silicon.com : Management

eBay's Skype sale gets green light

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:30:02 GMT

eBay has announced today that the sale of its controlling stake in VoIP service Skype will go ahead, following the settlement of litigation over the proposed transaction. The settlement restructures the deal with an investor group led by Silver Lake and puts an end to a dispute with software maker Joltid over the licensing of software that underlies Skype's internet telephony service.

In addition, the settlement brings Skype and Joltid founders Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis, into the investor group. Zennström and Friis will take a 14 per cent stake in Skype, in return for contributing Joltid software and "significant capital investment".

Join the silicon.com LinkedIn networking group

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:33:01 GMT

silicon.com has launched a networking group on LinkedIn to help readers connect with each other and keep up to date with silicon.com's top stories.

The group is open to all silicon.com readers, from CIOs and IT directors to other business leaders - including CEOs, finance directors, HR, sales and marketing chiefs who want to help their organisation reach its goals through the smart application of technology.

Why are Indian outsourcing companies such bashful suitors?

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:24:01 GMT

Indian outsourcers certainly have the cash - so why aren't they buying up their competitors? Saritha Rai finds out.

They have accumulated piles of cash so you would think top Indian outsourcing firms such as Infosys Technologies and Wipro Ltd would go hunting for sizeable acquisitions in the current market.

Bletchley Park's World War Two codebreakers in their own words

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:41:02 GMT

The work of the Bletchley Park codebreakers is credited with shortening the Second World War by two years. But for three decades, those who worked on decrypting Nazi communications could tell no one what they had done.

Such was the secrecy in which the codebreakers operated many did not even realise the true importance of their work until Bletchley's wartime activities were made public in 1974.

Exclusive: Jimmy Wales on what's next for Wikipedia

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:37:01 GMT

In an exclusive interview, Wikipedia founder and silicon.com Agenda Setter Jimmy Wales talks to Natasha Lomas about what's next for Wikipedia and why the site needs geeks of all kinds.

If you've ever written something about Jimmy Wales and posted it online, chances are he's read it. He mentions a Twitter post I made, prior to our interview, asking whether people think he's a hero or villain.

Covert surveillance must be reserved for serious crimes, says government

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:39:02 GMT

Local authorities must cut down on using covert-surveillance techniques to investigate petty offences, the government has said.

Ripa (the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act) granted public authorities the power to use surveillance to investigate crimes such as terrorism - but councils have attracted criticism for using them to detect petty offences such as dog-fouling.

Telegraph CIO on the rocky road to going Google

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:49:01 GMT

Businesses thinking of switching to cloud computing should expect a bumpy probation period, if the experience of The Telegraph Media Group (TMG) is anything to go by.

The company's CIO Paul Cheesbrough knows all about the challenges of moving to the cloud, after recently migrating 2,000 staff from Microsoft Outlook and Exchange to Google Apps Premier Edition and Google's email archiving service Postini.

Techies and hairdressers united in the moonlight

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:24:01 GMT

What do Blighty's hairdressers and IT technicians have in common? A shared love of moonlighting for a little extra cash, apparently.

More than a third (37 per cent) of IT technicians admit taking on extra work outside office hours, a survey has revealed. This lands techies in the top 10 UK professions for moonlighting, although some way behind the most prolific cash-in-hand workers of all: the not-so-humble hairdresser.

Whose IT budget has been hit the hardest?

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:58:01 GMT

While the debate over bankers' bonuses may still be generating headlines, it seems the financial services industry has found one way to cut back - slash IT budgets.

Financial services firms' IT budgets fell by 8.3 per cent between 2008 and 2009, meaning the banks have cut their budgets more than other industries, and saw spending fall by 6.8 per cent year-on-year.

Naked CIO: Social networks are useless for finding a job

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:00:00 GMT

While social networking sites can be fun for connecting with family and friends, they're no use when it comes to professional networking, says the Naked CIO.

It used to be that social networking websites were a perfect place to collaborate with colleagues, bring together like-minded people and make professional contacts who could enhance your career. But no more.

Why the UK will never create a Google, Microsoft or Oracle

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:20:01 GMT

The UK will never create a software giant to rival the likes of Microsoft, Google or Oracle.

That's the sobering conclusion of the silicon.com CIO Jury which voted 10 to two against, when asked whether the UK could create a global software business to rival the technology industry's most powerful companies.

Magic Mouse - Apple's best ever?

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:46:02 GMT

The Apple mouse has long been the weak link in its hardware set-ups. Seb Janacek asks: Can the new Magic Mouse change all that?

I have a dream a dream that Apple finally gets around to creating a really great mouse. A mouse to complement its rather splendid computers and even finer software.

Photos: The Apple mouse through the ages

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:00:00 GMT

Lisa mouseApple's Lisa of the early 1980s was among the first computers to sport a mouse - albeit a boxy and clunky one.

And while the Lisa tanked, most people remember the mouse as a key part of the Macs that followed it.

Orange unveils iPhone tariffs and launch date

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 12:15:02 GMT

The iPhone 3G and 3G S will go on sale to Orange customers from 10 November, the operator has revealed today.

Orange has also unveiled its pay monthly, pay-as-you-go and business tariffs for iPhone 3G and 3G S - with the cheapest price plan offering consumers a free iPhone 3G for just under £30 per month on a two-year contract.

Can I use a netbook as my everyday work machine?

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:22:01 GMT

Netbooks have been enjoying the spotlight of late - but are they suitable for the workplace? Bethan Jones puts one to the test.

Recently I was quietly enjoying my skinny hazelnut latte, extra foam, extra hot when my ears pricked up at the conversation at the table next to mine.

'UK must up privacy safeguards following Phorm'

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:40:01 GMT

The European Commission has said the UK government doesn't have adequate communications privacy legislation and must step up its efforts.

The announcement follows complaints by UK citizens and privacy groups over the government's lack of action after telco BT conducted trials of the Phorm behavioural advertising service without getting consent from its customers.

Full steam ahead for plans to cut off file-sharers

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:46:01 GMT

Secretary of state for business, innovation and skills Peter Mandelson has reiterated the government's 'three strikes and you're out' plan to cut off illegal file-sharers' internet access.

Speaking at a cabinet creative industries conference yesterday, the business minister said proposals made back in August will feature in the Digital Economy Bill expected before Parliament in November.

Peter Cochrane's Blog: Uneconomics

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 10:00:00 GMT

Compiled at the IoD, Pall Mall, London, and dispatched to silicon.com via a free wi-fi connection.

For more than a year now I have been in a state of mild bewilderment while watching and listening to the economic commentators. The truth is: I find it difficult to afford them much credibility as I have been here many times before.

Green IT: Thrifty CIOs should make it a priority

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 09:58:01 GMT

It's no surprise that for some companies green initiatives are dropping down the list of IT priorities. In a recent silicon.com survey, more than a quarter of respondents admitted green IT was off the agenda because of the recession.

But many organisations have found the key is to align green goals with broader cost-cutting initiatives - which are definitely in vogue with CIOs and CFOs. In some cases government policies are already giving businesses a shove in the right direction. For example, in July 2008, the UK government informed 10,000 businesses that they could be affected by the Carbon Reduction Commitment - a climate change and energy-saving scheme that will take effect in 2010.

Digital Dilemmas: Should I add my boss as a Facebook friend?

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:56:01 GMT

What do you do when the 'One new friend request' on Facebook is from a work colleague? silicon.com's Natasha Lomas deconstructs this Digital Dilemma

It's the mother of digital conundrums: you log into your Facebook account and there's a friend request from a work colleague staring back at you.

Windows 7: Not perfect - but ready for prime time

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 15:43:02 GMT

While Windows 7 solves most of the qualms about Vista, the new OS still has plenty of room to grow, says Quocirca's Clive Longbottom.

The much vaunted Windows 7 is now among us, and consumer pre-orders look strong.

Why CIOs are saying yes to open source software

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 15:05:01 GMT

It's a question many CIOs are wrestling with: can open source help make your IT budget stretch a little further in these tough economic times?

While some CIOs are enthusiastic about the potential savings that can be made, others still warn of the hidden costs that can lie in wait for the unwary.

Who do you trust when you're spending your IT budget?

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:47:02 GMT

When it comes to deciding how to spend a hard-won portion of the IT budget, who do CIOs trust for advice?

Consultants? Blogs? Whitepapers? Or something else entirely?

Photos: Top iPhone apps for business

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:45:01 GMT

Apple's iPhone might be seen by many as largely a consumer device, with games and media apps regularly topping the 'What's Hot' list on iTunes.

However, the App Store currently stocks more than 2,000 business apps and, with the iPhone currently dominating around 13 per cent of the smartphone market, the device's potential as a business tool can no longer be ignored. Here we take a look at some of the best business apps that can help turn your iPhone into a portable office.

Amazon's Kindle ignites legal upheaval

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:10:01 GMT

Amazon's Kindle e-book and Google's Book Search will change the way we read books forever. And that will keep the lawyers plenty busy, says Callum Sinclair.

The internet, as the daddy of all disruptive technologies, heralded a new era of litigation. Now with Amazon's Kindle e-book reader available internationally - in the UK and some 100 other countries - and all the controversy over the Google Book Search settlement, it looks like e-book readers are the next space for legislative upheaval.