News

IT for government and public sector

• September 25, 2018 25 Sep'18

  MI5 admits to ‘unlawful’ spying on Privacy International

  The UK's intelligence agencies acted unlawfully by intercepting communications data on NGO, Privacy International, the UK's most secret court ruled.

• September 25, 2018 25 Sep'18

  NHS Digital to publish new guidance on data standards

  Data could be a huge advantage for the NHS, but data quality and accessibility is still a big challenge, says NHS Digital CEO Sarah Wilkinson as she promises clear guidance on standards and interoperability

• September 25, 2018 25 Sep'18

  DWP IT chief Mayank Prakash quits for new job outside government

  Chief digital and information officer leaves after four years in the civil service – no news yet on his successor

• September 24, 2018 24 Sep'18

  InfoWatch opens training centre to help address Middle East skills shortage

  Security supplier offers Middle East customers cyber security and digital training facility as organisations in the region struggle to equip staff with latest skills

• September 24, 2018 24 Sep'18

  No Deal Brexit could mean additional costs for tech businesses

  The government plans to continue to enforce existing intellectual property rights in the event of a No Deal Brexit, according to the latest planning notices, but businesses could face additional costs to access EU and UK markets

• September 24, 2018 24 Sep'18

  Government launches £7.5m digital innovation fund for local councils

  Councils with digital innovation ideas can apply for grants up to £100,000 from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

• September 24, 2018 24 Sep'18

  Fair trade software on the agenda but Dutch businesses not ready to buy it

  There is already free trade chocolate and coffee on supermarket shelves, but two Dutch tech entrepreneurs are trying to add free trade software to the mix

• September 24, 2018 24 Sep'18

  NHS Digital hires chief information security officer

  Robert Coles will lead the health and care sector’s response to cyber attacks and help local organisations meet the government’s cyber security standards

• September 24, 2018 24 Sep'18

  Phased roll-out of ESN to start in early 2019

  The government will adopt a phased approach to the roll-out of the new emergency services 4G communications network

• September 21, 2018 21 Sep'18

  Businesses that take humans with them on robotics journeys gain the most

  Businesses that put human development at the centre of their automation strategies will profit the most

• September 21, 2018 21 Sep'18

  Tech won’t solve customs border issues, House of Lords EU Committee finds

  Tech won’t solve potential customs issues at the border post-Brexit, at least not in the short term, and especially not in case of no-deal Brexit, according to a House of Lords report

• September 20, 2018 20 Sep'18

  Scottish government pumps £13.5m into The Data Lab

  Funding will help data innovation centre to explore data opportunities for Scotland’s economy

• September 20, 2018 20 Sep'18

  Digital economy competition panel meets to discuss regulations

  Experts on a new panel put together to review competition in the digital economy have met for the first time to discuss how to ensure the country has the right regulations in place

• September 20, 2018 20 Sep'18

  Police chiefs put plans in place as UK may lose access to EU data sharing tools post Brexit

  Police chiefs have put plans in place to help forces find alternatives to share and access information, should the UK lose access to EU data sharing systems post Brexit, but say processes would be “slower and ultimately less effective”

• September 19, 2018 19 Sep'18

  IT sector advises Swedish government on elections and voting system

  Swedish IT secure is helping the government make election systems more secure and reduce external influence

• September 19, 2018 19 Sep'18

  TechUK calls for councils to establish digital boards

  Local authorities should ensure they have a digital board made up of academia, local bodies and industry, to drive transformation, improve capacity and capability

• September 19, 2018 19 Sep'18

  EU-backed bid to cap idle energy use by datacentre servers moves closer

  Move to improve the energy efficiency of datacentres by capping idle energy use by servers by 2020 comes one step closer, despite opposition from IBM, HPE and Dell-EMC

• September 18, 2018 18 Sep'18

  Migration Advisory Committee recommends lifting the Tier 2 visa cap

  A government committee has advised migration reforms to abolish the cap on the UK’s Tier 2 skilled worker visa

• September 18, 2018 18 Sep'18

  EU needs clear 5G regulation to guarantee mobile success

  The mobile ecosystem could be worth more than 4% of European GDP by 2022, if the right regulatory actions are taken by the European Union government

• September 18, 2018 18 Sep'18

  Government and businesses won’t be ready for no deal Brexit, says IfG

  The Institute for Government says progress on Brexit systems implementations hasn’t been fast enough, and businesses haven’t been given enough time to prepare for a no deal scenario

• September 18, 2018 18 Sep'18

  Leeds NHS trust vows to dump its fax machines by 2019

  Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust has launched a campaign to get rid of its fax machines by January 2019 in a bid to remove paper and champion innovation

• September 17, 2018 17 Sep'18

  ESN delays are leaching vital funds from UK police forces

  Ongoing delays to the Emergency Services Network roll-out are costing the UK taxpayer £330m a year, according to the National Audit Office

• September 17, 2018 17 Sep'18

  Government stays firm on target of 25 million Gov.uk Verify users by 2020

  Cabinet Office has confirmed it is sticking to its target of having 25 million Verify users by 2020, despite government projects watchdog calling for project to be scrapped

• September 17, 2018 17 Sep'18

  Lib Dems want ‘Geneva Convention’ for use of tech in modern warfare

  Deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats, Jo Swinson, wants an international treaty on use of technology in modern warfare, and warns of the dangers of new technology leaving people behind

• September 17, 2018 17 Sep'18

  Middle East hungry for digitisation, says GE’s Bill Ruh

  The Middle East is among the most enthusiastic regions in terms of applying digital business models to traditional industries

• September 14, 2018 14 Sep'18

  Hancock touts his support for controversial GP at Hand service

  Health secretary says GP at Hand helps deliver a better service and that he wants to help the app expand across the country, as he highlights importance of embracing technology

• September 13, 2018 13 Sep'18

  No Deal Brexit could mean changes for telecoms industry and mobile roaming

  No Deal Brexit planning guidance documents say there could be changes to the UK electronic communications regulatory framework, and sets EU mobile roaming cap at £45 per month

• September 13, 2018 13 Sep'18

  No Deal Brexit may hinder free flow of personal data from EU to UK

  The government’s No Deal Brexit planning document on data protection warns free flow of personal data from EU isn’t guaranteed, and organisations must take action to ensure they will still be able receive data from Europe

• September 13, 2018 13 Sep'18

  GCHQ mass surveillance regime was in breach of human rights law, European court rules

  The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg has ruled that the UK’s collection of bulk interception of communications data lacked adequate oversight and safeguards and was in breach of human rights law

• September 13, 2018 13 Sep'18

  Autumn Budget 2018: Guarantees sought over future funding of national quantum computing programme

  The chair of the Science and Tech Committee has written to the chancellor Philip Hammond to demand assurances that more funding for the UK's quantum computing efforts will be forthcoming in the Autumn 2018 budget

• September 13, 2018 13 Sep'18

  EU mobile roaming charges will not return post-Brexit, says Dominic Raab

  Amid fears that a no-deal Brexit could lead to the reintroduction of EU mobile roaming charges, the government has pledged to set a legislative limit on how much operators can charge

• September 13, 2018 13 Sep'18

  TechUK blasts European Parliament-backed revamp of EU-wide copyright laws

  Tech industry trade body claims the changes spell bad news for web users, after European Parliament MEPs vote in favour of plans to modernise the copyright laws for the digital age

• September 12, 2018 12 Sep'18

  NCSC issues core questions to help boards assess cyber risk

  The National Cyber Security Centre has published its first in a series of guidance for board members which highlights what businesses should be asking security teams

• September 12, 2018 12 Sep'18

  FCA warns it cannot manage financial crime risks without sharing data with EU

  FCA admits it will be unable to manage financial crime effectively if it cannot share data with EU authorities.

• September 11, 2018 11 Sep'18

  Health secretary launches digital platform for NHS staff

  Matt Hancock hopes the digital Talk Health and Care platform will encourage staff to share their ideas and views on how to make working in the NHS better

• September 11, 2018 11 Sep'18

  UK security vetting IT system failing, says NAO

  The National Audit Office is critical of the government’s project to centralise its security vetting process, as the IT system has been plagued by failures from the start and has led to serious delays

• September 10, 2018 10 Sep'18

  Can technology save our NHS?

  By the technophiles, digital is seen as the holy grail that will save our NHS, but is technology the answer, and how long will it be before we have a digital NHS?

• September 10, 2018 10 Sep'18

  Irish tax office testing out artificial intelligence for customer services

  The Irish tax office and IT supplier Accenture tries out artificial intelligence for its customer service

• September 10, 2018 10 Sep'18

  Government positive to Science and Technology Committee’s report on algorithms

  The government has issued its overwhelmingly positive response to the Science and Technology Committee’s report on the use of algorithms in decision making, published earlier this year

• September 07, 2018 07 Sep'18

  Senior civil servants address TechUK smarter state theme

  Senior government officials spoke at a TechUK “smarter state” event, revealing ambitious AI policy alongside a “back to basics” drive to get data right

• September 07, 2018 07 Sep'18

  North Korean programmer charged for WannaCry attacks

  The US has charged a member of a group of North Korean hackers linked to the WannaCry, Sony Pictures and other cyber attacks around the world

• September 06, 2018 06 Sep'18

  Health secretary Matt Hancock to boost NHS IT with £200m fund

  Matt Hancock will announce a £200m fund for further digital centres of excellence and plans to pilot the NHS app across England, but shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth calls the plans a “pipe dream”

• September 06, 2018 06 Sep'18

  All acute NHS trusts in England now using e-referrals

  NHS trusts have reached 100% uptake of NHS England’s e-referral service, ahead of October 2018 deadline

• September 05, 2018 05 Sep'18

  Government projects watchdog recommends terminating Gov.uk Verify identity project

  Infrastructure & Projects Authority says Whitehall departments are unwilling to fund flagship GDS identity programme – cancellation would mean writing off at least £130m spent so far

• September 05, 2018 05 Sep'18

  Health minister launches code of conduct for health tech data

  The code of conduct – focused around data-driven tech such as AI – aims to deepen trust between researchers, innovators, patients and clinicians, according to health minister James O’Shaughnessy

• September 05, 2018 05 Sep'18

  Nordic states collaborate in Arctic IT projects

  Nordic countries are working together to introduce advanced communications networks in the most isolated Northerly regions

• September 05, 2018 05 Sep'18

  If we don't digitise NHS, we are condemning people to die, says NHS England’s operational director

  NHS England’s national director for operations, Matthew Swindells, calls for a complete overhaul of the way the NHS delivers care, claiming the current model “is not viable”

• September 04, 2018 04 Sep'18

  Three forthcoming government services to use Gov.uk Verify

  Government Digital Service is in the process of private beta testing its identity assurance platform with three new central government services

• September 04, 2018 04 Sep'18

  UK and allies call for backdoors in encryption products

  The Five Eyes intelligence alliance is calling on tech firms to include backdoors in their encrypted products to give access to law enforcement authorities or face various measures

• September 04, 2018 04 Sep'18

  Government confirms West Midlands to become home to UK's first large-scale 5G test bed

  The government has confirmed the West Midlands will be used to carry out the UK's first large-scale test of 5G technology, with trials centred on its use in the health, construction and automotive sectors

• September 03, 2018 03 Sep'18

  Department for Transport invests £10m in digital journey planner

  Digital transport planning system will allow local authorities and utility companies to share and record data on roadworks to reduce disruption and delays for drivers

• August 31, 2018 31 Aug'18

  Met Police begins move to Microsoft Azure as cloud-first push gathers pace

  The Metropolitan Police has enlisted the help of G-Cloud supplier New Signature to support its cloud-first ambitions, as it pushes ahead with plans to migrate applications and its on-premise server capacity to Azure

• August 31, 2018 31 Aug'18

  UK partners with African countries to boost innovation

  UK government has launched partnerships in South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria to help startups grow and boost technology innovation in the region

• August 30, 2018 30 Aug'18

  Nearly half of NHS staff rely on instant messaging at work

  43% of NHS staff use apps such as WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger for work purposes, and most NHS trusts have no policy discouraging the use of instant messaging, according to supplier CommonTime

• August 30, 2018 30 Aug'18

  Local councils should have a digital leader at board level, says TechUK

  Industry body calls on local councillors to have a digital-first mindset, drive transformation and ensure local authorities have digital leadership in place

• August 29, 2018 29 Aug'18

  DCMS has £95m for full-fibre in final round of LFFN scheme

  The government has announced the third and final round of the Local Full Fibre Network Challenge Fund, with £95m remaining to invest in local ultrafast broadband projects

• August 29, 2018 29 Aug'18

  Cunnington’s role as head of function for DDaT needs changing, says IfG report

  Kevin Cunnington’s role as the head of function for digital, data and technology (DDaT) should be to sit on the Civil Service Board, spread standards and provide targets for digital transformation, the think tank says

• August 29, 2018 29 Aug'18

  IT leaders at a crossroads as they grapple with digital technology

  CIOs have the opportunity to influence their company strategy as digital technology reshapes business. A survey of CIOs across 70 countries charts a path for IT leaders through emerging technologies

• August 29, 2018 29 Aug'18

  Home Office launches EU nationals registration system pilot

  EU citizens working at NHS trusts in the north-west of England – and students and staff at Liverpool’s universities – will be able to apply online for settled status in the UK post-Brexit, as part of private beta pilot

• August 28, 2018 28 Aug'18

  Challenge to anti-GDPR immigration exemption in DPA to go ahead

  Two human rights groups are challenging a controversial clause in new UK data protection legislation that they say is in conflict with the EU’s Charter of Fundamental Rights and undermines the General Data Protection Regulation

• August 28, 2018 28 Aug'18

  Hancock appoints chief technology adviser

  Hadley Beeman will service as Matt Hancock’s chief technology adviser at the Department for Health and Social Care

• August 28, 2018 28 Aug'18

  Amnesty International backs campaign to ban killer robots

  Human rights organisation calls for legally binding international agreement to ban the development and use of autonomous weapons that operate without humans

• August 28, 2018 28 Aug'18

  Finland government to review public procurement laws

  Finland's government is putting its procurement laws under the spotlight after a major IT fraud

• August 24, 2018 24 Aug'18

  UK universities targeted by Iranian hackers

  UK universities are among those targeted by a cyber threat group associated with the Iranian government

• August 24, 2018 24 Aug'18

  Gov.uk Verify chief to leave Government Digital Service

  Nic Harrison is returning to the Department for Work and Pensions, with no replacement as leader of the identity assurance programme yet in place

• August 24, 2018 24 Aug'18

  Corbyn suggests tech tax to fund BBC

  Labour leader says big technology companies and ISPs should contribute to a fund for public interest journalism

• August 23, 2018 23 Aug'18

  Cryptographic agility is key to post-quantum security

  Although post-quantum security is not an issue for all organisations today, an expert believes that those needing to ensure data is secure for decades to come should aim to achieve cryptographic agility above all else

• August 23, 2018 23 Aug'18

  No Deal Brexit papers warn of stark future for UK tech

  The government has published the first of its No Deal Brexit contingency planning notices, containing sobering messages for the UK technology industry

• August 23, 2018 23 Aug'18

  Councils at risk from unsupported Windows Server and SQL Server

  Some local authorities are using unsupported server software, while others are not paying for extended support

• August 22, 2018 22 Aug'18

  Greater Manchester hails cloud as key to delivery of devolved health and social care in region

  Having taken back control from the government for running its own health and social care budgets, The Greater Manchester Health and Social Care (GMHSC) Partnership is now in the throes of establishing what role cloud will play in its work

• August 22, 2018 22 Aug'18

  European cloud adopters still lack basic security

  Despite outpacing the rest of the world, the majority of organisations adopting cloud in Europe, the Middle East and Africa lack basic security, a report reveals

• August 22, 2018 22 Aug'18

  Language barrier won’t hold back chatbots in the Netherlands

  The use of chatbots by Dutch organisations is on the up, with KLM's chatbot a pioneering example

• August 22, 2018 22 Aug'18

  Nearly a third of organisations still not GDPR ready

  As the UK and other states implement the EU’s GDPR, many organisations admit they are still not fully compliant, but most claim to be able to respond to data subject access requests

• August 21, 2018 21 Aug'18

  The risk of upgrading to S/4 Hana

  S/4 Hana has been touted as the evolution of SAP's long-standing ERP suite, but with just six years to upgrade, how can businesses avoid an expensive SAP flop?

• August 21, 2018 21 Aug'18

  Government departments are exploring new tech, according to GDS report

  A GDS-commissioned report has found artificial intelligence and blockchain are the most popular among emerging technologies in government, but projects are often done in silos and departments risk “reinventing the wheel”

• August 21, 2018 21 Aug'18

  Microsoft announces free election cyber defence tools

  Microsoft has revealed it recently disrupted domains associated with a Russian cyber attack group believed to be targeting US political groups ahead of the midterm elections

• August 20, 2018 20 Aug'18

  NHS trusts lose nearly 10,000 patient records a year

  Report calls for NHS trusts to work to abolish handwritten notes in hospitals to prevent loss of personal documents and to introduce a patient identity protocol

• August 20, 2018 20 Aug'18

  Job losses caused by artificial intelligence will dwarf those of Victorian revolution

  The disruption to the jobs market caused by artificial intelligence will be far greater than that caused by industrialisation in Victorian times

• August 20, 2018 20 Aug'18

  Planned Australian law raises tech firms’ security concerns

  A digital industry group representing some of the world’s largest tech firms is opposed to proposed Australian laws aimed at compelling them to help security agencies and police

• August 17, 2018 17 Aug'18

  Home Office preps for migration of police IT systems to AWS cloud

  Digital Marketplace tender document reveals the Home Office is on the hunt for an IT supplier to support its work in migrating core police IT systems from an on-premise datacentre to the AWS cloud

• August 17, 2018 17 Aug'18

  Cyber Security Challenge UK to scale up

  Cybersecurity Challenge UK plans to scale up its events and its role in coordinating UK industry efforts to attract talented people to the cyber security profession

• August 16, 2018 16 Aug'18

  Trump sparks speculation after repealing cyber attack restraints

  The US president has sparked speculation about US policy on launching cyber attacks by repealing Obama-era restraints, underlining the need for international rules on cyber warfare

• August 16, 2018 16 Aug'18

  HMRC goes live with first phase of customs IT system

  HMRC’s Customs Declaration Service is now live, and a small group of importers can use the system to make ‘certain types of supplementary declarations’

• August 15, 2018 15 Aug'18

  Scotland's Improvement Service signs up to pilot digital identity platform

  The Improvement Service will pilot the Yoti digital identity platform, test the use of blockchain applications and take a cloud first approach with its myaccount citizen portal

• August 15, 2018 15 Aug'18

  IR35 tech compliance will take private sector 'over a year' to achieve, warns accounting trade body

  The Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) cautions HM Revenue & Customs against rushing out IR35 reforms to the private sector, claiming it will take most businesses at least one tax year to ready their software systems for the move

• August 14, 2018 14 Aug'18

  NHS Digital staff at risk of redundancy as part of restructure

  More than 600 NHS Digital employees have been told they may have to reapply for their jobs, as redundancies loom in the first wave of the organisation’s restructure

• August 14, 2018 14 Aug'18

  CIO interview: Richard Corbridge, CDIO, Leeds Teaching Hospitals

  Leeds Teaching Hospitals’ new chief digital and information officer is putting together a plan for smarter use of information

• August 14, 2018 14 Aug'18

  Driverless cars heading for Bromley and Croydon

  A 10-month data-gathering exercise will pave the way for an autonomous vehicle ride-sharing service to start operation in 2019

• August 13, 2018 13 Aug'18

  ICO strengthens commitment to technology and innovation

  Information Commissioner’s Office has demonstrated its commitment to technology and innovation by appointing a new executive director to focus on this area

• August 13, 2018 13 Aug'18

  Most security pros concerned about election infrastructure

  A majority of information security professionals believe that election infrastructure is vulnerable to cyber attack, a survey shows

• August 13, 2018 13 Aug'18

  Government pumps £51m into Welsh tech hub

  Chancellor Philip Hammond promises £51m in additional investment for researchers and entrepreneurs to drive tech innovation in Wales

• August 10, 2018 10 Aug'18

  Atos sets out vision for a digital Scotland

  Scotland has the potential to create a competitive advantage in the global economy through digital technologies, and could even become a cloud datacentre hub, according to Atos

• August 09, 2018 09 Aug'18

  Education secretary urges tech industry to transform classrooms

  Education secretary Damian Hinds has called upon large technology firms to use tech to tackle some of the biggest issues in schools

• August 09, 2018 09 Aug'18

  Ex-HMRC tax inspector sounds alarm over suitability of IR35 online status checker tool

  As the private sector consultation on IR35 draws to a close, a former HM Revenue & Customs inspector calls into further question the suitability of the government's online tool for assessing contractors’ tax status

• August 09, 2018 09 Aug'18

  Smart cities a tempting target for cyber attackers

  Smart cities are an attractive target for cyber attackers because of the growing number of connected systems embedded throughout their infrastructure

• August 09, 2018 09 Aug'18

  Government sets out vision for better use of rail data

  The government and the rail industry have developed a joint action plan to remove barriers to better data use by improving access to data, developing better standards, increasing skills and encouraging collaboration

• August 08, 2018 08 Aug'18

  IPSE warns government off private sector IR35 reform, as 'no deal' Brexit fears grow

  As the government prepares to close its consultation on extending the IR35 reforms to the private sector, IPSE airs concerns over the economic impact the move could have, as talk of a "no deal" Brexit for the UK continues

• August 08, 2018 08 Aug'18

  Liam Maxwell to swap government for AWS

  Government tech adviser Liam Maxwell is understood to be leaving government for a role at Amazon Web Services

• August 07, 2018 07 Aug'18

  Government invests £3m in Wales-based Stem hub

  A science centre in Wales will be given £3m to develop a Stem hub, which will reach more diverse audiences for its delivery of science and technology teaching content

• August 07, 2018 07 Aug'18

  Lack of Dmarc email validation puts brands and customers at risk 

  There is a worldwide lack of Dmarc email validation to defend against fraud and phishing attacks, putting organisations and customers at risk, a study shows