IT for small and medium-sized enterprises (SME)

Special Report on IBM

This special nine-page report from Computer Weekly analyses the challenges facing IBM, its financial performance, and the services it offers. Continue Reading

Busy security patch month for Microsoft administrators

Microsoft has released six patches, four critical, for 11 vulnerabilities in Office, Windows and various server products in its April security update. Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Euro crisis: Key questions CEOs and CIOs should ask each other

With a potential economic crisis looming in the Eurozone, Gartner offers a checklist of questions that CIOs and CEOs should ask each other. Continue Reading

UK business fears impact of new EU data protection framework

More than half of senior UK IT managers in large enterprises believe the proposed new EU data protection framework will cost their business more money, a survey has revealed Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Warwickshire-based company to revamp data protection following breach

A Warwickshire-based company has committed to taking action to protect personal data, following a breach of the Data Protection Act Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Google Chrome more popular than Microsoft Internet Explorer

Google Chrome use overtook Microsoft Internet Explorer last weekend, according to figures from web analytics company StatCounter Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK hacktivist cases should spur business to action, says lawyer

The last of four alleged UK members of hacktivist group LulzSec has appeared in Westminster magistrates court in London Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

BBC cyber attacks highlight difficulty of attribution

The BBC has said it is was targeted by cyber attacks following a campaign by Iran against its Persian service, but stopped short of accusing Tehran of ordering the cyber attacks Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

IT as a driver of M&A success

This report from Ernst & Young examines why IT considerations are not given adequate attention in the due diligence prior to mergers and acquisitions. Continue Reading

FBI informer Hector Xavier Monsegur aids in arrest of LulzSec hackers

Authorities in the US, UK and Republic of Ireland have arrested seven suspected members of hacktivist group LulzSec, including Hector Xavier Monsegur, who helped investigators Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

SAP boosts ByDesign ecosystem to support small business customisation

SAP is rolling out a partner programme for its ByDesign cloud-based product, to simplify implementation in SMEs Continue Reading

RSA 2012: IT security experts urge enterprises to ban smartphone BYOD schemes

Enterprises should ban employees from using their own smartphones for work, a panel of IT security practitioners told the RSA Conference 2012 Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Countryside worst affected by slow broadband

A third of UK homes have broadband speeds well below the national average, but rural areas fare the worst, according to research. Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

OSSIM update enables cyber threat intelligence sharing

The latest update to the Open Source Security Information Management (OSSIM) base system includes a mechanism for sharing cyber threat intelligence. Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Google bypassed IE too, says Microsoft

Microsoft has accused Google of bypassing the privacy settings of Internet Explorer users after Safari faux pas Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

The Impact of E.U. Internet Copyright Regulations on Early-Stage Investment

This study from Booz&Co reveals industry concerns that anti-piracy measures will deter venture capital organisations from investing in internet start-ups. Continue Reading

UK regulator PhonepayPlus fines Dutch typosquatting companies

UK phone regulator PhonepayPlus fines two Dutch firms £100,000 for exploiting well-known websites Wikipedia, Twitter and YouTube Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Cisco wants EU to reconsider Microsoft Skype deal

Cisco is calling on European Union authorities to reconsider the unconditional approval of Microsoft’s $8.5bn acquisition of Skype. Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

President of European Parliament critical of Acta

After a weekend of public protests against the controversial Anti-Counterfeiting Agreement (Acta), the president of the European Parliament has added his voice to those of critcs. Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

IE update top priority for Patch Tuesday

Microsoft releases nine bulletins addressing 21 vulnerabilities in its monthly Patch Tuesday security update on 14 February Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

LinkedIn Q4 revenue more than doubles

Social networking site LinkedIn has reported 2011 fourth quarter revenue of $167.7m, up 105% from Q4 2010; and net income of $6.9m, an increase of 30% Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Cisco back on acquisition trail after record quarter

Cisco Systems has reported record revenues of $11.5bn for the second fiscal quarter that ended 28 January 2012, up 11% on the year-ago quarter, and profits of $2.6bn or 47 cents a share, up 27%. Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Fewer than a third of UK organisations plan mobile security projects

Despite the media hype around the adoption of mobile technologies and the need to secure them, relatively few UK organisations are planning mobile security projects, a survey has revealed Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

EC publishes proposed data protection reforms

European Justice Commissioner, Viviane Reding, has unveiled the new European data privacy framework that includes new regulation. Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Advocacy group La Quadrature du Net rallies opposition to ACTA

As controversial anti-piracy legislation stalls in the US, a European group of free internet supporters, La Quadrature du Net, calls for a halt to similar legislation in the European Union. Continue Reading

Google mortified after staff access competitor's database

Google said it is mortified after people working on a project in Kenya were found to have stolen the details of a competitor’s customers and used them to sell its own products. Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Apple aims to improve working conditions for technology workforce

Apple has published a list of all suppliers for the first time and says it will allow independent observers into its facilities around the world to monitor working conditions. Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Ramnit worm steals 45,000 Facebook passwords

A computer worm has begun targeting Facebook accounts and has stolen at least 45,000 login credentials from users, say security researchers. Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Top 10 SME IT stories of 2011

For small businesses, 2011 has been another tough year, with many continuing to batten down the hatches as the economy continues to stall. But at the same time it has also been a year of technological innovation, both in terms of SMEs using the latest technology to drive down costs and also bringing new ICT innovations to the market. Read our top ten articles outlining the technology landscape for small businesses in 2011. Continue Reading

By

• Kathleen Hall, TechTarget

CIOs believe cloud, SaaS, consumerisation and mobility increase risk

Business models such as cloud computing and trends such as the consumerisation of IT, social media and mobility are exposing performance blind spots in IT management, a CIO survey has revealed. Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Cloud leaves many firewalls wanting – but could automation prove the silver bullet?

Most companies rely on firewalls, but the IT landscape is changing and so must approaches to security. Is there a silver bullet? Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Adobe to release out-of-cycle patch for latest vulnerability

Adobe has issued a security advisory about a newly discovered and still unpatched vulnerability in Adobe Reader and Adobe Acrobat which is being used in "limited, targeted attacks in the wild". Continue Reading

UKtech50: Meet the 50 most influential people in UK IT

Computer Weekly has announced the final listing for the second annual UKtech50, the definitive list of the real movers and shakers in UK IT. Continue Reading

By

• Computer Weekly Staff

UKtech50: Meet Mike Lynch, the most influential person in UK IT

Mike Lynch, voted as the most influential person in UK IT, doesn’t like to think about challenges, but about opportunities. Continue Reading

One in four IT security staff abuse admin rights, survey shows

At least one in four IT security staff use their privileged login rights to look at confidential information, a survey has revealed. Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

SAP buys SaaS firm SuccessFactors in $3.4bn deal

Enterprise software company SAP announces a $3.4bn deal to acquire software-as-a-service (SaaS) provider SuccessFactors. Continue Reading

What are the outsourcing options for the SME?

The pace of change of technology can cause the small and medium enterprise (SME) critical issues which outsourcing can only address with carefully researched decisions. Continue Reading

By

• Clive Longbottom

United Nations Development Programme investigates hacking claims

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is investigating claims from hacker group Team Poison that it extracted over 100 e-mail addresses and login details belonging to UN staff. Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

How to embed innovation in the corporate culture

This paper from Kurt Salmon identifies the common inhibitors to innovation and how to overcome them, and sets out some important principles that can help. Continue Reading

Forensics key to effective info security, says E&Y

Intelligence-led security strategies are the most effective in eliminating vulnerabilities and preventing IP theft through enabling informed change, says consultancy firm Ernst & Young. Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

IT security not always part of cloud decision, says IDC

Cloud adoption is outstripping security concerns, says Eric Domage, programme manager for IDC in Europe. Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

CIO Interview: IT should drive company innovation, says SAP's Oliver Bussmann

Driving innovation has become one of the key roles of the chief information officer, says Oliver Bussmann, CIO at business software maker SAP. Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Computer Weekly Technology Industry Survey

This in-depth research from Computer Weekly and Mortimer Spinks, provides a must-read analysis and insight into UK IT salaries. Continue Reading

The market landscape for print security

This report is gives an overview of the security risks of the print environment , the market landscape, best practices for a print security strategy. Continue Reading

Welcome to the new-look ComputerWeekly.com

Computer Weekly has launched its brand new website - the most important online development in the brand’s 45-year history. Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Analysis: Intelligence key to security business case

Information security is becoming an increasingly important part of any business as the value of information assets continually grow, as do the threats from cyber crime and espionage. Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

The top five SME security challenges

Best practice in IT security and compliance for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is often seen as a "grudge purchase", but SMEs face the same threat as larger organisations - just without their budgets. Continue Reading

By

• Lisa Kelly

UKtech50: We launch the search for the most influential people in UK IT

Computer Weekly has launched the second annual UKtech50, the definitive list of the real movers and shakers in UK IT - the leaders driving the creation of a high-tech economy. Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Photos: Business apps for the iPhone

In this photo story we look at the apps that make the iPhone a business smartphone. Continue Reading

By

• Faisal Alani, UK at eBay

85 sub-postmasters seek legal support in claims against Post Office computer system

Over 80 sub-postmasters are interested in taking legal action against the Post Office in relation to an allegedly faulty computer system. Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Universal Credit deadline forced DWP to use “unproven” agile development

Tight deadlines left the Department for Work and Pensions with little choice but to use "unproven" agile methods to develop its £2bn Universal Credit (UC) system, said the Cabinet Office Major Projects Authority (MPA) in a confidential report obtained by Computer Weekly. Continue Reading

By

• Mark Ballard

Legislation helps SMEs protect intellectual property rights in Patents County Court

A law has come into force to make it easier for SMEs to protect intellectual property, ensuring lower-value cases will be dealt with at the less costly Patents County Court and introducing a damages cap of £500,000 for all claims to the PCC. Continue Reading

By

• Jenny Williams, University of Gloucestershire

Burying the NHS National Programme for IT

The government's decision to accelerate the dismantling of the NHS National Project for IT (NPfIT) came as little surprise to those who have followed the terminally ill project since 2002. But what is the prognosis for the NHS's badly needed modernisation programme? Continue Reading

By

• Kathleen Hall, TechTarget

Global BPO sales to reach £60bn in 2015

The world market for business process outsourcing (BPO) will be worth $93.4bn (£59.7bn) in 2015 compared with $72bn last year, according to Ovum. Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

IT and marketing: working together for business success

The IT department builds things that scale and last, while marketing wants the next big thing - and needed it yesterday. How can heads of technology work effectively with marketing? Cliff Saran investigates Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

What does HP's Autonomy acquisition mean for the UK tech sector?

HP's bombshell announcement that it is to acquire Autonomy has left many questioning where this leaves the UK software industry. Computer Weekly asks the experts what the deal means for UK home-grown tech talent and what HP is likely to achieve with the latest addition to its portfolio. Continue Reading

By

• Kathleen Hall, TechTarget

What is big data and how can it be used to gain competitive advantage?

Cliff Saran discovers how big data can deliver big business benefits without excessive IT investment Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Business analyst skills shortage continues as IT job market grows

Business analysts are the IT staff most in demand for permanent and contract roles, according to KPMG. Continue Reading

By

• Jenny Williams, University of Gloucestershire

Case study: How a small business can benefit from SaaS

Professional beauty products distributor SweetSquared considers using Microsoft Office 365 alongside browser-based SaaS. Continue Reading

By

• Jenny Williams

In 1966 England won the World Cup and Computer Weekly launched the world's first weekly IT newspaper

After 45 years in print, Computer Weekly, the award-winning title for senior IT decision-makers, is to become a 100% online publication. Here is a celebration of 45 years in print. Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

SMB IT spending seeing significant growth

Small and medium businesses (SMBs) are increasing IT budgets and recruiting more IT skills Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Government puts open source at the heart of its new IT strategy

The government has launched its much-anticipated new IT strategy, highlighting open source and a promise that the coalition will do things better. Continue Reading

By

• Kathleen Hall, TechTarget

EC plans could open up ICT procurement for SMEs

Technology start-ups and SMEs could benefit from European Commission (EC) plans to improve SME procurement. Continue Reading

By

• Kathleen Hall, TechTarget

Can Lenovo become the top UK corporate PC manufacturer?

Can Lenovo continue to grow to take on HP and Dell in the corporate arena? Continue Reading

By

• Jenny Williams, University of Gloucestershire

Gartner outlines six money-making CIO profiles

A new generation of CIOs with skills to make the business money will replace traditional CIOs by the middle of the decade, says Gartner vice-president and researcher Ken McGee. Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

FDM seek 1000 graduates for training scheme

IT services provider FDM is recruiting 1000 graduates for its training scheme in 2011. Continue Reading

By

• Jenny Williams, University of Gloucestershire

BCS CEO David Clarke talks about the future of the IT industry

David Clarke, CEO of the chartered institute of computing the BCS, talks to Computer Weekly about being awarded an MBE, the future of the IT profession and tackling a membership revolt against his leadership last year. Continue Reading

By

• Kathleen Hall, TechTarget

Unified Comms for the smaller business

Bob Tarzey from Quocirca looks at how smaller businesses can benefit from deploying unified communications Continue Reading

By

• Bob Tarzey

Added critical data protection for SMBs

New technology aiming to solve small and medium size businesses’ perennial problems with protecting business critical data Continue Reading

By

• Joe O’Halloran, Computer Weekly

Mobile broadband demand props up crunched WiMAX

Research predicts global recession to cause enterprises to postpone WiMAX adoption but mobile will lead recovery Continue Reading

By

• Joe O’Halloran, Computer Weekly

Non-unified communications can cost millions

Fragmented communications are costing companies millions of dollars by disrupting workflow and business processes, a new study has revealed. Continue Reading

By

• Andrew R. Hickey, News Editor

Adaptec reports losses

Adaptec's revenue was down year over year, as well as sequentially; DataDirect says the InfiniBand business is booming. Continue Reading

By

• SearchStorage.com Staff

ISCSI storage gets performance makeover

Suppliers, including Ibrix, Mellanox, Alacritech and EqualLogic, are offering juiced-up new iSCSI configurations, while 3PAR, CipherMax and NeoScale boost data security products. Continue Reading

By

• SearchStorage.com Staff

EMC's Tucci vows to keep up with new features

EMC CEO says storage giant is widening its technology net to match innovations of smaller competitors. Continue Reading

By

• Dave Raffo

Unified communications platform gets SMB twist

While unified communications has eluded the SMB market, Siemens has released an all-in-one UC appliance specifically for the SMB. Continue Reading

By

• Andrew R. Hickey, News Editor

Advanced data storage final exam

Are you up to date on advanced data storage technologies? Take our final exam and evaluate your knowledge of advanced data storage. This final exam isn't for the weak. Continue Reading

NetApp releases $3K iSCSI SAN

NetApp pushes further down-market with the release of the S300, the latest SMB iSCSI SAN in its StoreVault line. Continue Reading

By

• Beth Pariseau, Senior News Writer

Product Roundup: ISCSI

Here's a look at some of the vendors and products that make up the iSCSI market. Continue Reading

VoIP certification credentials

Many certifications touch on voice over IP topics tangentially, but numerous credentials now focus a fairly substantial portion of their coverage on this subject matter. In this certification survey, we take a look at available certifications, distinguishing between those credentials for which VoIP is a primary topic and those for which it is secondary. Continue Reading

By

• Ed Tittel

Intellectual property lawsuits dog storage industry

The proliferation of patent litigation among data storage companies could stifle technological innovation and drive up costs to the user. Continue Reading

By

• Beth Pariseau, Senior News Writer

SNW Preview: Data protection makes a stand

Led by EMC's integration of data deduplication and CDP into its backup software, data protection products are prominent at Storage Networking World. Continue Reading

By

• Dave Raffo, News Director; Beth Pariseau, News Writer

Switch upgrades and replacements

In this chapter of our guide to SAN expansion best practices, you'll learn about the physical limitations of switches, how to architect the switching infrastructure and how to find opportunities to deploy ISCSI. Continue Reading

CRM strategies for SMBs

Keeping your customers happy is job number one. With CRM software, luckily, that job becomes a lot easier. Here we present our top five CRM tips for SMBs. Continue Reading

Open source strategies for SMBs

One way to make the most of a tight budget is to invest in open source technologies. Not only are they generally more secure than most off-the-shelf proprietary products, they're usually free too. Here we present our top five open source tips for SMBs. Continue Reading

Liverpool NHS Trust adopts single sign-on

Liverpool Women's NHS Foundation Trust is set to save £20,000 a year and about 30 minutes a day for each staff member by implementing a single sign-on system. Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Pillar announces support for 1 TB SATA drives

Pillar is one of the earliest to announce 1 TB SATA drives in an enterprise array. IBM's SVC becomes the first storage virtualization product certified with VMware. Continue Reading

By

• SearchStorage.com Staff

Web 2.0 strategies for SMBs

Web 2.0 technologies are catching on at companies of all sizes. Find out how to make them work for your SMB with SearchSMB.com's top five Web 2.0 tips. Continue Reading

UK will lead £13m study on electronic ID

The UK is to spearhead a £13m pilot project covering 13 European countries to test the interoperability of several electronic identity verification systems. This may eventually give citizens and businesses access to e-government services across the EU, if governments can agree to accept one another's vetting processes. Continue Reading

By

• Ian Grant

How to purchase a data encryption product

Data security is now a critical problem for every company, regardless of size. This buying guide explores the factors involved in purchasing data encryption hardware and software products. Continue Reading

NetScout acquires Network General

NetScout will acquire Network General, creating a one-stop shop for network management and monitoring tools. Continue Reading

By

• Andrew R. Hickey

3PAR adds tiered storage management tool

The new version of the System Reporter management tool for 3PAR's high-end arrays now includes monitoring for tiered storage environments. Continue Reading

By

• SearchStorage.com Staff

Government warns of dangerous QuickBooks Online flaw

Attackers could exploit two flaws in the popular Intuit QuickBooks Online Edition to cause buffer overflows and download or upload files in arbitrary locations, US-CERT warned. Continue Reading

By

• Bill Brenner

NAC switches, appliances help track users, malware

Some vendors are offering switches and appliances to monitor traffic for malware and unauthorized access, as the NAC market including Cisco NAC and Microsoft NAP sorts itself out. Continue Reading

By

• Neil Roiter, TechTarget

What is considered best practices in terms of backup vaulting (offsite storage) frequency?

As a consultant, this is something that I run into frequently. There seems to be a belief that if you're a smaller shop or smaller business: You don't have a lot of data, and you don't need to send your data offsite very often. A lot of times, the decision to send tapes offsite is dictated, unfortunately, by the growing capacity of tape media. If you're backing up 100 gigabytes a week, it becomes embarrassing to a lot of folks to send that tape cartridge offsite because it's not full. Continue Reading

IBM back in iSCSI SAN fray

IBM is looking to take on HP's MSA and EMC's AX150, as well as EqualLogic and LeftHand, with a new iSCSI SAN product OEMed from LSI. Continue Reading

By

• Beth Pariseau, Senior News Writer

Backup reporting expands to add capacity planning

Aptare adds capacity planning for primary data storage to its product line, joining Symantec in recent attempts to broaden the appeal of reporting software. Continue Reading

By

• Beth Pariseau, Senior News Writer

VoIP models and services: Complete guide

With clear, concise explanations of existing VoIP business models and deployment methodologies, this guide will enable you to weigh the pros and cons of each based on your needs. Continue Reading

SMEs’ CRM needs catered for in Sage 200

Accounting software specialist Sage has expanded its business automation software portfolio with the launch of a customer relationship management system, Sage 200. Continue Reading

Sun adds virtual tape library to Thumper

Analysts say the combo of FalconStor's software, Solaris and Thumper is a good sign of integration from Sun after a disorganised year, but it's unclear if users will be convinced. Continue Reading

By

• Beth Pariseau, Senior News Writer

NAS appliance specifications

NAS appliances are noted for their convenience, offering dedicated internal storage that is relatively straightforward to identify and manage. The biggest issue for NAS appliances is avoiding network bottlenecks and supporting expansion without having to proliferate additional appliances across the network. The product snapshots in this chapter highlight key specifications for a cross section of major NAS appliance products. Continue Reading