Computer Weekly Buyer's Guide feature list 2021
Here is our 2021 schedule of up-and-coming in-depth articles that will cover carefully selected topics to help IT leaders select the right technology for their organisation
Computer Weekly Buyer’s Guides map the IT buying cycle of our readership onto relevant editorial that will inform and educate readers and help them in making the right buying decision.
On a three-week cycle, the publication runs a series of articles focused on a particular category of software/hardware/IT service. Articles appear in the features section of the Computer Weekly ezine, which can be downloaded as a PDF or viewed as an SEO-optimised Buyer’s Guide page on the Computer Weekly website.
The Buyer’s Guide PDF downloads point readers to the online Buyer’s Guide, where they will be able to access all the articles in one place, along with additional content, such as blog posts and related articles.
The editorial team updates the Buyer’s Guide schedule on a quarterly basis to ensure the chosen technologies are topical and to respond to short-term commercial opportunities.
Buyer’s Guides comprise three separate features, which combine to become a standalone piece of evergreen content that readers can refer back to.
Each part includes a written article, plus relevant background material, as well as exclusive online-only multimedia content and infographics.
Format of Computer Weekly Buyer’s Guides
Market overview
This is an introduction to the topic covered in the Buyer’s Guide. The article will examine the nature of a given software/hardware/IT services product category, look at where it fits in the business, why users need it and which companies sell products in this category.
Analyst perspective
Here, Computer Weekly invites leading IT analysts to submit relevant research that can help readers narrow down product choices with a shortlist of products they may wish to investigate further.
Case study
At this stage in the buying cycle, the reader has a shortlist and may have given his/her technical people a brief to research the products in more detail, such as by following up customer references from the supplier. Computer Weekly supports this research with an in-depth case study, selected for its uniqueness, which illustrates best practices, technical and business drivers, lessons learnt and future plans of a successful IT project using one of the products shortlisted.
Please email Cliff Saran for further details.
The proposed schedule for H1 2021 is as follows:
Approaches to IAM for cloud security
Jan 12 - Feb 01
The explosion in remote working and cloud usage during the pandemic has made the proliferation of identities around cloud services a more pressing issue, making effective IAM an even more important challenge. We explore what policies need to be put in place for tracking, monitoring, and controlling cloud identities in the world of semi-permanent remote working.
Video conferencing and collaboration
Feb 02 - Feb 22
In 2020, many office-based meetings and on-site events were held over video conferencing platforms. There is no turning back and with organisations shifting to more flexible working practices, the ability for colleagues to collaborate has made remote video and collaboration software important tools for work productivity. In this series of articles, we look at some of the ways organisations are deploying their IT strategy for video and remote collaboration,
Co-location
Feb 23 - Mar 15
Not every application can be moved into the public cloud. The industry has recognised that the correct placement of workloads is critical for digital transformation initiatives. This has led to growing interest in co-location services. The Colo operators have to keep up with the demands of the hyperscale cloud giants, both in terms of pure capacity, but also because many of the big cloud giants want facilities built to their specific needs, rather than taking on space within a general purpose server farm. We look at how co-lo operators are adapting to meet enterprise IT demands.
Containerisation in the enterprise
Mar 16 - Apr 12
As businesses continue to modernise their server estate and move towards a cloud-native architecture, the elephant in the room is the monolithic core business application that cannot easily be rehosted without significant risk and disruption. Enterprises previously virtualised their server estates, allowing them to run existing applications on modern hardware. These days, it is more efficient to deploy an application in a container than use a virtual machine. We look at how organisations are migrating to containerisation.
Hyperautomation and bots
Apr 13 - 03 May
Robotic process automation promises to seamlessly handle arduous workflows, linking disparate business processes, which normally require human intervention. Simpler process flows can be automated this way but there are few manual processes that only require someone rekeying information into systems that should really have been more tightly integrated. There is a level of intelligence, which cannot easily be shifted to a machine. While RPA is deterministic, an AI is probabilistic. We look at how RPA and bots that follow predetermined scripts are being made more intelligent.
Office productivity for home workers
May 04 - May 24
Chances are, people will choose more flexible working as offices begin opening up and companies start to return to normal operations. IT departments have shown how they can support a remote workforce. With businesses continuing to provide the flexibility to work from home, IT leaders will need to define an end user computing environment that is flexible enough to enable people to work and collaborate with colleagues wherever they are based, while remaining secure and manageable.
Computational storage and persistent memory
May 25 - Jun 14
Data is often regarded as the new oil and it makes sense to put data as close to where it is being processed as possible, in order to reduce latency for performance-hungry processing tasks. Some architectures call for big chunks of memory-like storage located near the compute, while in some cases, it makes more sense to move the compute nearer to the bulk storage. In this series of articles we explore the architectural decisions driving modern data processing.
Managing paper processes
Jun 15 - Jul 05
The idea of a totally paperless office is still a long way off. Even when people have been working from home, they often like to have printouts. In fact, sales of multifunction printer/scanner devices for the home market grew in 2020. With offices reopening, IT decision-makers need to look at how to manage their printer estates, which may include printers directly connected to an employee’s home network. There are the on-going costs associated with buying consumables outside of the normal procurement process and the risk of data loss if these devices are not managed. We explore the options available to IT departments.
Secure and agile web and mobile app development
July 6 - Jul 26
Mobile app development requires a different approach to software development compared to enterprise applications. Apps are generally cloud native, they need to support multiple generations of hardware and operating system platforms and they generally make use of Android and IoS back-end microservices provided by Google and Apple. We look at how app developers are creating apps securely and rapidly, juggling the latest and greatest microservices with those reaching end of life.
Modern ERP
July 27 - Aug 16
The question of whether to adopt best of breed software or an all-inclusive enterprise package of software remains a hotly debated topic in IT. SaaS, microservices and low-code software development complicates this further.The coronavirus pandemic has shown that organisations need to to be adaptable and prepare for the unexpected. We explore how modern ERP is evolving.
SIEM and SOAR
Aug 17 - Sep 13
SIEM and SOAR share much in common but there are key differences between the two that may influence the best fit for your organisation. What should security pros consider when making a choice?
Sustainable datacentres
Sep 14 - Oct 4
Many organisations recognise the need to do more to address climate change and have set sustainability targets. Digital business transformation is driving datacentre workloads. Beyond the need to balance power and cooling, datacentre operators have taken several approaches to sustainability. We look at how datacentres are becoming greener.
Digital Customer experience
Oct 5 - Oct 25
The pandemic caused many organisations to reassess how they approach customer experience. Some have been able to evolve experiences with digital transformation and exciting ways to connect and interact with customers. In this series, we look at how some of these practices are evolving, what has worked, what workflows need modifying and why.
Post Covid-19 supply chain management
Oct 26 - Nov 15
Many manufacturers are reevaluating their supply chains and operating models to better accommodate for the increased volatility that has been brought about by the pandemic and support a growing trend for increasingly individualised products. What are the IT systems companies have used both to harden their supply chains and offer greater flexibility and agiity.
Advanced wireless comms
Nov 16 - Dec 6
The need to increase safety and efficiency is at the forefront of IT. In this series of articles we look at how emerging wireless technologies are powering new and innovative applications, to connect the real world to the digital world.
Emerging technologies: from blockchain to quantum computing
Dec 7 - Dec 31
With the end of 2021 approaching, we take a look at how some of the hot technology trends over the last few years have evolved. Which ones are maturing and starting to gain momentum; which ones are on the horizon and which ones are non-starters.
