This week’s Computer Weekly asks what chancellor George Osborne's Budget means for the UK IT community and if he can deliver his goal to make Britain "the technology centre of Europe". Also you'll find the final part of our private cloud Buyer's Guide and we examine the options for choosing the right WAN optimisation strategy. 

This research from Freeform Dynamics, based on a survey of end users,  identifies the challenges faced by IT departments and suppliers on software licensing, and offers advice to organisations on dealing with software licensing. 

How well-versed are you in the three key areas of contract lifecycle management (CLM) that will give you the visibility to control your contracts and comply with regulations? Take this quick quiz to determine your contract competency and understand whether a CLM solution would benefit your organization. 

Many procurement organizations struggle to meet savings goals with an overworked staff using time-consuming, manual processes or outdated systems. Read this paper to learn how to better collaborate with key stakeholders, qualify suppliers, ensure a competitive bidding process, and negotiate contract terms with suppliers. 

Between 25% and 50% of most companies’ revenue goes toward purchasing goods and services, so the ability to keep these costs down is paramount. Applying strategic sourcing methodologies to pinpoint spend categories and select qualified suppliers allows organizations to reduce expenses and positively impact the bottom line. 

Benchmark findings prove that a 5% reduction in spending can drive upwards of a 45% increase in net income, and migrating to automated spend analytics can capture a 30% higher rate of cost savings and a 27% higher rate of spend under manage­ment. This study will walk through a four-step process to help you start reaping these rewards. 

In this podcast, Ray Wang, Vice President at Forrester Research, offers insight on how to build a business case for enterprise resource planning (ERP) during the economic downturn - and save money in the process. 

This benchmarking study from ESI International identifies the trends impacting the project management function in IT industry in three areas: PMO maturity, measuring and reporting on PMO effectiveness, as well as training involvement. 

Over the course of several months in 2011, IDC conducted a research study to identify the opportunities and challenges to adoption of a new technology that changes the way in which traditional business solutions are implemented and used. The results of the study are presented in this white paper. 

This article from Gartner offers advice to public sector organisations thinking of deploying cloud computing and assess the progress made by governments in their use of the cloud. 

<p>Support contracts are becoming crucial aspects of IT management as IT environments are becoming increasingly sophisticated. Examine the trends propelling the support services market, and discover the importance of continuing post-warranty support.</p> 

Effective negotiations and management of telecom contracts can have a measurable impact on a business’ financial performance. 

Read this case study to learn how BancVue utilized Sugar Professional to optimize their customer’s business models and extend the base model contract module for improved contract management. Continue reading to learn how BancVue is winning the war against the big banks with the help of Sugar Professional.