John Lamb's Week: hackers, pensions and trouble ahead

However, in the current climate of rampant hacking of public sector sites there are fears that funds transferred directly from employers' payroll systems into pension accounts could be intercepted by hacking groups.

On past evidence it is all too likely that hackers will be able to disrupt this important bit of ecommerce. Electronic graffiti artists have recently defaced government websites including the e-envoy's pages. It even emerged last week that certificates issued for Microsoft scripting software, often used to spread viruses, have fallen into the hands of unauthorised users.

Although many hacking incidents seem more mischievous than malicious, the attacks cost a lot of money and undermine confidence in online systems. Clearly more effort needs to be made to secure sites by adopting appropriate procedures and deploying useful technology. More high profile prosecutions such as those against an alleged paedophile ring recently tracked down from internet communications would also help deter hackers.

Anthony Stepanski, the new CEO of Infobank, will be in London on Monday to discuss research the company commissioned looking into the barriers to B2B ecommerce adoption. The UK ecommerce software company will also be announcing new management structures, alliances and corporate branding.

Tuesday sees the start of the Knowledge Management Exhibition and Conference at the Novotel Hotel, London. The event is sponsored by Lotus Development, the IBM subsidiary soon to be absorbed into its parent company.

Knowledge management is one of those sensible ideas that are difficult to get a grip on. Of course, using technology to share information, expertise and wisdom could lead to cleverer organisations, but actually making it happen is a different matter.

In most companies individuals benefit from keeping important information to themselves. It's not technology but people who stand in the way of smarter business. The whole field has also suffered from exaggerated claims and from being hijacked by marketing departments looking to freshen up their PCs, networks and so on by claiming they are something to do with inculcating knowledge.

Meanwhile, the application service provider (ASP) business is on tenterhooks to discover who the top 20 ASPs are in the world: will they all be American? Results of research into the business performance of 200 ASPs will be published at the Comdex Chicago Exhibition on 3 April courtesy of ASPnews. ASP guru Phil Wainewright has compiled the league table of most successful service companies.

On Wednesday watch out for dirty data - you know the sort of information snafu that results in a widow being asked for her dead husband's authorisation to make a bank transaction.

PricewaterhouseCoopers, the company whose name reads like a bit of dirty data for a start, is on a mission to correct poor data practices. PwC argues that lack of attention to data management is costing business a lot in terms of hard cash and lost reputations. The consulting firm is launching a research programme into the matter.

So far as personal information is concerned, UK IT departments already have an obligation under the Data Protection Act to keep data accurately and securely. Could PwC be planning to dig the dirt?

Have you ever wondered who those analysts are who seem to play such a big part in determining where the IT industry is going? This week silicon.com publishes the second in a three part investigation into the power brokers of the IT industry.

Who are these anonymous figures with the ability to make or break companies, direct market trends and persuade big companies to spend millions on new technology? Courted by the industry, their independence must be in question when they rely on fat research contracts from the very companies they sit in judgement on. All will be revealed.