Smart Business October 2010 - UK Edition
Welcome to the October issue of Smart Business, CSC's UK newsletter. As usual we're bringing you the latest examples of how we've been solving issues faced by companies in every sector.
Highlights this month include the results of a survey into public sector attitudes towards security, a key issue as government bodies face increasing pressure to share services. We also hear about two very different IT deployments - for UK Border Agency and Royal Mail - that each required innovative strategies for addressing scale and complexity. We're particularly pleased with the success of the cloud deployment at Royal Mail and proud that it has earned us a place on the shortlist for a number of awards. We also hear about some further important new developments in cloud computing.
We always welcome feedback so please let us know if there's anything that's caught your interest in this issue. And if you're on Twitter do come and join us there too.
Andy Williams
President, Northern Europe, CSC
Post haste
Adrian Steel has just led a high-pressure project to migrate 30,000 Royal Mail email accounts to the cloud. Here, he outlines the business case, the process itself and his blueprint for successful cloud migration
Migrating 30,000 PC users (and their 74.5 million emails) in 2,500 disparate offices to an untested cloud computing platform is daunting enough in itself. Doing so in just eight weeks could be seen as positively foolhardy. But, argues Royal Mail's Adrian Steel, it was the only way. Here he explains how determination, vision and a committed team has made Royal Mail's move to the cloud an industry benchmark.
Read more
A problem shared?
CSC security expert Ron Knode discusses the findings of a recent survey into attitudes towards shared services in government
The pressure is on for government departments and other public bodies to cut costs, and sharing common IT functions over the cloud is an attractive prospect – on paper at least. But are entrenched attitudes to security policy and rigid compliance regimes too high a hurdle? Our joint survey with CESG (the information assurance arm of GCHQ) suggests there may be room for manoeuvre. Read more
Passport to success
CSC demonstrates commitment, resolve and innovation in rolling out UK visa application centres in the most testing global environments
Not every IT or business process outsourcing project involves armed guards, international diplomacy and innovative new methods for capturing biometric data. CSC's work with the UK Border Agency (UKBA), however, has meant all this and more in establishing an international network of visa application centres that has included some particularly challenging environments. Read more
Coalition force
Siki Giunta discusses CSC's strategic alliance with the VCE coalition and what it will mean for businesses moving to the cloud
Coalitions are all the rage these days, having dominated the political agenda on both sides of the world. But a coalition of a very different kind is set to play an increasingly important role in IT strategies, as three leading IT vendors come together to make cloud computing an enterprise-ready reality. Siki Giunta explains how CSC is turning the VCE (Virtual Computing Environment) vision into a powerful business strategy. Read more
City capital
Three recent contracts underline CSC's continued leadership in financial services IT
CSC has won three key contracts over the summer that will bolster its already strong position in financial services. The agreements, with leading global financial operations, amount to multi-million dollar endorsements of CSC's ability to manage complex enterprise-wide IT projects in high-pressure, mission-critical environments.
Read more
Diagnosis merger
The success of any merger depends greatly on the process of post-merger integration and results-driven operational transformation
August 2010 saw one of the busiest months for M&A since the economic crisis took hold two years ago. There is widespread speculation that the trend will continue as cash-rich companies emerge from the economic crisis with an appetite for growth. Yet research shows over half of all mergers fail to achieve their anticipated value, often due to mismanaged post-merger integration. Read more