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Effective collaboration through IT is the biggest technological challenge that will be faced by businesses next year, according to new research.

The survey by software firm Touchstone Group found that over 40 per cent of IT directors believe the use of technology to support collaboration was the most vital IT demand, followed by the demonstration of business value and customer relationship management.

Furthermore, the research suggested that almost six in ten IT heads intend to increase spending on technology over the next year, while 42 per cent cited a preference for purchasing ‘best of breed’ IT products from services companies and system integrators.

‘Collaboration across the company, particularly across different countries, is important in order to be able to plan and make effective business decisions,’ commented Adrian McNay, group board director at Touchstone Group.

Earlier this week, research firm Gartner urged IT directors to prepare two financial budgets for 2008 in case the ongoing credit crunch results in the need to make significant cuts in costs.

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More than 400 million downloads of Mozilla’s Firefox browser have been made since it launched three years ago.

In an announcement on the spreadfirefox.com website, the firm recapped a history that saw 25 million downloads of the open source browser being made within the first 99 days of its availability, rising to 50 million in under six months.

About 200 million downloads of the browser, which is perceived by many as being more secure than its competitors, have taken place in the last 12 months, Mozilla stated.

“Firefox has reached 400 million downloads and demonstrated that not even the world’s most powerful companies can keep people from a better, safer and faster web experience,” the statement said.

Mozilla also offers the Thunderbird email client and is working on a number of other projects, including a calendar application and an open source version of the Eudora email software.

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Search engine providers need to be more transparent about how they utilise users’ data, a government initiative has said.

Get Safe Online, a joint initiative between the government and the Serious Organised Crime Agency, has said internet users should make a decision as to whether to remain with providers who use private information for things such as targeted advertising.

A report released this month by the European Union stated that search engines should not hold on to personal data for a period of more than six months. Google and Yahoo! currently carry a policy of rendering all users’ data anonymous after 18 months.

Managing director of Get Safe Online Tony Neate said: “It’s not always exactly transparent why they [search engine providers] need it [user data] so I’d like to see a bit more clarity in relation to the information that they hold and why.”

A June 2007 report by Privacy International said that Google demonstrated an “aggressive use of invasive or potentially invasive technologies”.

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