Investment in ICT 'could create 700,000 jobs'

Investment in ICT 'could create 700,000 jobs'

An investment of £15 billion in digital networks could lead the UK to economic recovery, a new report has suggested.

The study, by the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), suggested that up to 700,000 new jobs could be created and maintained with this investment.

It added that funding for ICT is more likely to spur on economic recovery than investment in physical infrastructure like roads. Robert Atkinson, president of the ITIF, said: "Nations that invest in ICT to transform fields like transportation and energy reap substantial long-term economic and social benefits.

Read the rest of the article here.

-Ken

Firewall pronounced 'dead' at InfoSecurity Europe

Firewall pronounced 'dead' at InfoSecurity Europe

The Internet firewall is 'dead', according to IT security start-up Palo Alto Networks. Speaking live on the third of E&T's exclusive video bulletins from Infosecurity Europe 2009, director of corporate marketing Franklyn Jones says that with enterprises increasing their use of online applications, the traditional concept of a protective traffic gateway needs reinvention.

View the video article here.

-Ken

IT professional development scheme launched

IT professional development scheme launched

A new professional development programme for people working in the technology industry has been launched.

The e-skills UK IT Professional Development Programme has been developed with the government and a number of companies including IBM and Centrica.

It is currently being piloted amongst ten employees at British Airways and features mentoring support, assessments and face-to-face learning.

Karen Price, chief executive of e-skills UK, said: 'In today's highly competitive environment, people entering IT professional careers in the UK need to progress to more highly-skilled and demanding roles faster than ever before.

Read the rest of the article here.

See the ITPDP page here.

-ken

IT should be at heart of national curriculum, says report

IT should be at heart of national curriculum, says report

Children leaving primary school should be "independent and confident" users of IT by the time they are 11 years old, a review into the future curriculum for primary schools in England has concluded.

ICT should be a core subject alongside maths and English, the review by former Ofsted chief Jim Rose recommends.

"Even now, a reasonable grasp of ICT is needed in education and employment, and it will become increasingly important to command ICT skills to prepare for technologies of the future," said the report.

Read the whole article here.

-Ken

No NPfIT black box to be found

No NPfIT black box to be found

If the NHS IT scheme, the NPfIT, were a jumbo jet, its frequent crashes would have putfear-of-flying courses out of business.

But because the NPfIT is not an aircraft crash there is no wreckage. The damage is not visible. Undiagnosed, sick, or injured patients have been on a hidden waiting list,lost in the systems. As delays in their treatments are below the radar of the general public they don't seem to matter.

The disorder we highlighted last week at Barts and The London NHS Trust, a year after it went live with the NPfIT Cerner Millennium Care Records Service, is the most serious problem to afflict the national programme.

Uncertainty

Read the whole article here.

-ken

Microsoft: Don't Wait for Windows 7 SP1

Microsoft: Don't Wait for Windows 7 SP1

SP1 is no longer the OS evolution milestone it once was

There's no need to wait for Windows 7 Service Pack 1 in order to embrace the next iteration of the Windows operating system from Microsoft. At the end of March 2009, analysis company Gartner revealed a similar conclusion, indicating that Service Pack 1 was no longer the OS evolution milestone it once was, especially when it comes down to Windows 7. Microsoft saw eye to eye with Gartner on this matter and revealed that SP1 would not be a milestone designed to mark the maturity of Windows 7 in terms of security and stability.

“Windows 7 is an operating system that from the get go will be as secure as possible, and even from Beta stage is extremely stable. It's not recommended for customers to deploy it in production environments just yet, however, they should not hesitate to test the platform in technology adoption programs. And we actually are...

Windows 7 RC1 made available for download

Windows 7 RC1 made available for download

Microsoft made the first release candidate of Windows 7 available for free download on Thursday. In an unprecedented move for the company, the software will run on a user's PC for more than a year.

Windows 7 RC1 can be downloaded now by MSDN, TechBeta and TechNet subscribers, and the general public will be able to download it on 5 May. There is no limit to how many copies can be downloaded. The software will run until 1 June, 2010, in what a Microsoft marketing manager described to ZDNet UK as a "try before you buy" scenario.

"There is no cap on the amount of downloads [of Windows 7 RC1]," Laurence Painell said...

Read the rest of the article here.

Compliments to Obinna Osobalu for the article.

-Ken

First 'e-commerce diploma' unveiled

First 'e-commerce diploma' unveiled

What’s being claimed as the first postgraduate qualification developed in the UK specifically for Internet retailing professionals has been launched by research and training specialist Econsultancy.

The Postgraduate Internet Retailing Diploma has been devised in partnership with Manchester Metropolitan University, and Ian Jindal of Internet Retailing Magazine. The two-year syllabus is aimed both at individuals already involved in e-commerce plus those from a more traditional retail background, guides delegates through a wide range of internet retailing issues, from marketing, buying, and merchandising, through to logistics, engineering and technology.

Read about it here.

-Ken

'Increasing demand' for telecoms specialists

'Increasing demand' for telecoms specialists

Telecoms specialists are becoming an increasingly popular choice of staff for a number of companies, a recruitment agency has suggested.

Hays Telecoms reported that it has witnessed a steady rise in demand for telecoms professionals, particularly those with experience of business and core networks and mobile technology.

Other knowledge that is becoming desirable is an understanding of content and media and wireless networks.

'People skills and advanced technologies are being used to streamline networks and follow best practice in and around transmission of the data to make networks more productive,' explained Lee Chant, managing director at Hays Telecoms.

Read the rest of the article here.

-Ken

Windows 7 to have an 'XP mode'

Windows 7 to have an 'XP mode'

Microsoft is trying to make it easier to sway users of Windows XP onto the latest version of its operating system.

For some time now, the company has been quietly building a "Windows XP mode" that uses virtualization to allow Windows 7 to easily run applications designed for Windows XP. According to sources familiar with the product, the application compatibility mode is built on the Virtual PC technology that Microsoft acquired in 2003, when it scooped up the assets of Connectix.

By adding the compatibility mode, Microsoft is aiming to address one of the key shortcomings of Windows Vista: its compatibility issues with software designed for Windows XP and earlier versions of the operating system.

Details of the Windows XP mode, previously known as Virtual Windows XP, were first...