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Computanews 165 - August 2012

By Lasa Information Systems Team

The Computanews web magazine is published quarterly on the knowledgebase and is full of informative and entertaining technology articles, written in plain English and relevant to third sector organisations.

Topics include news of the latest technology developments, how-to articles in plain English, reports from organisations on how they got technology under control, analysis of technology strategy issues, software, book and film reviews and regular updates on green computing, open source software and data protection.

In this issue:

There's a Constituent Relationship Management (CRM) focus to  this quarter's Computanews with three articles to help with the selection and implementation of an organisational client database. In addition we have our regular open source and data protection articles along with website accessibility, mobile use policy, SEO basics, installing Ubuntu, the Flossie conference, whether an internal SLA is needed for your organisation and recent event reports.

Choosing A CRM System

Morgan Killick at ESP runs down some of the major factors in choosing a CRM system and looks at what budget you need for an appropriate solution.

Why Do Most CRM Implementations Fail?

Peter Flory examines why many CRM projects go wrong because of system selection or implementation failures with examples - and tips for how to avoid them.

10 Things To Consider In A CRM

CRM systems allow you to track a 360 degree view of all your interactions with constituents. Laura Quinn at Idealware outlines what you will need to consider when selecting a CRM.

Internal ICT Service Level Agreements – Or Trust, Communication And Co-Operation?

Are IT SLAs worth the time that they take to write? This article rounds-up responses from the UKRider community.

Paul Ticher's Data Protection Roundup: July 2012 - How Badly Are We Going Wrong?

This quarter’s update is mainly a roundup of all the most prominent charity Data Protection breaches, and an analysis of the complaints the Information Commissioner has received.

Is Ignoring Inclusive Design For Dummies?

Helpful advice on making your website accessible - and legal - from AbilityNet's Robin Christopherson.

Installing Ubuntu 12.04 - Confessions Of A Windows User

Lasa’s Aba Maison has a go at installing the Ubuntu operating system.

To Gnome Or Unity – That Is The Question!

Unlike Windows, where you are stuck with whatever interface Microsoft designs, Linux offers a range of desktops. Paula Graham at Fossbox compares an old favourite and a new pretender…

Search Engine Optimisation – The Basics

Essential tweaks to your website so you move up the search results brought to you by Crispin Read of White Fuse Media.

Get Smart - The Rise And Rise Of Mobile Devices

Clever phones and tablets are changing how we use IT. Phil Anthony at Co-Operative Systems looks at the impact mobiles are having on organisations, especially with regard to BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) policies.

FLOSSIE Women 2012

Aba Maison attends the first open source conference for women in the UK.

Event reports

Lasa has been running a number of events recently, both physical and online. We've pulled together the presentations, audio casts and webinar recordings on the knowledgebase:

Webinars For Children And Young People's Organisations

A series of webinars run by Lasa for Children England on managing ICT, data protection and social media - more follow in September and October on websites, cloud technologies and e-safety - to register see our Eventbrite page.

Lasa Mobile Technology Summit 2012

The event held at JustGiving on 17 July 2012 brought together people and organisations from across the third sector to talk about how to make the most of mobile technology and share tips and experiences.

Event listings

Don't forget to check out our Events List for technology events in London and around the country.

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