Software companies face hard questions

The IT industry is heading for another crisis if software quality standards are not rigorously enforced, says blue-chip user organisation the Corporate IT Forum (Tif).

Its members want software vendors to improving the quality of software products among their highest priorities.

'Tif members have been increasingly irritated by the amount of effort they have to go to secure their systems, and things like having to install patches immediately after implementation,' Jonathan Mitchell, chairman of Tif and chief information officer at Rolls Royce told Computing.

He says quality controls applied in other industries must now be employed by the IT industry.

'We are saying to the vendors: "We need the same attitude towards your products as other industries do",' he said.

'The IT industry is still in its spotty adolescent stage where people are banging out software, and we want to move into the adult stage and get high-quality products.'

The message is echoed across the industry, indicating that shoddy goods will no longer be tolerated.

'The IT industry for too long has had a reputation of not executing, or not doing what it says on the box,' said David Rippon, chairman of the British Computer Society's Elite IT director and manager's forum.

'There is a desperate need for professionalism and standards in the industry. But how we do it is a different matter. 'While there is no professional body that speaks for the industry there is no effective control of people doing IT jobs,' he said.

'The problems that continue to exist with many software packages give the whole ICT industry an image of unreliability that can pervade and destroy trust in all aspects of ecommerce,' said Frits Janssen, chief executive of best practice network BuyIT.

'There is a need for tough, and rigorously applied standards in this area to both ensure quality and to improve the consumer's feeling of trust in the market.'

Beatrice Rogers, ebusiness programme manager at supplier trade body Intellect is also concerned.

'People don't see this as software not working, they see it as X,Y or Z are providing a poor service,' she said. 'It's good business practice to suggest testing, but you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink.'