Development Assistance in Fragile States Fragile states suffer disproportionately from problems such as conflict, poverty and risk of state collapse. The latter has the potential for adverse national, regional and even global consequences. The use of development assistance to help tackle the problems faced by fragile states is increasingly moving up international and donor agendas. Yet working in such states provides a unique set of challenges and difficulties that requires a different approach to that taken in a typical low income country. Read more...

		The balancing act Keeping your business in peak condition requires the balancing skills of a top gymnast, striving for a faultless Olympic performance. There's no time to reflect on your next manoeuvre when you are already in mid-somersault, and to make the task harder still, the rules of the competition, as well as the equipment itself, are subject to relentless change. Read more...

		Shared Services - Have you optimised your investments? Do you know if you are getting maximum value from your investment? Do you have issues and challenges? Do you want to understand which best practices are appropriate for you, and develop focused action plans to move forward?  Read more...

		Contestability – the key to realising CSR 07 savings? Achieving CSR 07 targeted savings to administration costs of 5% year on year will require radical changes to the way departments procure external support. This typically represents half of the operating costs. Simply looking to “buy things better” will not be enough.  Rather departments will need to look at how they do things and make radical changes to their business models.  The concept of contestability is likely to be a core part of the solution to this challenge. Read more...

		Transforming the enterprise in 2007 It hadn't seemed a year since we were last peering into the glass ball to look at how technology might impact us in the coming year. Going into 2007, we predicted there would be many exciting new changes as the enterprise gets to grip with Web 2.0 (the next step change in the internet) and the real tangible benefits it can bring. We also took a look at how SOA and mobile solutions, both after many years of hype, are being more widely adopted by businesses. Read more...

		Security and Information Risk Survey This survey conducted by the National Computing Centre (NCC). Sponsored by Atos Consulting, it highlighted the need for governance and integration of security across the entire business. In order to ensure that the additional investment does deliver value. Despite growing awareness of security and information risk issues at board level and an increase in budget allocation for risk management, many businesses are at risk due to fragmented security controls. Read more...

		The business benefits of IT agility As the pressure on businesses to innovate increases, there is growing pressure on the IT function to demonstrate agility. Sue German explains. Read more...

		Open Source: Are we ready yet? Research conducted by the National Computing Centre and Atos Consulting (the consulting arm of Atos Origin), has revealed growing acceptance and planned take-up of Open Source, despite current caution. Read more...

		How advanced are your Legacy Applications? Legacy issues need to be addressed sooner rather than later. According to research conducted by the National Computing Centre and by Atos Origin, this is a strong and growing appreciation held by IT decision makers. Report highlights include: Read more...

		The rebirth of CRM CRM continues to be a topic that generates much debate and it is currently experiencing a rebirth. Diego Anderiz explores recent trends in the CRM market and outlines ways to measure the success of CRM initiatives. Read more...

		Want to know how a ‘Rich Picture’ can benefit your organisation? Experience shows that it is extremely difficult to convey a forceful message through the medium of words alone, especially in a world in which communication is increasingly image driven. Confronted by a series of strategic challenges, a Greater Manchester NHS trust's leadership team opted for a new way of agreeing its vision which engaged staff and other stakeholders. Read more...