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'A one per cent increase in a sprinter's performance can make the difference between victory and defeat,' says Peter Fellows, head of IT at the government-backed elite athletes funding body, […]

Graduates would be well-advised to start acquiring IT skills now, because significant opportunities and rewards are going to be available for technically-proficient job candidates in the next few years. Research […]

With the UKeU fiasco tainting perceptions of public sector elearning technology development, it's easy to forget the good work being done at the government's more innovative education centres. Whereas the […]

The article talks about how information technology (IT) and marketing leaders including chief information officers and chief marketing officers can work together in order to deliver high quality customer experience. Topics discussed include research showing that customer centric organisations are 38 percent likelier to make more profit than organisations that are not customer centric.

The article reports that Helena Theakstone, head of digital at retailer Oasis Fashion, recognises that customer service relies on a understanding of the power of technology. She is responsible for a range of activities that includes customer services, website analytics, design and development and digital marketing.

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 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 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.

The article discusses use of business transformation via technology at House of Fraser. It states views of Julian Burnett, chief information officer at House of Fraser, on significance of combination of physical space and digital technology, and mentions that Burnett is responsible for overall business transformation and supply chain improvement. It notes introduction of a new operating model in the firm's distribution centers for supply chain management.

The article offers information on the vital role of intimate technology relations on the success of business logistics and shipping company United Parcel Service Inc. (UPS) the U.S. The topics discussed include the remarks of its chief information office (CIO) Juan Perez on the importance of technology on UPS, his responsibilities to the firm, and the tremendous success experienced by UPS.

An interview with Graeme McDermott, chief data officer of the London-based private hire company Addison Lee is presented. Topics discussed, include the aim of McDermott to modernise the company's information technology, his direction in the data engineering department and the importance of proactive service than reactive service.

The article focuses on the significance of digital strategy in strengthening Scope charity in Great Britain. Topics discussed include an overview of the digital technology of Scope under the leadership of its chief digital officer Mark Foulsham, the management of its information technology, and Foulsham's search for innovative ways to improve the business of the charity.

The article discusses the transformation of luxury department store Liberty in London, England using information technology (IT) according to Liberty's technology director Martin Draper. Topics covered include Draper's career profile, the use of digital technology to combine heritage with innovation at Liberty, and the development of business strategies using management information. It also discusses the fundamental aspects of business intelligence (BI).

The article presents the insights of chief information officer (CIO) Matt Peers regarding the complete digital transformation at the law firm Linklaters. Topics discussed include the changes made by Peers at the security, connectivity, and mobility areas, the achievement of Peers in terms of information security, and the strong grounding of the information technology (IT) department of the firm in Microsoft skills.

The article offers the insights of interim head of information technology (IT) Toby Clarke of Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust regarding the IT transformation in the healthcare organisation and the building foundations. Topics discussed include the improvement in the patient care after the technology-led transformation, the application of the IT infrastructure library (ITIL) practices in the organization, and the assessment of disaster recovery (DR) processes of the company.

The article features Clyde & Co. chief information officer (CIO) Chris White who discusses the growing importance of information technology (IT) in the legal marketplace in 2016. Topics discussed include the significant growth of the company which was driven by acquisitions and technology, structural change in the legal sector and the four-stage process plan he used in cultivating changes in the company.

The article presents details of an interview with Travis Perkins PLC chief information officer (CIO) Neil Pearce about the retailer's largest information technology (IT) transformation programme. It mentions the role of Pearce at retailer Travis Perkins and the leadership skills he developed from his retail and technology experience. It discusses the plans of Pearkins for digital transformation as a construction project and his approach to build better efficiency and customer satisfaction.

The article discusses the author's conversation with chief information officer (CIO)Tonino Ciuffini on the importance of sharing environments to the success of information technology (IT) strategy for Warwickshire County Council, England. Ciuffini embraces the full usage of the cloud and information sharing to enhance the quality of lives for constituents. He adds that the local authority has seen the tremendous benefits in using cloud computing.

The article reports on the views of Andy Williams, the global chief information officer of charitable organization Save the Children, on the value of creating an effective information technology (IT) team to help them introduce digital technology that is beneficial for everyone. It profiles Williams who worked for software firm Accenture for several years. Also discussed are Williams' experience of structuring an IT team, improving IT systems, and key priorities for the short term.

The article offer suggestions for chief information officers (CIO) to establish information technology (IT) strategies in digital age. Topics discussed include use of big data, social media and cloud computing by CIOs, use of IT to improve business operations, and views of hotel group GLH's chief technology officer Chris Hewertson on use of customer experiences in decision making.

The article features the views of Jaeger chief information officer (CIO) Cathy McCabe about the association of the London, England-based luxury designer with the 1960s and the initiatives to engage customers in the digital age. Topics covered include the establishment of Jaeger as an iconic brand, McCabe's career path and retailing experience, and her information technology (IT) projects at retailer Burberry. It also highlights her innovative ideas and efforts to enhance Jaeger's IT strategy.

The article focuses on the Information Technology (IT) of the law firm Ashurst with head office in London, England, and 28 other offices across 16 countries. Topics include the IT model on how employees in a location develop, manage and run the firm's global projects, IT strategy for lawyers and clients directed towards creating a single platform for 3 core business areas, namely, practice management, customer relationship management and new business intake, and information security/mobility.

The article talks about changing conservation organization National Trust's information technology (IT) programme. Chief Information Officer (CIO) Sarah Flannigan created the organisation's 3-year IT strategy named the Systems Simplification Programme (SSP) which involved linking all 3,000 cash registers in order to analyse information quickly, implementing a new finance system that will replace manual interfaces, and creating a data warehouse with the use of marketing software Tableau.

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 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 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 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 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.

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.

The article discusses the best practice and lessons learned by several information technology (IT) leaders in digital transformation. IT leaders include group chief technology officer Patrick Maes at Credit Suisse, chief digital officer Martyn Wallace at Scottish Local Government, and business transaction head Anders Torell at construction firm NCC Industry. Topics include the role of digital transformation to business success, digitisation, and the approach to business models.