VoIP News: Hardware

Global IT spend sees growth

IT spending worldwide is avoiding the downward economic trend, according to an analyst firm.

Gartner believes that spending will reach £1.8 trillion this year, an increase of eight per cent from 2007.

However, it was not all good news, as the company's report suggested that much of this growth was actually down to the struggling US dollar - spending expressed in 'constant currency' was actually at 4.5 per cent, and was mainly driven by emerging markets.

"The US-led economic downturn shows no sign of causing a recession in IT spending," said Gartner vice president and distinguished analyst, Jim Tully.

"In subsequent years we will see reduced growth, but the fundamentals remain strong."

"Emerging regions, replacement of obsolete systems and some technology shifts are driving growth."

Software was predicted to see a ten per cent spending increase in 2008, with this causing a knock-on growth in IT services (9.4 per cent), as companies employ people to implement the new programs.

PCs will continue to be the main growth area in hardware, constituting around 60 per cent of the market.

Posted on: 2008-08-19, in: Hardware

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Virtualisation becoming more popular, research finds

Nearly three quarters (72 per cent) of businesses have either deployed virtualisation solutions or are planning to do so soon, according to new research.

A survey of 750 senior IT professionals and executives across 20 countries was carried out by the Yankee Group.

Key reasons for corporations to virtualise their data centres included disaster recovery, backup, server and licensing consolidation, which lower total cost of ownership and accelerate return on investment.

"Corporate enterprises are tightening their spending belts while searching for alternative 'Anywhere Application' environments that increase cost efficiencies and without sacrificing capability or performance," said a research fellow at Yankee Group, Laura DiDio.

"Organisations need not look any further than the virtualisation market for the appropriate solution."

The research was backed up by a recent claim by Tom Bittman, vice president and distinguished analyst at Gartner.

He described virtualisation as "one of the most impactful trends in computing", and said that the availability of free hypervisors will both grow the market and provide a "compelling reason" for companies who have not yet embraced virtualisation to begin doing so.

Posted on: 2008-08-12, in: Hardware

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BAE 'hero' aids border security

A robot developed by BAE is helping the UK Border Agency find illegal immigrants trying to smuggle themselves into the country.

The robot, called Hero, is currently on trial at Calais, Europe's busiest port.

Resembling a briefcase on its side with a wheel at each corner, Hero can drive underneath cars and look at their underside with its camera, meaning border guards do not have to bend down themselves during searches.

The trial is aimed at reducing the amount of manpower needed for the task.

"Some people will use any means to get past immigration checks, and catching them can be extremely hazardous," said civil autonomous systems director at BAE, Richard Williams.

"It's a backbreaking, dirty and often dangerous job to look under every truck and with 10,000 of these vehicles each week boarding ferries, it is physically impossible UK Border Agency staff to personally check them all."

The demand for Hero could be on the increase after an announcement by the British and Irish governments.

Formal border checks between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland are to be introduced after fears the border was too easy for illegal immigrants and people smugglers to cross.

Posted on: 2008-07-25, in: Hardware

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New gadgets to phase out mouse

New technologies like those seen in the Apple iPhone and the Nintendo Wii are likely to replace the mouse, an analyst at Gartner has predicted to the BBC.

The tilting mechanism in the iPhone and the two-way communication nature of the Wii remote are also tipped to be signs of the future.

According to Steve Prentice facial recognition systems and touch screens will also become commonplace but the mouse is definitely on its way out.

He told the BBC: "The mouse works fine in the desktop environment but for home entertainment or working on a notebook it's over."

The keyboard is here to stay for the foreseeable future though, as "nothing is easily going to replace it".

His prediction was based on the amount of effort he feels electronics firms are putting into new interactive interfaces.

He feels that the gaming world has been a huge influence, and yet another new gadget in that domain was unveiled at E3 2008.

Nintendo showed off its new 'MotionPlus', which improves the accuracy of the remote control for its Wii console.

Posted on: 2008-07-17, in: Hardware

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SMEs 'should cater for the needs of disabled web users'

Owners of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) should maximise brand loyalty among their disabled customers by offering a more accessible online services, according to an information technology expert.

Julie Howell, director of accessibility at web design firm Fortune Cookie, claimed that many SMEs could increase revenue streams and take market share from larger businesses by offering a user-friendly web experience.

She said: "There are far more smaller businesses than big ones and disabled people as a group tend to have very good relationships with their local, smaller businesses.

"If bigger businesses are going to take the attitude that accessibility and disabled people is just a box they need to tick…it's a real opportunity for smaller businesses."

Ms Howell called on SMEs to take advantage by investing a similar amount of "time and attention" on improving the layout of their website as they spend on providing accessible services in person.

Posted on: 2008-06-02, in: Hardware

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