Database software
With the volumes of digital data used by businesses growing at exponential rates, having the right information management and database software becomes key to corporate decision-making. While established products such as Oracle, DB2 and Informix remain widely used, open source alternatives such as MySQL and Ingres offer potential alternatives for IT managers. We examine the issues around choosing the right products and strategies for your organisation.
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News
01 Apr 2025
How Singapore researchers are using AI to fight Parkinson’s disease
Singapore researchers are using Google DeepMind’s AlphaFold to understand the intricate protein interactions at play in Parkinson's disease, paving the way for potential diagnostics and treatments Continue Reading
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News
26 Mar 2025
Oracle bets big on AI, drives Australian business transformation
At the Oracle CloudWorld Tour in Sydney, Oracle executives talked up the company’s strategy to integrate AI across its entire technology stack, empowering Australian businesses to move beyond experimentation and into practical AI-driven solutions Continue Reading
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News
15 Sep 2015
NHS trust denies bullying and intimidation of IT whistleblower
Managers were already aware of whistleblower's concerns about the accuracy of NHS Southwark's data, tribunal hears Continue Reading
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News
10 Sep 2015
Cloudian boosts object storage HyperStore compliance features
Distributed object storage software maker Cloudian upgrades HyperStore with added granularity of data protection features that can help meet compliance requirements Continue Reading
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Feature
14 Aug 2015
Types of NoSQL databases and key criteria for choosing them
In a book excerpt, consultant Dan Sullivan offers insights into how to select the right type of NoSQL database for the right application in your organization. Continue Reading
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Feature
07 Aug 2015
SAP HANA in-memory DBMS overview
SAP HANA is an in-memory DBMS and application platform designed to handle high transaction rates and complex queries using one data copy. Continue Reading
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Feature
31 Jul 2015
Redis open source DBMS overview
The Redis open source DBMS provides a highly scalable data store that can be shared by multiple processes, applications or servers. Continue Reading
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Feature
27 Jul 2015
MySQL open source RDBMS overview
Developers, database administrators and DevOps teams use MySQL open source RDBMS to more easily operate next-generation applications in the cloud. Continue Reading
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News
23 Jul 2015
Software project will save Ford tens of millions a year in car repair bills
Car maker Ford is rolling out sophisticated warranty software to 12,000 dealers worldwide in a project that is expected to bring rapid financial returns Continue Reading
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News
21 Jul 2015
Mainframe fails to save IBM from 13th declining quarter
IBM's second-quarter revenue was down 13% year-on-year to $20.8bn, but IBM said the decline is only 1%, adjusting for the sale of its x86 server business and the impact of the strong dollar Continue Reading
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News
20 Jul 2015
Comparethemarket uses Cloudera to gain single view of customer data
Price comparison site Comparethemarket has turned to Cloudera’s Hadoop distribution to get a better view of customer data from different channels. Doug Cutting, the father of Hadoop, explains Continue Reading
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News
30 Jun 2015
Top suppliers as UK software and services market approaches £50bn
The top five software and IT services firms in the UK are Capita, HP, IBM, Capgemini and Accenture, according to the latest figures from TechMarketView Continue Reading
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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
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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
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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
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E-Zine
01 Jun 2015
Google’s big data vision
In this week’s Computer Weekly, we examine Google’s 11-year big data journey from MapReduce to Cloud Bigtable, the internet giant’s latest NoSQL database service. We look at the role of mobile technology in helping to join up health and social care in the UK. And John Lewis IT director Paul Coby talks about the IT challenges of creating an omni-channel retailer. Read the issue now. Continue Reading
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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
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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
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Feature
25 Apr 2015
Bill Binney, the ‘original’ NSA whistleblower, on Snowden, 9/11 and illegal surveillance
Always a patriot: Computer Weekly talks to Bill Binney, the senior NSA official who blew the whistle before Edward Snowden Continue Reading
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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
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News
19 Mar 2015
Holland & Barrett outsources data handling to ITC Infotech
IT services firm ITC Infotech manages customer data for health food business to help it glean business value from the information 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
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
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
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
12 Dec 2014
Care.data faces more delays over concerns about patients
The NHS’s Care.data scheme may face more delays due to concerns over lack of publicity and clarity of the proposed programme Continue Reading
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News
13 Nov 2014
AWS launches Aurora cloud-based relational database engine
AWS launches an open-source relational database engine called Aurora at its re:Invent 2014 cloud conference 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
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
07 Nov 2014
Police forces use private cloud to access Holmes database
Police forces across the UK will access the Holmes major investigation system via a private cloud service 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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Photo Story
01 Nov 2014
Inside Kashiwa-no-ha: Hitachi Smart City near Tokyo
Hitachi shares what its Kashiwa-no-ha Smart City looks like near Tokyo, Japan. Continue Reading
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News
27 Oct 2014
Met Police trials analytics to fight gang crime
The Metropolitan Police is experimenting with analytics software to help predict which criminals are likely to re-offend Continue Reading
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News
27 Oct 2014
CIO interview: David Johnstone of Martin Currie Investment Management
The head of solutions management at the asset management firm discusses IT projects and the changing role of IT leaders 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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E-Zine
03 Oct 2014
CW Europe - October 2014 Edition
BYOD policies: What’s allowed and what’s banned? As IT departments still try to come to terms with the notion of BYOD, CW Europe takes a look at what policies are being implemented to keep security under control. 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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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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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
13 Aug 2014
Home Office pours £3.8m into shared service for biometric cards
The Home Office has awarded a £3.8m contract to Thales for a service to support the production of Biometric Residence Permit cards Continue Reading
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News
08 Aug 2014
Government breaks grip of IT oligopoly
Figures for public sector software and IT services investments reveal a dwindling share for IT giants, but can the oligopoly be removed? Continue Reading
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News
28 Jul 2014
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
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News
22 Jul 2014
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
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Feature
24 Jun 2014
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
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News
20 Jun 2014
Centrica's datacentre move to HP still not complete after three and a half years
Centrica is yet to transfer its entire datacentre operations to HP despite signing a contract with the supplier in 2010 Continue Reading
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Photo Story
16 Jun 2014
What’s new in SQL Server 2014
We give Microsoft’s latest release of SQL Server a test drive to find out if the new features really make the effort of upgrading worthwhile Continue Reading
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E-Zine
16 Jun 2014
The Met Office turns to open source
In this week’s Computer Weekly, we find out why the Met Office turned to an open source database to replace Oracle at the UK weather forecasting service. We take an in-depth look at Microsoft’s SQL Server 2014 release. And we analyse the revolutionary potential of cloud computing. Read the issue now. Continue Reading
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News
12 Jun 2014
HSBC makes executives responsible for application consolidation
In the next few weeks, senior executives at HSBC globally will have KPIs to reduce the number of applications they run Continue Reading
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News
04 Jun 2014
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
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News
03 Jun 2014
Sapphire 2014: SAP CEO McDermott declares war on ‘complexity’ and sets Fiori free
Bill McDermott, SAP CEO, devoted his opening keynote at Sapphire 2014 to declaring war on business process “complexity” Continue Reading
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Feature
28 May 2014
In-memory databases - what they do and the storage they need
In-memory databases offer high performance data processing, but how do you protect data in volatile DRAM and what kind of storage is needed for longer term retention? Continue Reading
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News
23 May 2014
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
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News
19 May 2014
SAP certifies core business apps to run on Microsoft Azure
From June, users of SAP Business Suite software, Business All-In-One solution, SAP Mobile Platform, SAP Adaptive Server Enterprise and Hana platform will be able to run them on Azure Continue Reading
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News
01 May 2014
Co-operative Bank report reveals challenge of legacy IT replacement
A report into the £1.5bn losses at Co-operative Bank reveals numerous failures in a project to replace core banking systems Continue Reading
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News
23 Apr 2014
Optimising the data warehouse
Analysts Clive Longbottom and Rob Bamforth discuss approaches to optimising data warehouses for big data. Continue Reading
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News
23 Apr 2014
The mid-market conundrum
Analysts Bob Tarzey and Bob Brown look at how mid market organisations can achieve 'best in class' IT applications with limited resources. Continue Reading
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News
31 Mar 2014
Ministry of Justice to invest up to £375m in court and tribunal technology reform
The Ministry of Justice has announced a five-year programme to update and replace technology used in courts and tribunals across the UK Continue Reading
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Tip
25 Mar 2014
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
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Feature
25 Mar 2014
Using NoSQL databases to gain competitive advantage
NoSQL is attracting growing interest from businesses - we examine three case studies: Amadeus, i2O and Temetra Continue Reading
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News
20 Mar 2014
Application support and maintenance costs increase 29%
The cost of supporting and maintaining applications is increasing every year for Global 2000 companies in the US and UK, according to a study of 300 CIOs Continue Reading
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News
19 Mar 2014
Oracle finally sees revenue growth from hardware business
Oracle has finally seen a boost from its server business, with hardware sales up 8% in its latest financial results Continue Reading
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News
04 Mar 2014
Airport IT Trends Survey
Airports are spending a larger slice of their revenues on technology as they look to improve the passenger experience, this major study from SITA reveals. Continue Reading
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Feature
27 Feb 2014
Hadoop 2 opens new vistas beyond current UK data management practice
Hadoop 2 enables a greater range of data-crunching tasks, beyond Hadoop’s previous scope of batch processing, directly within the stack itself Continue Reading
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News
27 Feb 2014
RBS to tidy up systems mess
Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) outlines plans to cut costs and improve customer services, slashing the number of IT systems in the process Continue Reading
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News
19 Feb 2014
NHS England puts patient database on hold
NHS England is to delay by six months the roll-out of its controversial Care.data scheme for sharing patient records through a central database Continue Reading
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News
18 Feb 2014
HP knew of Autonomy hardware sales tactics
New evidence suggests HP was aware of Autonomy’s accounting practices months before publicly condemning the company Continue Reading
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Photo Story
17 Feb 2014
UK IT spending will outpace rest of Europe in 2014
Computer Weekly research reveals the IT spending priorities for UK and European organisations in 2014. Continue Reading
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News
14 Feb 2014
HR Technology Key Trends 2014
HR Directors and leading IT suppliers give their take on the HR technology trends for 2014 in this analysis from HR Zone. Continue Reading
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News
07 Feb 2014
Met Police releases ‘Total Technology’ IT strategy
The Metropolitan Police Service has released a three to four-year plan on how to transform the use of technology in the organisation Continue Reading
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News
04 Feb 2014
Satya Nadella replaces Steve Ballmer as Microsoft CEO
Microsoft has named Satya Nadella as CEO almost six months after former incumbent Steve Ballmer announced his retirement Continue Reading
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News
28 Jan 2014
BBC failed to get "sufficient grip” over failed DMI project, says NAO
The National Audit Office has slammed the BBC over its failed Digital Media Initiative (DMI), project saying the broadcaster was “too optimistic” and the BBC executive “did not have sufficient grip of the programme" Continue Reading
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News
27 Jan 2014
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
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News
22 Jan 2014
HB Fuller sticks with HR in the cloud
Cloud based HR system gives adhesives maker the ability to manage its global workforce Continue Reading
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E-Zine
20 Jan 2014
The IT risks facing Universal Credit
In this week’s Computer Weekly, we examine the ongoing IT risks facing the UK government’s highest-profile IT project – the troubled Universal Credit programme to reform the UK’s welfare system. We talk to IT leaders to find out their spending priorities for 2014 and how their IT budgets are shaping up. The digital chief at BBC Worldwide talks about managing technology innovation. And we find out about the latest best practice in improving datacentre performance. Read the issue now. Continue Reading
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Feature
15 Jan 2014
Big banks' legacy IT systems could kill them
A banking T-Rex is dying and nimble competitors will pick at its carcass. Is it too late for the retail bank giants to overhaul their IT and survive? Continue Reading
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Feature
03 Jan 2014
Minerals firm Imerys upgrades IFS ERP as economy lifts
Imerys has 30 different ERP systems around the globe. A plan to move to a single instance of ERP, thrown off course by recession, was achieved in 2012; other business benefits have accrued Continue Reading
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Photo Story
23 Dec 2013
IT at the WWF Living Planet Centre
WWF’s Living Planet Centre is one of the greenest buildings in the UK and aims to demonstrate to the public using technology how it is possible for people to live in harmony with nature Continue Reading
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Opinion
19 Dec 2013
User acceptance testing needs real training, not just a short course
In spite of its importance, user acceptance testing (UAT) is often chaotic, problematic and ineffective Continue Reading
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News
05 Dec 2013
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
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News
13 Nov 2013
AWS re: Invent 2013 kicks off in Las Vegas
Amazon Web Services' annual conference opens with product announcements to the 8,000 strong crowd during the keynote Continue Reading
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News
05 Nov 2013
Business-defined storage will help reconnect businesses with IT, says Forrester
Business-defined storage and datacentres will make IT more business-centric, according to Forrester Continue Reading
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News
04 Nov 2013
Co-operative Bank’s future dependent on £500m IT investment
Co-operative Bank has set aside £500m for four stage IT transformation as it attempts to stabilise after investors contribute to a £1.5bn rescue Continue Reading
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News
25 Oct 2013
Fulham football club address skills shortfall with cloud database
Fulham football club’s IT team moves its database infrastructure to the cloud with a database as a service implementation Continue Reading
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News
22 Oct 2013
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
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News
22 Oct 2013
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
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Photo Story
21 Oct 2013
SAP provides Extreme Sailing Series analytics platform
Since 2007, the Extreme Sailing Series has brought together 40-foot multihulls designed especially for match racing. SAP provides a dedicated application to manage the Extreme Sailing race start. Continue Reading
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News
09 Oct 2013
Home Office e-borders programme still using pilot IT system from 2004
Home Office yet to replace sacked Raytheon with new supplier for flagship programme to help protect UK borders 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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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
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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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
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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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
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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E-Zine
04 Sep 2013
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
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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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Opinion
05 Aug 2013
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
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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
30 Jul 2013
Big data journalism exposes offshore tax dodgers
How journalists harnessed big data to challenge offshore financial secrecy Continue Reading