The hot weather the UK has been experiencing in the past week or so doesn't seem to have caused too many headaches in IT departments across the country.

The latest silicon.com CIO Jury poll asked tech chiefs whether they'd taken any extra steps to protect their technology infrastructure during this week's heat wave, with nine of the 12 revealing they haven't.

The Apple iPhone may have got a makeover last week but it's not enough to convince CIOs the device has a place in business.

In the latest silicon.com CIO Jury, IT chiefs were asked whether they're planning to offer Apple's touchscreen device as part of their range of corporate mobile phones - and the vast majority of IT chiefs said they are not.

Windows 7 may be generating its fair share of hype but CIOs are planning to take a cautious approach towards rolling out the operating system.

In the latest silicon.com CIO Jury, which asked IT chiefs whether they're planning to roll out Windows 7 in 2010, just one of the 12 Jury members said they're considering it. Windows 7 is expected to be available later this year.

Reports that the green shoots of a UK economic recovery are poking through are premature, according to IT chiefs.

Asked whether they can see signs of recovery in the wider economy, the latest silicon.com CIO Jury poll returned a resounding 'no' vote.

Twitter may have doubled its user numbers last month but CIOs are split over whether or not the microblogging service makes a useful business tool.

In the latest silicon.com CIO Jury, seven out of the 12 members said they are currently using Twitter for information, for networking or for other business-related purposes.

While the recent Conficker worm may have turned out to be a damp squib, enterprises are still very much on their guard against malware.

Asked whether viruses are still a genuine threat to corporate IT security, 11 out of the 12 members of silicon.com's CIO Jury said they are.

Cloud computing has been given a definite thumbs down by silicon.com's CIO Jury.

Following exclusive silicon.com research that found IT leaders voting cloud computing the most over-hyped technology of the year, the CIO Jury was asked whether cloud computing is part of their IT strategy to cut costs.

Netbooks have received a qualified thumbs up by IT leaders in the latest CIO Jury.

When the jury of UK IT chiefs was asked whether netbooks were ready for business use, the answer was yes - by seven votes to five. What does the recession mean for your job?Recession making techies do more unpaid overtimeHard times hit BangaloreTechies still hunting new jobs despite recessionNaked CIO: Time to ask for helpSoftware, systems techies 'have least stressful jobs going'Naked CIO: Job searching tipsDrunk Facebook photos killing your job prospects?Two-thirds of UK's top IT security jobs unfilled

Although the economic downturn is in full swing, many IT heads still find themselves having to play hardball when negotiating with suppliers.

When asked: "as a result of the credit crunch do you find it easier to strike a deal with suppliers?" seven of silicon.com's 12-strong CIO Jury said 'no'.

Last week's snow storms brought parts of the country to a standstill - but the latest CIO Jury reveals most IT departments were prepared for the event.

When asked whether the week's bad weather affected their ability to provide IT services to their organisations, the answer was 'No' on a vote of 11 to one.

IT leaders are confident Apple will remain successful following Steve Jobs' decision to step down as CEO for six months in order to deal with health issues.

For many, Jobs is the human face of Apple, steering the company he co-founded with Steve Wozniak for more than a decade since rejoining the company in 1997.

UK heads of IT have cast a vote of no confidence for Prime Minister Gordon Brown's proposals to beef up the digital economy in the latest silicon.com CIO Jury.

Jurors voted 11 to one against the likelihood of the PM's plans to invest in the country's tech infrastructure as a way to boost the general economy.

Christmas may be a time of peace on earth but CIOs are unlikely to be so relaxed this festive season, with many saying they'll still be on call over the holidays.

The latest silicon.com CIO Jury found two-thirds of IT bosses confessing they'll be available to work should anything go wrong over the Yuletide holiday.

"Oh boy, welcome to the tornado."

This is how Martin Frick describes his initiation into the world of retail when he joined car rental firm Avis Europe.

Despite only one in five tech workers being female, silicon.com's CIO Jury says that positive discrimination is not the right way to boost the number of women in the IT department. silicon.com Retail & Leisure Get the latest retail and leisure news straight to your inbox. Sign up for the R&L newsletter today!

When asked if positive discrimination is needed to encourage more women into the industry, CIO Jury members voted against it by a factor of ten to two.

The latest silicon.com CIO Jury has unanimously voted that they are not ready to invest in Microsoft's latest OS Vista.

When asked if they had any plans to implement Vista, which has been subject to criticism since its launch two years ago, not one of the CIOs who replied responded positively.

Industry experience is considered low down on the list for CIOs and other heads of IT.

According to the latest CIO Jury, having a wealth of experience in the industry they currently work in is not essential.

CIOs have broadly set themselves behind the call for a common accreditation scheme for IT professionals, similar to qualifications required by doctors, lawyers, accountants and surveyors, the latest CIO Jury poll has found.

The latest call for such a scheme has been put out by e-skills UK, the government licensed skills council for IT and telecoms.

In a few short years CIOs are going to find themselves closer than ever before to the person holding the IT department's purse strings: as the global economic crisis bites, analyst house Gartner says it's vital CIOs and CFOs learn to trust each other - for the good of the business.

Data from Gartner's Executive Programs (EXP) from 2002 to 2008 shows a gradual upward trend in the proportion of CIOs reporting to the head of finance. Meanwhile, increasing numbers of CIOs also believe they will be reporting to the CFO in three years' time.

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In silicon.com's latest exclusive CIO Jury poll, the respondents revealed they were still steering clear of the application, with 10 out of 12 saying their IT teams are not testing it.

While most CIOs have some sort of policy in place to address the influx of so-called digital natives joining their companies, according to silicon.com's latest CIO Jury survey, reactions on how to cope with the Facebook-savvy next generation of workers are mixed. Second Life - the business evolution Click on the links below to see pictures of some of the many real-world businesses that have set up outposts in Second Life. Toyota Nissan IntelDell Cisco IBMCircuit CitySearsWiredABN AmroSamsungField Fisher WaterhouseAOL Adidas

Only three of the 12-strong jury said their organisations did not have processes and rules in place to cope with the demands of the 'Facebook generation' of employees, used to using social networking sites and other web 2.0 applications on a daily basis.

Most CIOs believe their organisations are ready for a proposed extension of employees' right to ask for flexible working. CIO50 2008: Top 10 The UK's leading CIOs revealed… 1.Robin Dargue Royal Mail 2.David Lister Royal Bank of Scotland 3.Neil Cameron Unilever 4.Catherine Doran Network Rail5.John Suffolk UK government 6.Gordon Lovell-Read Siemens UK7.Paul Coby British Airways8.Tania Howarth Birds Eye Iglo Group9.Simon Post Carphone Warehouse10.Ben Wishart Whitbread

At present, the right is extended to children aged up to six, but the government launched a consultation last week to discuss whether families with children aged up to 16 could also benefit from parents being at home more.

CIOs say MBAs are a useful tool for their jobs - as long as they are studied for the right reasons and combined with plenty of practical experience.

In the latest silicon.com CIO Jury poll, the 12-strong panel of IT chiefs voted eight to four in favour of the qualification, although even some of the supporters said experience is a critical attribute.

The prospect of the UK heading into a full blown recession is forcing some IT chiefs to reassess their tech strategy and investment.

For the second time in a row, the silicon.com CIO Jury is hung, this time over the issue of preparedness for a UK recession. CIO50 2008: Top 10 The UK's leading CIOs revealed… 1.Robin Dargue Royal Mail 2.David Lister Royal Bank of Scotland 3.Neil Cameron Unilever 4.Catherine Doran Network Rail5.John Suffolk UK government 6.Gordon Lovell-Read Siemens UK7.Paul Coby British Airways8.Tania Howarth Birds Eye Iglo Group9.Simon Post Carphone Warehouse10.Ben Wishart Whitbread

CIOs are split on the controversial issue of adopting more open source software in corporate IT.

In the latest silicon.com CIO Jury poll, participants were asked whether they planned to increase the amount of open source software they use within the next 12 months.

IT chiefs have hit out at the lack of respect the UK as a nation gives to its computing heritage following the mothballing of the Museum of Computing in Swindon.

silicon.com asked a number of CIOs whether the UK made the most of its computing history and the answer was a resounding no. CIO50 2008: Top 10 The UK's leading CIOs revealed… 1.Robin Dargue Royal Mail 2.David Lister Royal Bank of Scotland 3.Neil Cameron Unilever 4.Catherine Doran Network Rail5.John Suffolk UK government 6.Gordon Lovell-Read Siemens UK7.Paul Coby British Airways8.Tania Howarth Birds Eye Iglo Group9.Simon Post Carphone Warehouse10.Ben Wishart Whitbread

Bill Gates formally steps down from his day-to-day role at Microsoft on Friday 27 June to pursue his philanthropic efforts through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and IT chiefs have hailed his legacy to the industry.

Gates founded Microsoft in 1975 after dropping out of his course at Harvard University and silicon.com's 12-strong CIO Jury IT user panel unanimously voted that he leaves behind a positive legacy for the computer and IT industry. The Gates era ends for Microsoft Bill Gates' legacy: A modern day Henry Ford Photos: Bill Gates through the ages In his own words: Bill Gates' best quotes Microsoft's future in the post-Bill Gates era Photos: Top 5 Bill Gates moments

Free junkets, gifts, trips to big sporting events and free gifts are all still tools of the trade used by tech suppliers to try and get business out of CIOs and IT buyers - or 'building relationships' as it's more commonly known.

One blogging CIO in the US has highlighted some of the more inappropriate offers IT chiefs get in this post here.

Apple may be set to release the new super-duper all-singing 3G iPhone this summer but RIM has hit back with the BlackBerry Bold, claiming users prefer the Qwerty keyboard over touchscreen.

That view is backed by IT chiefs who say that, particularly for business users, the Qwerty keyboard on a smart phone or PDA is easier to use and gives more tactile feedback.

Employees and insiders are bigger threats to corporate security than external threats such as denial of service attacks or malware.

Security experts at the RSA security conference in San Francisco last week warned of all manner of threats ranging from botnets to metasploit attacks. Security from A to Z Click on the links below to find out more... A is for Antivirus B is for Botnets C is for CMA D is for DDoS E is for Extradition F is for Federated identity G is for Google H is for Hackers I is for IM J is for Jaschan (Sven) K is for Kids L is for Love Bug M is for Microsoft N is for Neologisms O is for Orange P is for Passwords Q is for Questions R is for Rootkits S is for Spyware T is for Two-factor authentication U is for USB sticks/devices V is for Virus variants W is for Wi-fi X is for OS X Y is for You Z is for Zero-day

IT contractors are finding it harder to secure work, with the joblessness rate among temporary tech staff increasing - an ominous omen that the chill economic winds from the global credit crunch are starting to blow through the IT department.

This is backed up by the latest poll of silicon.com's CIO Jury panel of IT chiefs - the majority of whom said they are planning to reduce spending on IT contractors.

Local police forces do not have the resources or expertise to deal with growing cyber crime and online fraud threats facing businesses today.

That's the unanimous verdict of UK tech chiefs on silicon.com's CIO Jury IT user panel.

Drinks giant Diageo has appointed a new CIO to fill the seat left vacant after previous IT chief, Robin Dargue, left to join Royal Mail.

Diageo's new CIO is Brian Franz who joins from rival PepsiCo International where he was senior VP and CIO.

The use of open source is on the rise in the corporate IT environment as organisations look to cut the cost of developing and using software.

Three-quarters of silicon.com's 12-strong CIO Jury IT user panel said they are using more open source technology in all parts of their infrastructure ranging from small-scale systems to desktops and mission critical applications.

Businesses are increasingly recycling old office PCs and IT equipment by donating it to schools, charities and the developing world.

Eleven of silicon.com's 12-strong CIO Jury IT user panel said their organisation now recycles old PCs and IT kit.

Careless remote and home-working staff are opening up corporate IT networks to an increased risk of damaging security breaches.

A survey by Cisco this week found a lack of discipline and vigilance among home workers on the internet - from hi-jacking the neighbour's wi-fi to opening unsafe emails and lending non-employees their work PCs or laptops.

Outsourcing rarely achieves the attractive cost savings promised at the start of a deal and in many cases actually increases costs and has a negative impact on service.

That's the verdict of two-thirds of UK IT chiefs in silicon.com's CIO Jury 12-strong IT user panel, whose verdict is that outsourcing doesn't save money.

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A crash in the global markets this week caused economic panic and heightened fears the UK and other economies are heading for the toughest year for more than a decade.

Social networking website Facebook is being snubbed by professional executives because of the increasing number of "silly applications" and lack of business use.

Just one of the 12 IT executives in silicon.com's weekly CIO Jury IT user poll said they use Facebook for networking or business-related activities, with most favouring rival social networking tools from either LinkedIn or Plaxo - and good old-fashioned face-to-face contact.

The downward pressure on operational IT costs will continue in 2008 but those savings could free up budget for increased levels of capital expenditure.

Analyst IDC predicts the US economic downturn will hit global technology spending next year, with growth rates down from about seven per cent in 2007 to six per cent in 2008.