This week’s Computer Weekly examines research that suggests CEOs want to invest in IT more than ever, but still see CIOs as technical experts and not business people. We review SQL Server 2012 and ask if Microsoft's database software is catching its competitors as well as concluding our Buyer's Guide to data security. 

<p>Businesses need to keep a close eye on the evolution of cloud based services to avoid wasting money and missing out on business opportunities.</p> <p><strong> </strong></p> 

The commercial potential of cloud computing and cloud services is widely accepted, both in private industry and in the public sector.  The opportunities for cost reduction and efficiency in the UK public sector are real and achievable, but require significant changes to procurement practices, delivery frameworks and across the supplierlandscape. 

Numerous architecture framework standards have been developed and matured over the past decade and the focus of these frameworks is diverse. Many engineers believe there is an ―either or‖ decision to be made regarding these frameworks; however, this is not always the case. 

This resource explores how this advanced method can align your business users and IT so you can take advantage of all the new opportunities the private, public, and hybrid clouds introduce. Review essential bursting use cases and considerations, as well as a step-by-step demonstration of the technology. 

Public sector organisations are experiencing increasing levels of economic crime, including cybercrime, and are particularly at risk from being defrauded by their own employees and their suppliers, according to findings from PwC’s latest Global Economic Crime Survey. 

Download the Service-Oriented Cloud Computing Infrastructure (SOCCI) Framework from the Open Group. 

<p>Read this white paper to learn about the real life public cloud journeys of numerous organizations from various industries. Discover the challenges they faced, the lessons they learned and how they went about selecting the right cloud vendor and solution to meet their business requirements.</p> 

Public cloud storage services enable users to easily share and store data, but they also introduce new security challenges that often clash with exiting IT policies. In this webcast, learn how IT managers can help their users manage access to the public cloud without placing your data or business at risk.  

Public cloud services are so easy to use that their openness can undermine existing IT policies regarding the transmission of confidential data. This paper details a simple three-step approach to helping users manage access to the public without placing your data or your business at risk. 

Cloud computing is making its way into the public sector, enabling significant cost-savings and providing the tools to enhance communication, monitoring and security. Take a look at this videocast for an in-depth look at the use of the cloud in the public sector and learn about four basic models you can leverage for successful cloud adoption. 

The UK public sector is in the midst of a period of transformation and improving citizen engagement will be key to the success of this change.