DOWNTIME.

The article presents information on the future of legacy systems in Great Britain. According to step forward software supplier Derdack, art investigators no longer need to carry a notebook and an image catalogue on two CD-Roms to click through pictures in a time-consuming search to check for stolen works of art. The annual helpdesk industry conference is now well-established, but arguably not the most glamourous of events. Perhaps that is why the organisers have hired a celebrity to give the keynote presentation. The potential for staff to access dubious or illegal sites at work has become a major headache for information technology managers. Blue Coat Systems, a web filtering supplier, has launched a campaign based on a fictional online cartoon to persuade employees to use workplace computers more responsibly. The main character, an office worker called Bob Kent, uses his time at work to surf pornographic Web sites and wastes bandwidth by downloading large files and gets his come-uppance. Employers can order a range of Bob Kent merchandise, including T-shirts, wind-up radios and sombreros.