Red Bull ramps up network for 2014 F1 championship

An extended relationship with AT&T will support RedBull Infiniti Racing on and off the track as it prepares its 2014 championship bid Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

British Gas uses SAS analytics to reach customers

British Gas, one of the UK’s energy suppliers, is to use SAS analytics to improve marketing efficiency Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Enterprise Applications Editor

Thames Water pilots smart analytics with Accenture

Thames Water is six months into an 18 month pilot with Accenture Smart Grid to pilot real time monitoring to deliver an improved service Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

HP Autonomy unveils healthcare analytics system for textual data

HP has unveiled a new healthcare analytics product to enable medical staff to interrogate text and data in relational databases Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Enterprise Applications Editor

Case study: Scottish Fire and Rescue advances national BI strategy with QlikView

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service is using QlikView business intelligence software to bring together its data streams for external reporting and operational intelligence Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Enterprise Applications Editor

Teradata launches analytics product as SAP BW replacement

Teradata has released an analytics product for SAP ERP, as a full-blown alternative to SAP BW Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Enterprise Applications Editor

NHS clinical research body uses QlikView to forward open data

The clinical research delivery arm of the NHS is developing an open data platform using QlikView Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Enterprise Applications Editor

Case study: London Borough of Islington’s smart working journey

The London Borough of Islington is using technology to ensure its staff are as productive as possible travelling along a ‘smart working journey’ Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Nokia Solutions Networks HR rejects best of breed for best of platform

Nokia Solutions and Networks has chosen a ‘best of platform’ approach for its global HR programme in the wake of a reduction in staff from around 80,000 to 50,000, consequent to a restructure in 2011 Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Enterprise Applications Editor

700,000 benefit claimants miss out on Universal Credit deadline

The secretary for work and pensions has admitted the Universal Credit benefit scheme will miss its 2017 deadline Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Tech spend to increase in 2014 as executives explore big data

Over three-quarters of chief financial officers plan to increase technology investments in 2014 Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Mobile business intelligence adoption slows, BARC BI survey finds

Mobile BI adoption is slowing and much vaunted social media analytics are little deployed, according to the latest BARC BI global survey Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Enterprise Applications Editor

IT budgets to rise by 3% in 2014 as companies step up spending on mobile

IT spending will increase by 3% in 2014, up from 1.8% last year. But shadow IT spending will add another 40% to technology budgets Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Case study: McGraw-Hill Education mobilises with Salesforce

The educational resources provider utilises Salesforce to develop a mobile app and get its sales reps selling more on campus Continue Reading

By

• Jennifer Scott, TechTarget

Human Capital Management

Computer Weekly looks at the steps companies have taken to improve talent management; bridging the gap between the cost savings promised by cloud technologies and the value they deliver. Continue Reading

Procter & Gamble uses Teradata cloud analytics for global marketing

Procter & Gamble has 15,000 websites, but sells almost exclusively through retailers. This makes gathering intelligence on customers tough Continue Reading

By

• Lindsay Clark

Future Gazing: The Future of IT in 2020

The next six years will see the influence of technology accelerate, and that will mean radical changes for the role of the IT department and the CIO Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

CIO interview: Paolo Cinelli, CIO, Ikea

Ikea's priority is to get closer to its customers using a multi-channel approach which combines digital and traditional methods Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Big Data analytics: Adoption and employment trends

The report identifies current and future adoption rates for big data by type and size of organisation in the UK Continue Reading

Data on the Balance Sheet

This report from the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr), discusses the economic arguments for placing 'data' as an asset on the company balance sheet. Continue Reading

Hands-on Oracle Application Express security

This book extract demonstrates how Oracle Application Express (APEX) can be vulnerable to SQL injection, using sample code. Continue Reading

IT spending up as companies invest in digital technology

Businesses are stepping up their spending on IT as they invest in strategic digital technologies, a CIO survey by Deloitte reveals Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Companies are not taking advantage of data analytics, research says

Research by Bersin by Deloitte shows that 86% of businesses have yet to progress beyond using their HR data to generate basic reports Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Government calls for more data scientists in the UK

The government is calling on industry and academia to help produce more data scientists in the UK Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

BT signs multimillion HR technology contract with Oracle

The project, one of the largest contracts signed so far for Oracle’s Fusion technology, is strategically important both to Oracle and BT Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Case study: Pumps maker Hayward Tyler’s restructure sharpened ERP business focus

When a restructure arrives half way through an ERP upgrade, it could be a threat to the IT programme. But Hayward Tyler saw it as a chance to ensure business goals were at the heart of its Epicor project. Continue Reading

By

• Lindsay Clark

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

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

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

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

C-level executives cry out for data scientists

Board level executives are putting pressure on their IT organisations to find data scientists, according to Teradata research Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Enterprise Applications Editor

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

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

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

By

• Brian McKenna, Enterprise Applications Editor

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

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

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

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Unlocking the value of big data

This independent report provides the first in-depth assessment of the role that data-intensive technology can play in supporting jobs and growth in Ireland over the next five years. Continue Reading

Banks tighten data handling in race for compliance

Data is obviously a valuable asset to any company, but managed poorly it could also be a liability. Data in the financial sector continues to grow at a rapid pace, so getting your house in order will ensure you are not hit with any unwanted fines or receive any negative PR due to data loss. In this issue of CW Europe read how data discipline ensures you avoid data loss, as well as helping you to think clearer and to be organised. Continue Reading

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

By

• Brian McKenna, Enterprise Applications Editor

Coca-Cola overcomes challenges to seize BI opportunities

The Coca-Cola Co. understands that analytics challenges can be overcome and that a team approach helps businesses take advantage of BI opportunities. Continue Reading

By

• Ed Burns

CW buyer's guide: data management

Effective use of data management systems will provide access to consistent, accurate and current information Continue Reading

Big Data in Big Companies 

The International Institute for Analytics (IIA) and SAS, assess how 20 large firms have deployed analytics to generate value from their big data assets. Continue Reading

Privacy and big data

Sixteen key questions companies need to answer when considering the privacy and governance aspects of big data Continue Reading

Online retailing means the industrialisation of analytics

Figleaves founder and eCommera chief scientist Michael Ross argues that online retailing requires a new type of action-oriented business intelligence Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Enterprise Applications Editor

Case study: How Premier Inn uses mobile analytics

Premier Inn's mobile app has been downloaded more than two million times and 77% of room bookings are made via the app Continue Reading

By

• Graham Jarvis

Whiteboard it – the power of graph databases

Graph databases map relationships between entities in a network. They won’t replace conventional relational databases, but for harnessing the value of interconnectedness they mark a breakthrough Continue Reading

By

• Andy Hogg, Contributor

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

By

• Kayleigh Bateman, Computer Weekly

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

By

• Brian McKenna, Enterprise Applications Editor

Big data journalism exposes offshore tax dodgers

How journalists harnessed big data to challenge offshore financial secrecy Continue Reading

By

• Duncan Campbell and Craig Shaw

The need for data speed

In this week's Computer Weekly, we find out how the McLaren Formula One team is using high-speed data analytics to improve race performance. Our new buyer's guide looks at best practices in data management. And we discuss IT leaders' frustrations about the unwanted complexities of software licensing. Continue Reading

The Economic Value of Data

Big data analytics promises to boost the profits of financial services firms, according to this report from Cognizant. Continue Reading

CW500: Back to the Future: Big Data at Channel 4

Bob Harris, Chief Technology Officer of Channel 4 Television, explains the broadcaster's approach to big data in this presentation for Computer Weekly's 500 Club. Continue Reading

Indian banks harness big data analysis amid competition

The increasing penetration of broadband and growth in smartphone usage in India are driving the development of IT-based services for bank consumers. Continue Reading

By

• Viraj V Desai

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

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

By

• Brian McKenna, Enterprise Applications Editor

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

By

• Brian McKenna, Enterprise Applications Editor