In Depth

In Depth

Social media technology

• Online Safety Bill puts user protection onus on platform providers

  The Online Safety Bill will place new duties and responsibilities on online platforms accessible from the UK, but as it currently stands, it contains several grey areas  Continue Reading

• How Estonia’s country-as-a-service scheme has attracted tens of thousands of foreign entrepreneurs

  Estonia has created a country-as-a-service offering which is attracting entrepreneurs and businesses from across the world  Continue Reading

• Tech and new experiences tackling trouble at t’mall

  UK shopping centres are under pressure, but new concepts, tech-infused spaces, and fresh approaches to consumer engagement are revitalising the sector  Continue Reading

• Video commerce and livestreaming make waves in retail

  The growth in e-commerce during the pandemic is well documented, but the fragmented retail environment has also helped video commerce and livestreaming rise to prominence  Continue Reading

• Three approaches to remote collaboration for home workers

  The coronavirus has led to working from home being the ‘new norm’. We look at how collaboration technologies could work in the long term  Continue Reading

• Digital donations: retailers using technology to offer something back

  Some charities require corporate support like never before, and retailers are finding new ways to use technology to facilitate donations  Continue Reading

• How retailers are using tech to cope with changing footfall

  Customer behaviour was shifting long before the coronavirus pandemic accelerated the online shopping boom, so what technology are retailers using to keep stores relevant?  Continue Reading

• How retailers are using digital to engage with Covid Christmas shoppers

  Christmas is likely to be different this year because of the pandemic, and there is likely to be an altered shopping experience. So how are retailers using digital to cope with this shift in festive shopping?  Continue Reading

• Covid-19: How retailers are using technology to respond to changing shopping habits

  As the coronavirus outbreak accelerates the shift in consumer behaviour, how are retailers using technology to keep customers engaged?  Continue Reading

• Hangar 51 supports startups taking off in travel tech

  International Airlines Group’s accelerator programme aims to give travel technology companies a flying start in the sector  Continue Reading

• Black Lives Matter, but do bots know that?

  The volume of content generated each day necessitates automated moderation to curate everything as it is published, ensuring offensive and objectionable material is blocked. But this only works if systems are adequately configured and reviewed  Continue Reading

• Surveillance capitalism in the age of Covid-19

  Could the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic further consolidate surveillance capitalist practices and enterprises? Author Shoshana Zuboff warns Computer Weekly it is possible  Continue Reading

• Coronavirus: Retailers reach for tech to keep staff connected in the crisis

  From fast-tracking home-working strategy, to conducting training and board meetings virtually, read about how retailers are keeping staff connected during the Covid-19 coronavirus crisis  Continue Reading

• Contact tracing: The privacy vs protection debate

  The Covid-19 pandemic has necessitated extreme measures not seen in peacetime for over 100 years. Contact-tracing apps are being developed as a tool for managing the pandemic, but are they a step too far?  Continue Reading

• Future fashion: does that dress come in digital?

  A visit to a technology-fuelled fashion pop-up paints a picture of a world where retailers and brands sell virtual clothes for usage solely in consumers’ digital lives  Continue Reading

• What the EU’s decision on Facebook means for social media

  Recent ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union will have global implications for social media companies and any organisations that host online content  Continue Reading

• How retailers are using social to reach Gen Z and beyond

  The younger generation of shoppers are all using social media, so how are retailers using influencers to reach these potential customers and their spending power?  Continue Reading

• The emergence of the shopping centre-as-a-service model

  Shopping centres have been morphing into wider entertainment, leisure and hospitality venues for some time, but their role is set to evolve yet further  Continue Reading

• Building a 5G city: Bristol’s valuable lessons for the UK’s digital future

  West of England Combined Authority is taking part in DCMS’s 5G Testbeds and Trials programme, exploring applications for tourism and entertainment. We find out how it is applying its learnings to life in Bristol and Bath  Continue Reading

• Facebook’s privacy game – how Zuckerberg backtracked on promises to protect personal data

  Facebook promised its users privacy then quietly abandoned its promises in pursuit of profits. Now it faces antitrust regulation  Continue Reading

• Rise of the machines: How AI is changing unified communications

  Artificial intelligence is now moving into live UC environments at scale. We look at the impact it will have and what lies ahead  Continue Reading

• The changing face of enterprise collaboration

  Enterprises are turning to social platforms to optimise communication among their workforces. Computer Weekly looks at some examples  Continue Reading

• How privacy could breathe new life into personalisation

  As much of the advertising technology used by marketers to deliver personalised content online is deemed unlawful, there are signs regulation could actually be a win-win for both consumers and business – as long as the industry embraces change  Continue Reading

• Big tech chiefs boycott parliamentarians investigating citizens’ privacy

  An International Grand Committee on Big Data, Privacy and Democracy considers whether failure to protect citizens’ privacy constitutes grounds for anti-trust regulation against Facebook and other big tech companies  Continue Reading

• How retail store technology is filling the ‘imagination gap’

  Retailers are using in-store technology to reduce the time between shoppers’ consideration phase and purchase, but how is it engaging them and triggering conversions?  Continue Reading

• Cutting employees some Slack: The rise of messaging apps in retail

  Slack’s 2019 stock market debut raises the profile of enterprise collaboration software, but what options do retailers have in this space and how are they using the technology?  Continue Reading

• Interview: Andy Berks, digital product director, Asos

  Asos’s digital product director Andy Berks talks about how the online retailer has used AI and machine learning technologies – and why the needs of the customer have to come first  Continue Reading

• Fashion retail’s sustainability challenge and how technology can help

  UK fashion retailers were grilled in Parliament last month on sustainability, so how might technology like blockchain or online recommendation tools help as they look to improve their green credentials?  Continue Reading

• Manchester’s evolution from rag trade to e-commerce riches

  As Amazon and Moonpig plan to open Manchester hubs, the focus once again turns to the city’s in-demand digital and e-commerce scene  Continue Reading

• Mobile-first strategy rings true for jeweller

  Mobile has played a key role in how London jeweller Taylor & Hart has changed the rules for buying a ring  Continue Reading

• Amazon, Toys R Us and a tale of two technology approaches

  Many factors contributed to the collapse of Toys R Us, but did a partnership with Amazon at the turn of the millennium play a part in its eventual demise?  Continue Reading

• Should retail try to save the high street's declining footfall?

  Footfall in the high street is declining, but should retailers be trying to claw back visits to stores or is it time for a new digital focus?  Continue Reading

• Retail legacy systems: how can we overcome them?

  With technology adoption changing the retail landscape, many retailers are left with legacy systems. We look at how they are dealing with them in today’s digitally led environment  Continue Reading

• What are the retail jobs that don’t exist yet?

  As in many industries, technology and new consumer behaviour is changing the shape of retail. But what yet-to-be-created jobs are on the horizon for the sector?  Continue Reading

• Hard work, big prize: Bristol is shaping what it means to be a smart city

  Two-and-a-half years after the ambitious Bristol is Open smart city project launched, we return to the West Country to explore how things are progressing, and find out what has been learned  Continue Reading

• How retailers are using technology to remain relevant

  From the constant innovation at Asos, Amazon and Missguided to the new supply chain prowess flaunted by Diesel and Gap, fashion retailers are investing in tech to stay relevant to their customers  Continue Reading

• Formula 1: Mercedes team turns to big data in quest for victory in Grand Prix

  Data analytics could help Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport team gain an edge on rival Ferrari during the 2017 and 2018 Grand Prix season. Its head of IT, Matt Harris, reveals the team’s plans  Continue Reading

• How to ride Wave 2 for faster network speeds

  The 802.11ac Wave 2 wireless standard is entering enterprise wireless networks. Computer Weekly looks at how it works and how best to deploy it  Continue Reading

• Retailers urged to change approach to demand forecasting

  To achieve optimal fulfilment performance, retailers must now forecast how consumers will shop and understand the influences behind purchasing decisions  Continue Reading

• The supply chain’s growing importance in modern retail

  Efficient supply chain management is crucial if retailers are to offer their customers the required shopping experience in today’s complex trading environment  Continue Reading

• [email protected]: Networks replace hierarchies – how IT changed society

  The first issue of Computer Weekly in 1966 predicted huge social changes from IT – but what has really changed in 50 years?  Continue Reading

• Netherlands needs ‘bottom up’ approach to create smart cities

  Dutch municipalities see the need to make their cities smarter, but often lack the necessary knowledge and do not know where to begin  Continue Reading

• [email protected]: From bricks to clicks – how technology has changed the shopping experience

  As Computer Weekly prepares to celebrate its 50th anniversary, we look back at how retail has evolved from the small corner store of the 1960s to the omni-channel world of today  Continue Reading

• [email protected]: From Captain Kirk to 5G – 50 years of mobile

  As Computer Weekly prepares to celebrate the 50th anniversary of our first edition in 1966, we look back at 50 years of British innovation and development in mobile networking  Continue Reading

• Striving for a balanced mobile world: the Connected Women of MWC

  At Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the GSMA’s Connected Women initiative began a new drive to connect more women in the developing world. Computer Weekly meets programme director Claire Sibthorpe  Continue Reading

• Three steps towards a hierarchy of needs for smart cities

  Smart cities face challenges around network connectivity, standardisation and data governance, say IoT experts, and these needs must be met for them to flourish  Continue Reading

• IT to the rescue: How technology helps the UK deal with flooding

  Mobile technology, digital mapping and geographical information systems all played a part in ensuring public safety during this winter’s floods in the UK  Continue Reading

• Inclusive Technology Prize showcases apps and services for the disabled

  The government’s Inclusive Technology Prize is using innovative IT to address some of the day-to-day challenges faced by disabled people in Britain  Continue Reading

• Inside Taiwan: The engine room of the internet of things

  Computer Weekly travelled to Taiwan to meet some of the tech companies that are quietly laying the foundations for the internet of things  Continue Reading

• Why Pegasystems' CEO, Alan Trefler, has learned to think smaller

  Pegasystems has made its name supplying CRM, analytics and case management software to the world's largest companies. Now CEO Alan Trefler plans to use cloud computing to broaden Pega's appeal  Continue Reading

• How Ordnance Survey will use 250 years of data to support startups

  Ordnance Survey is embarking on a project to foster startups, applying its vast repository of data to solving emerging challenges around urban spaces and smart cities  Continue Reading

• Managing your customer’s multi-channel service experience

  Customers expect the same levels of service however they contact you – by phone, in store, on the web or from mobile. How do you deliver the best multi-channel experience?  Continue Reading

• Using data analytics to deliver more personalised customer service

  Personalisation has been the goal for many retailers, but can the emergence of big data analytics be the solution they are looking for?  Continue Reading

• Benchmarking social business and collaboration tools

  A complete social business strategy requires more than publishing social media guidelines for employees. CIOs need to rethink the enterprise as a social ecosystem  Continue Reading

• Bring your own collaboration

  Following the rise of BYOD, IT departments face a new challenge in controlling their organisation’s digital assets  Continue Reading

• Five tech trends that will change the mobile world in the next 10 years

  Computer scientist Kevin Curran discusses some of the trends that will shape the future of mobile at Mobile World Congress 2015  Continue Reading

• Inside the Digital Catapult, six startups at the forefront of data innovation

  The recently opened Digital Catapult in London’s Kings Cross is home to ambitious technology startups innovating around big data  Continue Reading

• The technology opportunity for UK shopping centres

  While retailers are setting the innovation barrier high, how are shopping centres using technology to improve their customer offerings?  Continue Reading

• Interview: Fujitsu CTO Joseph Reger on human-centric innovation

  Joseph Reger, Fujitsu's EMEIA CTO, discusses human-centric innovation and the need for responsible attitudes to technology  Continue Reading

• How the BBC became digital in three-and-a-half years

  The BBC has undergone a digital transformation that started 18 months prior to the London 2012 Olympic Games  Continue Reading

• Social media for communication inside the enterprise

  Companies have long used social media technology such as Facebook and Twitter to reach more customers – but how are businesses using it internally?  Continue Reading

• The digital CIO: Why embrace digital innovation?

  Having the right digital strategy can make or break an organisation  Continue Reading

• Berlin plays growing role in Europe's startup race for innovation

  California's Silicon Valley has had 30 years to develop a thriving tech startup scene. And now Berlin is fast becoming a tech capital in its own right  Continue Reading

• The changing course of collaboration software

  There has been a major shake-up in the collaboration software market, with revenue up 12% year on year in 2013.  Continue Reading

• Collaboration: Building Yammer into a SharePoint world

  With market penetration of well over 100 million seats, SharePoint is a strategic investment for many organisations. Where does Yammer fit?  Continue Reading

• Collaborative conversation in the post-email enterprise

  Email is no longer an effective means of collaboration and some companies have even banned it - but what is the alternative?  Continue Reading

• Supplier profile: Workday

  Computer Weekly analyses the strengths and weaknesses of the rapidly growing cloud HR and finance software company, Workday  Continue Reading

• Using public sector open data to benefit local communities

  Tech City’s Flood Hack shows how open data can help communities - an aspect attracting interest in Leeds council and other UK cities.  Continue Reading

• Hacktivism: good or evil?

  IT lawyer Dai Davis looks at the rise of hacktivism and its impact on business and international politics  Continue Reading

• What does 2014 hold for HR technology?

  A look at the key battlegrounds in HR technology in 2014  Continue Reading

• High street stores embrace digital to entice customers

  Customers are using technology in favour of the high street, but some stores are fighting fire with fire.  Continue Reading

• A guide to WebRTC

  Real-time communications standards aim to help more users speak with ease over the internet. Computer Weekly looks at how the systems work  Continue Reading

• A business case for games play at work

  How businesses can use computer games techniques to motivate staff at work  Continue Reading

• Find out what the customer wants and deliver it effectively

  Consumers want to be able to buy something on their smartphones, without having to turn on a PC. If they have a happy and efficient experience, strong loyalty will result – and they might tell others via social media  Continue Reading

• Engaging with customers in whichever way they choose

  As we share more data about ourselves, companies that use technology in a smarter way to engage with customers will be the ones to succeed  Continue Reading

• Digital identities could help to improve enterprise BYOD

  Allowing employees to use their own digital identity may reduce issues such as remembering multiple passwords and security reporting.  Continue Reading

• Interview: Ed Vaizey MP – part two: on BT and 4G

  In part 2 of our interview with the communications minister, we discuss alleged favouritism for BT and George Osborne’s mixed up spectrum figures  Continue Reading

• Technology you can bank on

  Lessons a bank based on social media and Web 2.0 can teach the broader financial services industry  Continue Reading

• Social media: A security challenge and opportunity

  Generation Y workers are posing increasing security challenges to their employers as they share data unreservedly  Continue Reading

• CW500: Skills shortages loom as development comes back in-house

  Businesses will have to raise their game to recruit the developers they need to take advantage of cloud, big data and mobile computing  Continue Reading

• CW500: Managing the mobile workforce (part 2)

  Glenn Morgan, head of service transformation at British Airways, explains how the airline is harnessing consumer technology  Continue Reading

• Gathering retail intelligence

  Learning their customers’ habits through business intelligence is vital for bricks-and-mortar retailers to stay competitive  Continue Reading

• CW500: The business case for social media

  BT, the Met Office and the Department of Work and Pensions reveal how they are using social media to interact with staff and customers  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: What is the most important nut for infosec to crack in 2012?

  What is the most important nut for infosec to crack in 2012?  Continue Reading

• The Social Media Awards 2011: Winners and photos

  Computer Weekly's search for the best use of social media in IT is finally over after hundreds of nominations and thousands of votes we now have the winners and the Social Media Champion - Kate Craig-Wood, of cloud computing firm Memset.  Continue Reading

• Social Media Awards 2011 - The winners

  Computer Weekly's search for the best use of social media in IT is finally over after hundreds of nominations and thousands of votes.  Continue Reading

• The security threats of technology ubiquity

  The ubiquity of mobile technology and internet-connected devices present new threats and increase the challenges for IT security managers.  Continue Reading

• Socialisation, social engineering, and securing the enterprise

  What can and should organisations do to convince and empower IT users to play an active part in protecting data?  Continue Reading

• Social Media Awards 2011: Vote now!

  Computer Weekly's search for the best use of social media in IT is back for its fourth year, in association with IBM, and we want you vote for the best uses of social media in UK IT. Fill out the form below and submit your vote.  Continue Reading

• Social Media Awards 2011 with IBM

  IBM is proud to sponsor the 2011 IT Social Media Awards. The world now spends more than 110 billion minutes on social networks and blog sites per month. This equates to 22 percent of all time online or one in every 4.5 minutes.  Continue Reading

• Buyer's guide: Top six tips to improve your organisation's social media CRM strategy

  Although social CRM definitions vary, all share some common distinctions. They all centre on customer-centric interactions through social media. Competitive intelligence (CI) professionals - inherently customer-focused marketers - recognise the ...  Continue Reading

• CW500: The future of retail IT

  Bricks and mortar retailers may be struggling in the downturn, but online retailing is booming.  Continue Reading