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The article focuses on the use of social computing information technologies to share information and provide technical help to users. Software developers at many companies including Nokia Corp. and Microsoft Corp. are using wikis and blogs for sharing information. According to J.P. Rangaswami, former head of alternative market models at investment bank Dresdner Kleinwort, the computing technology enables faster communication to solve information technology problems.

The article reports that organizations nowadays prefer adopting consolidated security systems to the systems that are the best in specific areas. Consolidation has to do with organizations trying to curtail management and administrative costs. Tactical security staff will continue to work in the IT department and all operational IT personnel will be required to have some understanding of security. INSETS: CASE STUDY: Baillie Gifford;CASE STUDY: Irish Farmers' Association.

The article presents information about the advantages of employees' web blogs to business enterprises. Web blogging is described as the process of publishing informal information about a company on the Internet. Some of the American companies that are considering blogging seriously includes General Motors Corp. and Sun Microsystems Inc.

The article presents information on the changing skills levels required for the Information Technology (IT) industry in Great Britain. Over the next five years, the country's technology and computer science graduates will face a tougher recruitment environment than ever before. Although the number of students in Great Britain, gaining qualifications in computer-related topics has almost tripled in the past decade, businesses are increasingly looking overseas to fill graduate level positions. According to experts the situation is not far when companies in Great Britain will source graduates internationally, particularly from China and India.

The article presents information on issues related to the alignment of technology processes with the needs of the business. Most industry observers agree that the average IT departments in British companies are not productive. A recent survey of 100 IT managers at British financial services companies of all sizes, by Freeform Dynamics on behalf of consultancy MWD Advisors, indicated that nine out of 10 believed their departments were fulfilling their potential or offering as good a service as they could. Phillip Everson, a consulting partner at consultant Deloitte, said that people in IT work very hard, but the agenda followed often doesn't relate to what the business actually wants.

The article focuses on issues concerning networking in organizations. Many organisations still have problems getting the best performance out of their networks, says Dave Thornhill, senior product manager for application management at BT Global Services. The network is effectively the face of IT that the customer always sees, and how it performs is crucial. In fact, all sorts of organisations, in all sorts of business areas, depend on having a reliable network. Paul Stafford, infrastructure services manager at medical research charity the Wellcome Trust, says his organisation places enormous emphasis on the issue of network and communications. INSETS: CASE STUDY: The Natural History Museum;CASE STUDY: Blue Group International.

The article presents the views of various notable people from the IT sector on how critical it is for chief information officers to decide on a company's IT infrastructure post merger or acquisition. Damien Frost, IT director, All3Media, feels that common pitfalls include not really having a clear integration strategy upfront, and underestimating the complexity and time to integrate the two businesses. Jim Campbell, client services consultant, Diagonal Business Consulting, is of the view that there are directors who operate best in a stable environment and those who have experience of using IT to facilitate business change. Simon Rawling, global head, PIPC, opines that although some acquisitions can happen quickly, cultural acquisition can take much longer.

This article reports that the skills challenges facing the technology industry create intractable problems for employers and employees as they seek appropriate candidates and positions. A decline in the number of European IT graduates could lead to a skills shortage as early as next year. The age discrimination strand of the European Employment Directive, due to be implemented by autumn 2006, aims to provide impetus to Great Britain companies that are slow to include younger and older workers. It will protect individuals looking for work against unfair discrimination on the grounds that they are considered too young or too old.

The article focuses on the trends of companies regarding outsourcing and offshoring of business. According to Phil Codling, senior analyst at Ovum Ltd., outsourcing is the use of another company to run a part of a business, and offshoring is sending work to another location. Aviva PLC is transferring 5,000 outsourced employees back in its office, and Pearl Group Ltd. has transferred 90% of its business operations to Tata Consultancy Services Ltd. INSET: CASE STUDY: Pearl Assurance.

The article focuses on the use of information technology by companies to deal with multiple suppliers. WHSmith PLC's outdated store system made it difficult to keep a track on sales. But with the current technology, the company got a 7 year contract with BT Expedite to manage the company's information technology systems. Chief information officers now also deal with multiple suppliers. Law firm Lewis Silkin's policy for information technology procurement is related to the number of suppliers. INSET: CASE STUDY: Lewis Silkin.

The article offers information on the technology of secure sockets layer (SSL), the basis for virtual private networks (VPNs), formulated by experts from the information technology sector for the roaming employees to gain access to their company network. SSL VPNs allows easy placement as the technology is meant for internal use and does not involve the clients. It is more adaptable as it operates on the standard web browser.

The article presents information on IP multimedia subsystem, Internet protocol based wireless network being developed by European telecom carriers which will support all future wired or wireless networks in providing end-to-end communications. The service providers will be able to offer their corporate clients with new multimedia application facilities such as IP voice, video and messaging.

The article focuses on the challenges faced by a chief information officer after the acquisition of companies. Integration of two companies gives the chief information officer a chance to carry out some rationalization of software and impose standards in the new environment. According to Peter O'Neill, principal analyst at Forrester, companies underestimate the cultural issues at their peril.

The article focuses on the importance of information lifecycle management (ILM) for business enterprises. ILM helps in the integration of data in the business, including people, processes and technology to store and retrieve critical data throughout its life. ILM helps in maintaining information storage at the minimum cost possible, while ensuring appropriate levels of availability.

The article discusses issues related to the use of passwords in controlling access to computer applications. The use of traditional password systems is considered to be an outdated method due to increasing demand for greater computer security. The use of password and username in business enterprises related to the computer industry worked fine in those days when a handful of users had access to one mainframe application, but these days this is considered to be inappropriate. INSET: CASE STUDY: Midlothian Council.

The article focuses on service-oriented architectures, which can enable computer software companies to reuse data. Future software development in Great Britain will involve integration, reuse and strategic sourcing. Most organisations will continue to build new applications which give their business a competitive edge, but some companies will have to hire onshore consultancies or systems integrators, or look at offshore outsourcing. INSET: CASE STUDY: Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity.

The article presents information on the advent of new portal technologies that offer personalized Web site information to business enterprises and individuals. In the recent years, the techniques associated with portals have matured and the market has consolidated. A single point of access for key business information is provided by Web portals now as they have transformed into Web-based interfaces that can be personalized by each computer user. This feature enables individuals to provide the information environment within which they are required to work.

The article focuses on the key trends in the media and entertainment sectors that affects the type of platforms available for distributing content to consumers. The primary area of fragmentation relates to the wealth of new platforms that have emerged by which consumers can access content. Jamyn Edis, manager of Accenture's convergence practice, says there has been a fragmentation of channels and platforms, but they are coalescing into new demographics and user segments. Andrew Brierley, head of IBM Global Services' media and entertainment business, says mergers and acquisitions in the entertainment sector are beginning to take place on an almost daily basis. INSETS: CASE STUDY: Express Newspapers;CASE STUDY: Eicom.

The article focuses on issues concerning computer centers in organizations. According to the author, more attention has been paid to installing and keeping their systems running than to taking a holistic view and following a strategic plan that covers the whole operating environment. The need to adopt good practice in environmental control is frequently recognised only as a result of some crisis or emergency. When a new computer centre build is agreed, the responsibility for its design often falls to people, whether from IT or facilities management departments, with limited knowledge of the real environmental requirements of the electronic equipment it is going to hold. INSETS: CASE STUDY: The Open University;Expert view.

The article informs that investment in technology is on the up in the transport industry in Great Britain. Innovative use is allowing organizations to cut costs, streamline maintenance work and provide new services. According to Lee Hewett, head of Atos Origin's transport practice, information technology directors are now trying to get better value from their basic information technology services. The business is also starting to push information technology departments much harder to provide systems that will improve the company or solve business problems. INSETS: CASE STUDY: Bombardier Transportation;CASE STUDY: West Berkshire Council.

The article reports on how the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital NHS Trust (NNUH), Great Britain, coped with setting up a new network from scratch. Darren Barnaby, who had always worked in the public sector, joined the hospital as network services manager. The 998-bed campus hospital opened in 2001, and is the largest hospital to be constructed in Great Britain. It has a completely new Information Technology infrastructure, built from the ground up over three years. Working on NNUH's data and telephony networks meant that Barnaby had to understand new platforms, new skills and, in this case, a completely new vendor. NNUH has a good relationship with its technology suppliers. INSET: Making use of networking capacity.

The article presents information on Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access, or WiMax, which is the latest wireless broadband technology that promises to solve the distance limitations of WiFi, by offering 70Mbit/s speeds over a 5km radius. The promised 50km can be reached only in direct line of sight, which is not possible in most areas because of obstructions presented by buildings and trees. There are two types of WiMax technology, fixed and mobile. All of the installations to date deliver services wirelessly to specific fixed points, with little opportunity for mobility unless the fixed point is a WiFi network hub. INSET: CASE STUDY: RedRoute.

The article discusses 3G, the third generation of wireless technology, based on the universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS), which promised much when it first appeared in 2000, yet failed to convince customers that it could deliver. In 2000, governments across Europe sold off parts of the radio spectrum they owned to mobile phone companies, which bid each other up into a speculative frenzy about the future value of services based on UMTS. It was the latest and greatest ways for wireless data to be transmitted and received. But the following three years saw a slow-motion collapse in the telecoms sector, followed by disappointment over wireless application protocol. INSETS: CASE STUDY: Fife Constabulary;User experiences.

This article focuses on the use of new technological innovations in the manufacturing industries in Great Britain. The past few years have been difficult for British manufacturing companies. The globalization of the industrial economy has placed firms in competition against low-cost labor markets such as China and Malaysia. Industry experts say that manufacturing companies have to focus on cost reduction, managing cash flow and boosting productivity, while also trying to innovate. Some high-performing manufacturing businesses are breaking out of the cost-cutting middle ground. Their focus is on identifying where IT can be used to eliminate waste and how it can be employed to optimize the value chain.

The article presents information on chief executive officers who are expressing their concerns over the importance of investing in security systems. Eileen Rutschmann, chief executive of consumer web site IamMoving.com, understand the value of information security and data protection and is happy to spend on security systems that she believes are important. Grant Turner, chief technology officer of employment agency Venn Group, agrees that security is a grudge spend for chief executives and corporate boards. The article also offers top tips from chief executive officers to deal with security lapses.

The article presents information on the threat of insiders gaining unauthorized access to company data and customer information. More than a dozen employees who had worked for Citibank Corp.'s Indian call center partner Mphasis Corp. were arrested for allegedly stealing $350,000 from the bank's American customers. The Mphasis fraud hit the headlines because it exposed the potential security flaws that can arise from outsourcing. The article suggests that 38% of financial fraud results from internal security breaches and collusion. INSETS: CASE STUDY: Addenbrooke's Hospital;Policing access rights.

The article reports that the British government bodies are increasingly joining forces on the use of information technology. The key themes driving IT investment in local government and education during the next few years will relate to improving efficiency and raising the standards of service provision. Adoption is highest in areas such as managed services, particularly relating to networks and business process outsourcing. The shared service center is another growing outsourcing-related phenomenon, especially in fields such as revenues and call centers. INSETS: CASE STUDY: Chafford Hundred Campus;CASE STUDY: Anglia Revenues Partnership;Expert view.

This article focuses on a survey conducted by the European Commission which found that Europe's research and development (R&D) spending has been declining since 2000. But reluctance to invest in innovation could threaten companies' competitive advantage. Nicholas Moch, principal consultant at service provider Capgemini, says that one reason for the decline in R&D spending is that most European companies are focusing on cutting IT investment. But he fears that such an approach could lead to problems in the long term. Controlling costs is not the only reason for companies' lack of innovation investment. Many corporate R&D projects are ineffective because they rely on poorly managed projects that are not aligned with wider business targets.

This article reports that Ufi is responsible for Learndirect, the largest government-backed online learning initiative in the world. Launched in 1998 with funding from Great Britain's Department for Education and Skills and the Learning and Skills Council, Ufi's aim is to help over-16s improve their job potential via online learning technology. Part of innovation is to take risk and analyses whether or not it's working according to Sarah Jones, Ufi chief executive, at the recent committee meeting. But despite successes that have seen as many as four million learners take courses through Learndirect, it would appear that Ufi's methods might require some tweaking.

The article reports that schools, colleges and universities continue to splash out on technology systems, and analyst Ovum Inc. expects the biggest growth in public sector spending to come from education institutions over the next four years, with an average annual spending growth of 12.8 percent between 2005 and 2009. It estimates the education IT market will be worth £10.7bn by 2009. Procurement has already started for the technology element of the Building Schools for the Future programme. And while individual deals in the initiative may be relatively small, the overall project will be worth some £4.5bn over its 15-year life, according to Ovum.

The article informs that more companies are bringing information technology (IT) services back in-house. Back in the more predictable days of outsourcing, UK companies dealt with problematic technology and business processes by pushing them out to an IT service provider. Businesses used specialists such as Capgemini SA and EDS Corp. to manage technology for perceived benefits, including improved efficiency and value for money. But as skepticism grows about the strengths of outsourcing, more and more businesses are considering their sourcing options. Computing revealed in July how financial services provider Prudential is bringing part of its outsourced IT operations back-in-house. INSET: Flexibility is the key to successful outsourcing.

This article focuses on the benefits of flexible working options to technology professionals. After all, flexible strategies help to improve business performance and worker retention rates in a profession that is suffering from a crippling skills shortage. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development recently found that two-thirds of employees have seen an average 20 per cent increase in flexible working over the past three years, as organisations look to retain key staff, improve working practices and reduce office overheads. Forward-thinking businesses are putting strategies in place. Analyst Meta Group reports that by 2007 more than two-thirds of all companies will have implemented at least one wireless application, vital for helping IT professionals make better use of flexible working patterns. INSETS: Sympathetic employers retain skilled parents;Broadband links let staff juggle work and family;What the experts say.

The article reports on the effect of radio frequency identification (RFID) on the computer industry. Over the past couple of years, IT suppliers have spotted RFID's potential for boosting supply chain efficiency. Retail is the market that has received the most RFID hype. In 2004, retail companies spent $167.9 million on RFID systems and services, although this figure is expected to leap to 1 billion pound within five years. Manufacturing is by far the biggest global user of RFID technology, with the automotive, consumer packaged goods and pharmaceutical sectors topping the bill. The logistics sector spent $213.4 million on RFID systems and services last year, but Datamonitor expects take-up to increase at a slower rate than retail, and suggests global expenditure will hit $906.4 million in five years' time. INSET: The barriers and challenges to RFID adoption for organisations.

The article focuses on computer data security by business enterprises. It is stated that the key to data security is the effectiveness of the encryption solution used by enterprises to ensure a balance in the capability of the technology against its ease and practicality of use. Researcher Ollie Ross suggests that a framework which includes systems such as access control and virus protection is essential to avoid overloading laptops with different software from different suppliers.

The article offers information on a chief information officer (CIO) roundtable held by the journal "Computing Business" to examine the challenges of risk management. Participants discussed their experience and came up with a series of tips for information technology (IT) leaders to develop plans to protect and secure the business. The roundtable featured several CIOs including Colin Windsor from Openreach Inc., Amir Mohazab from Protiviti Inc., and Peter James from Achilles Information Ltd.

The article reports that chief information officers (CIOs) of the British technology department are facing pressures from a number of directions such as the finance department, the firm's business managers and the fast-developing Asian economies regarding innovation within a business. It states that the financial director demands tight fiscal prudence, and more information technology (IT) leaders are choosing to outsource in-house technology operations.

The article presents information related to the storage virtualisation technology software. This software can save money by creating a virtual whole from various computing devices. According to Forrester Research, seventy five percent of the world's organizations are aware of virtualisation, and twenty six percent have already deployed the technology on their servers.

The article offers information on the pros and cons of electronic mail messages in the information technology sector and offers views of chief information officers and communications specialists on the same. It also refers to the technical problems that crop up while operating mobile email tools such as the BlackBerry.

The article presents information about the water company Yorkshire Water PLC that recently incorporated a customer management system. The implementation of the system resulted in the company's improved reputation, cost savings, and better customer service. Recently, Yorkshire Water rated the most effective water company in Great Britain.

The article presents information about an integrated technology platform adopted by Transport for London (TfL), a local government body responsible for London, England's transport systems. The platform provides adequate information to travelers in the most efficient way. TfL also manages several initiatives like customer service integration programme, the smartcard ticketing system and high technology plans for lost property.

The article reflects on the storage, security and management issues associated with the commercially sensitive data. According to Paul Talbut, chairman of the Storage Networking Industry Association, the motivation toward these issues has been raised after the U.S. courts have denied to compromise in any way. The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants has calculated that the British firms are spending &183 million this year on this compliance.

The article presents information about the new information technology infrastructure at Fulham Football Club in England. The club has deployed business intelligence software VenueView that allows users to examine the validated data. Fan's experience at the club is improved with the use of these computer tools.

The article discusses the impact of the Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) corporate governance rules on various IT functions. The author points out several implications and changes made in the SOX, a regulation designed to restore confidence in capital markets after the turmoil caused by scandals at the companies Enron and WorldCom.

This article presents the author's opinion on the product innovation division of mobile phone specialist Nokia Corp., named as Nokia Research Center (NRC) in Cambridge, Massachusetts. NRC was founded in 1986 and employs 1,100 individuals worldwide and consumes about five percent of the annual research and development budget of Nokia. NRC in Massachusetts researches technology as a part of a joint collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. The range of initiatives at NRC encompasses a broad range of technolgies.

The article reports that British Broadcasting Corp. (BBC) is undertaking a major transformation as it upgrades its technology and processes in preparation for the digital age. John Varney, chief technology officer at the BBC, knows what is needed to prepare the corporation for a technophile audience in a digital age. Varney says the BBC is operating on the heart of its business, the enterprise architecture. With the 2bn pound contract to operate the BBC's technology, Siemens Business Services is implementing the Digital Fabric plan to introduce an enterprise architecture integration layer that will allow legacy and future applications to work together. INSET: Core processes.

The article presents information on how two entertainment organizations have modernized and transformed their IT infrastructure to become more efficient and responsive to future business change. The London Symphony Orchestra is owned by and made up of about 100 musicians. Last year Jeremy Garside, the organisation's head of technology, decided that replacing key servers coming towards the end of their life, would be a good catalyst for change. The first step in the consolidation process involved replacing the company's SDSL-based virtual private network, which linked its four key sites, with a multiprotocol label switching network from Easynet. INSET: What the experts say.

The article presents information on issues related to the assessment of the productivity tools of businesses enterprises. Almost all technology starts life as a productivity tool--a way of improving the ratio of outputs to inputs. Any productivity tool, therefore, has to be assessed on its ability to deliver results. According to Steve Rist, head of the technology practice at consultant PIPC, one should look at the critical success factor delivering programmes. Productivity is more difficult to measure for white-collar workers than for manual workers. However, there are pointers. Andrew Stevenson, head of centres of excellence for systems integration at consultant Atos Origin, says there are many silos of information within a business.

The article presents information on the role a chief information officer (CIO) can play in generating business productivity. Investment banks are often perceived as being ruthlessly efficient and at the forefront of technology. However, it can be a struggle for the CIO of a finance organization such as Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein (DrKW) to keep business productive and regulators happy. For Steve Ashton, DrKW global IT business manager and London CIO, maintaining such a dual role involves trying to define productivity for an operation geared heavily towards revenue generation.

The article focuses on the Scottish law firm Brodies whose IT director, Andrew Powell, has been responsible for creating an innovative technology set-up. The IT director rolled out a virtual private network, 3G cards for VPN support and smart phones, all at the expense of BlackBerry technology. More than half of the company's lawyers now use smartphones, and Powell says the choice was obvious because of the cost benefits. Powell believes recent successes stem from his slightly unusual approach to the structuring of the IT team. INSET: Content management cuts the paper.

The article informs that Routemaster buses have passed their best and new high technology buses are the future of London, England. Ken Livingstone, mayor of London, has decided to launch technology buses. The demise of the Routemaster is perhaps a reflection of the transport sector as a whole, as it looks to technology to improve efficiency, cut costs and make the travelling experience more convenient and comfortable. The beginning of a transport revolution is underway. There are numerous technologies across various areas of the industry that will play a much more prominent role in the future.