Will 2006 go down as the year that IT went mainstream?

Technology has captured people’s imagination like never before. Ecommerce sales are booming, satnavs and digital music players are the must-have Christmas gifts, mobile TV is becoming a reality, and everybody is talking about the internet.

Whisper it, but in the right environment, technology is almost becoming cool.

But what does this mean for the corporate IT department? Savvier users and tech-friendly customers mean consumer technology is driving business needs more than ever.

The government is determined to use IT to transform public services, despite a few hiccups along the way.

Add the continuing growth of outsourcing and offshoring, and it has been a year of progress and challenging times.

Here is Computing’s review of the highs and lows of this year.

JANUARY

Online banking security receives a boost as industry body Apacs completes specifications for a standard two-factor authentication device, an important step in improving customer confidence on the web.

Ian Watmore, the first government chief information officer (CIO), did such a good job in 2005 that he is promoted to run the Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit. Must have been that Computing award he won.

The first satellite is launched in Europe’s Galileo project to usurp the US’s global positioning system (GPS) service.

And retail giant Tesco says it is on target to install radio frequency identification (RFID) technology in 1,400 stores by the middle of the year.

FEBRUARY

We reveal that all that spam legislation, and 364 formal complaints, led to a grand total of zero prosecutions in 2005.

Rolls-Royce extends its use of RFID, while Barclays switches a major outsourcing deal from EDS to Getronics.

And a Computing investigation reveals that organisations in major urban areas are struggling to expand their data centres because there is not enough electricity to go round.

MARCH

Alliance & Leicester (A&L) becomes the first bank to issue two-factor security technology to all its online customers. One million users are involved.

Retail giant Arcadia outsources its ecommerce systems to IBM.

Fifa starts testing the IT for the forthcoming World Cup; Sven Goran Eriksson is not put in charge of disaster planning.

The UK’s first biometric passports are issued. And the NHS national IT programme resolves one of its criticisms as a new deal allows GPs wider choice of IT systems.

APRIL

The identity cards bill finally goes through Parliament, paving the way for the first cards to be issued in 2008.

A mixed month for IT services giant Accenture – it secures a multimillion-pound outsourcing deal at Unilever, but has to set aside $450m (£229m) against potential losses on its contract for the NHS IT programme.

The Serious and Organised Crime Agency (Soca) is launched, taking on responsibility for tackling high-tech crime – just as new government figures show that UK computer crime increased 50 per cent to £10bn in 2005.

MAY

John Suffolk, formerly in charge of the criminal justice IT programme, takes over as the new government CIO.

Stephen Timms, a former IT analyst, becomes chief secretary to the Treasury, the highest government role such an IT-literate politician has reached, to the delight of industry groups.

IT professionalism comes under focus, with a series of Computing roundtables and a new industry campaign, ProfIT, led by the BCS, e-Skills UK, Intellect and the National Computing Centre.

More bad news for Accenture, as Centrica takes a £400m outsourcing deal back in-house.

And the use of wireless networks is booming – it is up nearly 60 per cent in the City of London alone.

JUNE

Barclays becomes the first bank in the UK to provide free anti-virus software to its 1.6 million online customers.

A long-awaited National Audit Office report on the NHS IT programme reveals costs have increased to £12.4bn, although the report is more positive about the project than its vocal critics would have liked. However, key supplier iSoft faces serious financial difficulties.

Tesco admits to problems with its RFID rollout, an early adopter learning about the challenges of the technology.

And Bill Gates hands in his notice; the world’s richest man will step down from day-to-day involvement at Microsoft in July 2008 to concentrate on his charitable work.

JULY

More concerns for the NHS as contractor BT changes its main software supplier.

In his first big interview since becoming government CIO, John Suffolk tells Computing he sees thin-client computers as the solution to Whitehall IT security.

MPs reach the wireless age with the first WiFi network in the Houses of Parliament, although a few of the older members are still using their wireless to listen to Radio Four.

Royal Mail joins the growing list of RFID users, to help monitor the flow of post.

Voca completes its five-year, £100m IT programme, heralding same-day clearing of bank payments, at last.

And the DTI says it is reviewing spam legislation, or at least it would if it didn’t receive so much junk mail.

AUGUST

Barclays says it will issue 1.6 million handheld card readers to online banking users. The readers are based on the Apacs standard agreed in January.

Weston-super-Mare sees the first hospital in the southern region go live with new NHS national programme patient administration software.

More than half of all airline tickets are now issued electronically, says travel body Iata.

And we launch our Green Computing campaign to encourage environmentally-responsible IT departments.

SEPTEMBER

Finally a spammer is forced to pay up – but only thanks to a civil case brought by Microsoft, not UK anti-spam laws.

We reveal a shift in the ID cards plan, as the government looks to make use of existing systems where possible, rather than embark on a whole new implementation from scratch.

Concrete cows are going wireless next, as Milton Keynes aims to be the first city in the country to use WiMax.

And now that airlines are planning to allow in-flight mobile phone calls, some are considering using the devices as electronic boarding cards. Wait for the ‘I’m on the plane’ jokes.

OCTOBER

HSBC is the first to launch a mobile phone banking service.

Accenture cuts its losses and quits the NHS national programme, replaced by CSC.

EasyJet is the latest big name to sign an outsourcing deal.

There is controversy as the government says it will not test all the technology for ID cards before it goes live.

And TV personality Graham Norton hosts the Computing Awards for Excellence, which sees the British Airways IT department win the Outstanding Contribution to UK IT prize.

NOVEMBER

Online banking fraud rose 55 per cent in the first half of the year, primarily because of a 1,500 per cent growth in phishing, and there are warnings that identity theft could more than double, to £3.8bn, by 2010.

A&L says that its two-factor authentication service led to a 22 per cent increase in active online accounts.

Denial of service attacks finally become illegal thanks to a clause in the new Police and Justice Act.

Marks & Spencer is to extend rollout of RFID on clothing after successful trials with bras and men’s suits, chosen because they are ‘complex items’, not in the hope of detecting anyone wearing both products.

And Microsoft releases Vista, its most anticipated new product for years. But will it be the last ever version of Windows?

DECEMBER

Local authorities are struggling to be ready for the national children’s database.

The EU wants new legislation on spam, but fails to say exactly what it will do.

Network Rail is looking to outsource its IT – hope the organisation doesn’t get the wrong sort of computers.

And technology costs for the planned regional Fire Service control rooms have risen by £70m – more than 50 per cent – in just two years.

What do you think? Email us at feedback@computing.co.uk

Further reading:

What did we predict for 2006?