Does the UK's new mobile phone directory go far enough to protect your privacy? Lawyer Ruth Hoy weighs in.

Last week's launch of the UK's first mobile phone directory, which claims to be able to connect anyone to more than 16 million mobile users for a small charge, was always bound to ignite contention around privacy.

Though there are plenty of tools to help businesses shore up data, the lack of policy standards makes the task more difficult than it should be, says Quocirca's Bob Tarzey.

The UK's MPs may rue the day a disk listing details of their expenses was leaked to the Daily Telegraph from the House of Commons Fees Office earlier this year, but they were going to be made public at some point anyway, courtesy of the UK's Freedom of Information Act which the MPs themselves passed in to law in 2000.

More than a year after appearing on the statute books, the info watchdog's power to fine is not yet operational. Lawyer Grant Campbell urges those involved not to lose momentum.

Data losses have provided the UK press with an ongoing stream of stories for more than 18 months now.

Sun is set to launch the latest version of OpenSolaris, tuning it for the enterprise with a new support contract, processor support and networking and storage technology.

OpenSolaris is the open source version of Solaris, and previously it has been aimed mainly at developers and as a platform for testing features that will later make their way into Solaris itself.

Broadband Britain was back on the agenda this month - with speed and bandwidth once again hot topics.

First up Virgin Media announced it was trialling 200Mbps broadband - four times faster than its current UK top speed service of 50Mbps.

Ensuring the integrity of information can make all the difference for your business, says the Naked CIO. So what are you waiting for?

How many times have I talked about the importance of maintaining data integrity?

Compiled on the Ipswich to London train and dispatched to silicon.com via 3G during the same journey

As a young man I worked in a number of 'mom and pop' stores and small businesses before joining a state-run enterprise.

Amazon Web Services has unveiled a new service that lets users physically ship their data on drives, to be uploaded to the company's cloud-based S3 storage facilities.

AWS Import/Export, currently in beta, was announced on Thursday. In an Amazon Web Services (AWS) blog post, the team noted that "hard drives are getting bigger more rapidly than internet connections are getting faster", and said a service such as Import/Export had been frequently requested by customers who wanted their data to be remotely hosted, but who had storage requirements at the terabyte and petabyte level.

Ray Ozzie, Microsoft's chief software architect, is a big believer in the cloud. But he knows large businesses don't yet share his confidence.

"Enterprises will not really trust the cloud until they get some experience with it," Ozzie said, during a speech at a JP Morgan investment conference in Boston on Wednesday. He said that large businesses are more likely to start by going with an online version of a familiar product like Microsoft Exchange than they are to move a major piece of their business into the cloud.

How can electronic coding help hospitals? GS1 UK's Gary Lynch counts the ways…

A survey we ran recently in conjunction with Nursing Times magazine revealed nurses can spend up to two hours during an average shift trying to locate vital medical equipment such as pumps, drip stands and dressings.

Amazon's cloud computing division has lifted the lid on some of the enhancements it has on the way.

Amazon Web Services has been offering on-demand computing and storage capacity for three years through its Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) and Simple Storage Service (S3) and now the company wants to make it easier for businesses to use them. The online retail arm of the company might be better known to the general public, but the web services business already consumes more bandwidth than the more famous ecommerce side.

Viglen, the IT company owned by Sir Alan Sugar, has landed a hardware deal with the Office of Government Commerce to supply hardware to a number of public sector organisations.

Under the contract, worth up to £30m, Viglen will provide around 50,000 desktops and 20,000 laptops with the option of TFT screens.

For a watch from a company better known for its phones, it's no surprise that the MBW 100 makes a lot of linking with its wearer's mobile.

The watch harbours Bluetooth connectivity, which it puts to use by alerting the wearer to incoming calls or texts by showing the caller's identity on the watch face. The Bluetooth also acts as an alarm - if the phone goes out of connectivity range - left on a pub table or removed from an unwary pocket - the watch will alert the wearer to its disappearance by vibrating.

Following a series of data breaches that have dogged the public sector, the NHS is to take delivery of 100,000 secure USB sticks.

The SafeStick USB sticks from vendor BlockMaster will be distributed to NHS hospitals under a two-year deal with seven procurement hubs across the country.

McLaren Racing, the company behind current Formula One World Champion Lewis Hamilton's Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team, is using IT to bring him back to the front of the grid.

After a difficult beginning to the 2009 F1 season, Jonathan Neale, MD of McLaren Racing told silicon.com IT will play a vital role in helping return the team to winning ways.

Mutual retailer the Co-operative Group has cut its datacentre maintenance and support costs by deploying HP virtualisation tech and consolidating its "server sprawl".

The Group - whose businesses include food retailing, funeral parlours and financial services - was struggling with a creaking legacy infrastructure consisting of hundreds of servers, each requiring its own maintenance pack and chargers.

2008 Turing Award winner Barbara Liskov speaks to silicon.com about her research and hot issues from security to gender gaps.

The winner of the 2008 ACM AM Turing Award for lasting and major technical contributions to the computing community was announced last month as Barbara Liskov, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Compiled in my home office on the first day of Spring and dispatched to silicon.com via wi-fi from BT Labs at Martlesham Heath, UK

The technical literature is currently ringing with cries of: 'I want to know where my bits are - and what about the increased security risk?'

This is the Estádio do Dragão in Porto which uses video surveillance and networking technology from Sony as part of its security strategy.

silicon.com's Tim Ferguson went to Portugal have a look at how the technology is helping make the stadium more secure.

Apple is expected to begin production on a high-end iPhone with 32GB of flash memory and a low-end 3G version this spring, according to a research report released Tuesday by Lazard Capital Markets analyst.

Production is anticipated to begin in April and ramp up in May, and the new phones could be announced in June, Daniel Amir, a Lazard Capital Markets analyst, said in his report.

Printed publications have long looked to the web as a way to revive their diminishing prospects. But, asks CIO Ian Cohen, even if they do embrace it will it be enough to save them?

When it comes to publishing, Bob Dylan said it best: "For the times they are a-changin''.

Indian outsourcer HCL inked a seven-year, $350m deal with media company Readers Digest Association (RDA).

Under the agreement, HCL will run RDA's IT infrastructure across its operations in 45 countries including the UK.

Despite the hype, it seems IT chiefs are still not ready to move their critical IT systems over to the cloud computing model.

Cloud computing is often touted as cheaper than building and maintaining in-house IT systems, leading to speculation that it may be one of the technologies to benefit as CIOs have to tighten their belts in the face of recession.

With employees working away from the office, at home, at client sites or simply on the road, Anthony Plewes wonders if they should rethink the problem of data on the move.

According to the most recent annual survey from the Computer Security Institute (CSI), the third most common security incident experienced by companies was the theft or loss of mobile devices, behind virus infection and insider attack.

Looking back at how it all began: Seb Janacek reminisces how the iPhone wasn't always such a sure thing

I love hoarding snippets of information and obscure bookmarks that I rarely end up using again. Since the advent of social bookmarking and tagging my data lets me create order from chaos.

While the wider world felt the bite of the recession, the world of storage continued to enjoy growth last year, according to analysts at Gartner.

Global revenue from external controller-based storage enjoyed year-on-year growth of 11.3 per cent last year, up from $16.2bn to $18bn, Gartner said.

CIOs' time is a precious commodity. Suppliers who pitch their technology to them have to get it right first time - or get shown the door.

silicon.com's 60-Second Pitch replicates this experience just for fun - but turns the screw a little tighter. Suppliers have just one minute to pitch their product or service to a panel of current and former heads of IT, who will then have the opportunity to ask some questions before saying whether they think the idea passes muster by giving a green or red light.

Two UK universities have saved hundreds of thousands of pounds by opting for hosted Google applications instead of an in-house system.

The University of Westminster (UOW) and the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) have both adopted the Google Apps Education Edition - a free suite of online apps from the search giant.

Technology has its temptations: it's difficult not to be seduced by the latest, brightest piece of kit and the appeal of putting it in the hands of every member of staff. But for some CIOs, choosing when not to install technology can be just as important to the health of a business as choosing when to roll it out wholesale.

At the National Gallery, head of IS Len Nunn knows that the injudicious use of technology can put off the museum's visitors.

Welsh building society Principality has used a major telecoms systems upgrade to better cope with an influx of new savers.

The building society completed a migration of its voice services, from a basket of contracts with BT to one with NTL Telewest Business, upgrading to IP networking in the process. The network is supported by a Cisco-based call routing system and new datacentre that together support communications to 70 branches and operational sites across Wales and a 1,200-seat call centre capability. silicon.com Financial Services Get the latest financial services news straight to your inbox. Sign up for the FS newsletter today!

It was a lovefest Tuesday at the Plaza Hotel where Microsoft and storage company EMC announced that they are extending their strategic partnership another three years.

The software giant and information management company have been working closely together for years, but they didn't formalise their relationship until 2006. Now things are going so well for the companies, they've decided to extend the formal relationship. As part of the extended partnership, the companies say they'll be focusing more on storage and virtualised environments. They'll also concentrate on productivity and security solutions to prevent data breaches.

Compiled in a coffee shop in Taunton UK and dispatched to silicon.com later the same day via a free wi-fi service provided by my hotel

When I buy clothes I expect to use them as I wish. I might wear them or I might want to give them away or lend them to someone else. Along with everything else I purchase, I see them as mine, to do with what I want when I want, within the limits of the law and reasonable social behaviours.

Intel announced Friday that chairman and former CEO Craig Barrett will retire from the board in May at the chip giant's annual shareholders' meeting.

Barrett is retiring to spend more time working on his interests in health care and education, said an Intel spokesman. He has been active in the company's World Ahead Program to bring technology to emerging countries, and he has served as the chairman of the UN Global Alliance for Information and Communications Technology and Development.

The fallout from Thursday's cost-cutting moves by Microsoft continues. On Friday, Microsoft announced it is delaying its plans for a massive datacentre to be built in Iowa, US.

It is an abrupt reversal for Microsoft, which announced its plans for Iowa just five months ago as part of its massive push into the datacentre business. By October, though, the software maker was already detailing plans to cut its datacentre spending by $300m. Now Microsoft is looking to cut things even further.

Value retailer Poundland has implemented a security service for its laptop users.

According to Mo Rahman, IT Services manager at Poundland, the initiative was driven by the board to cut down on any potential data vulnerabilities should any of the 80 laptops used by area managers and headquarters staff be lost or stolen. silicon.com Retail & Leisure Get the latest retail and leisure news straight to your inbox. Sign up for the R&L newsletter today!

Increased scrutiny of the public's online activities could undermine the viability of the web, says lawyer Ruth Hoy.

The Home Office's recent announcement that it is working with the EU to grant police powers to hack into personal computers without a warrant threatens to rock the delicate balance between the need to tackle cybercrime and the right to personal privacy.

Seagate on Friday acknowledged failures among recent models of its Barracuda and DiamondMax disk drives.

Users affected lose all access to data on their disks, and the disks themselves are reported to become undetectable to the computers in which they are mounted.

Video has been hailed a productivity booster and cost saver. But can it deliver? Freeform Dynamics's IdaRose Sylvester explains what video can and can't do.

As we enter 2009, reducing spending, improving productivity of smaller teams, and the perceived imperative to improve the corporate 'green' footprint are three priorities facing corporations.

The Royal Navy frigate HMS Montrose is to get a new command system to help her crew defend the ship against air, surface and underwater threats.

The upgrade is an important milestone in the programme to develop a common command system across the fleet, starting with the Type 23 frigates, according to defence equipment and support director of surface combatants Commodore Graham Peach.

Digital music, long the bane of the music industry, may finally be something that record label executives can smile about.

For 2008, total music sales rose 10 per cent to 1.51 billion units sold, up from 1.36 billion units the year before, according to industry tracker Nielsen. Units tallied include physical albums, digital albums and tracks, and music videos.