Online spending survives credit crunch

Approximately STG26.5 billion was spent online in the UK in first half of 2008, according to the latest IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index. The study found that, in spite of the credit crunch, online shopping was up 38 percent from the STG19.2 billion spent online in the first half of 2007. The report authors predict strong online growth for the rest of 2008, driven mostly by the increasing cost of fuel, shrinking disposable incomes, a desire to achieve sustainability in the supply chain and smarter consumer shopping habits. "The online channel continues to grow its share of retail spend thanks to the traditional drivers of convenience and choice, but these drivers appear to be magnified by the current economic environment," said Mike Petevinos, head of retail consulting at Capgemini UK. "Convenience has a sharper edge in a world of soaring fuel prices, and the ability to research and make more informed choices in a time of heightened price sensitivity is a key advantage of the online channel." For more on this story visit VNUnet.com.

SMEs naive about security threats

Small and medium-sized firms have developed a false sense of security and are naive about potential threats to their business. That's according to a new study by security firm McAfee, which found that almost one-third of companies surveyed had been attacked four or more times in the past three years. Nonetheless, the companies questioned mostly believed that they were not prime targets for attack, with 52 percent saying their firm was too small to be noticed by criminals, and 46 percent believing that their company could not make a cyber-criminal any money. "Just because a business is small does not mean that it is immune to security threats," said Darrell Rodenbaugh, senior vice president of the mid-market segment at McAfee. "For businesses of all sizes, viruses, hacker intrusions, spyware and spam can lead to lost or stolen data, computer downtime, decreased productivity, compliance issues, lost sales and even loss of reputation." Read more on this story on VNUnet.com.

Caution urged around open source software

Companies should approach the use of open source software with "great caution", according to security firm Fortify Software. In a paper entitled 'Open Source Security Study: How Are Open Source Development Communities Embracing Security Best Practices?', Fortify warned that all software development carries the risk of vulnerabilities in the code. But it suggested that the open source community lags behind in-house development and commercial rivals when it comes to developing business security support. Eleven open source Java applications were examined and evaluated for the sophistication of their security, including documentation and availability of support. The study concluded that many open source applications provide insufficient access to security expertise and do not adopt a rigorous enough approach to security in the development process. For more on this story read ITweek.co.uk.

Finance managers should link up with IT staff

Financial managers need to improve their understanding of the role IT can play in improving efficiency and cutting costs, says a new report by analyst firm Gartner. It notes that the uncertain economic climate could act as a catalyst for this process, because many firms are considering outsourcing part or all of their financial processes. While there is a growing market for outsourcing finance and accounting services, companies need to plan carefully before handing over those functions to third parties. Typical mistakes made by finance personnel include not involving the IT team in the early planning stages of an outsourcing project, and asking for too many service-level agreements with the outsourcing provider. "It is important to avoid losing precious time at the start of the [outsourcing] initiative through lack of preparation and to be able to cost accurately the business and IT implications of the outsourcing endeavour," said Cathy Tornbohm, research vice president at Gartner. For more on this story read Computing.co.uk.

Here are some of the issues our forum members have been discussing in the last fortnight:

• Trademark infringement view thread
• The iPhone and Irish developers view thread
• Leased lines v DSL view thread

Keeping in touch while abroad

Web design: form vs function

Case study: ILTB

SQL injection attacks

SQL injection attacks are part of a recent wave of security threats that has seen hundreds of legitimate websites compromised. Hackers are using an attack toolkit that is designed to search Google for websites that use a particular file extension (.asp). Once such a site is found, the attacker uses a SQL injection to plant malicious code on the vulnerable website. The code then attempts to serve malware to web users who visit the site by exploiting security holes in their browser. Security firm Sophos recently noted that it detected over 16,000 malicious webpages every day in the first half of 2008, and nine out of ten of these infected webpages were on legitimate websites.

Mansion House, Dublin 2, October 9
Applications are now being accepted for the annual Inspired IT Awards, organised by iReach. The event highlights the achievement of IT executives and their teams in Ireland. There are eight industry categories, four cross-industry awards, and two commendation awards to be won. Applications can be submitted until 22 September.

This organisational tool allows you to create pages on the web, and to add anything you like to those pages - such as to do lists, files and photos. You can choose to keep your pages private or to share them with contacts. If you're working with a team, there are a number of collaborative features that can help you stay organised. You can opt to share calendars with colleagues, while a messaging centre keeps track of communication between all members of the team, and online journals show what each person has been working on. You can also get reminders of appointments sent to your inbox or mobile phone.