News

IT for government and public sector

December 14, 2017 14 Dec'17
Aberdeen City Council launches next phase of fibre broadband programme

A further 57 council sites around Aberdeen will be connected to CityFibre’s gigabit broadband backhaul network in the coming months
December 14, 2017 14 Dec'17
B4RN breaks ground on rural broadband network in East Anglia

Community ultrafast fibre broadband organisation B4RN East Anglia has started work on its first dig in Norfolk
December 13, 2017 13 Dec'17
Labour MP Liam Byrne launches ‘People’s Plan for Digital’

Shadow digital minister launches online collaborative project for the public and industry to share and debate ideas on the UK’s digital future
December 13, 2017 13 Dec'17
Robots will create more jobs than they eradicate by 2020

Artificial intelligence technology will begin to create more jobs than it replaces, says Gartner

December 13, 2017 13 Dec'17
Highways England plans for 5G, smart vehicles, drones

Highways England report sets out its aspirations for the next few years, and explores how digital technology will be used to keep people on the move
December 13, 2017 13 Dec'17
Cyber security skills shortage can be addressed, says (ISC)2

The shortage of cyber security skills can be addressed, starting with training anyone who is unemployed, according to information security professional training and certification body (ISC)2
December 13, 2017 13 Dec'17
London mayor Sadiq Khan to invest in digital skills and infrastructure across the capital

Draft economic development strategy promises to help Londoners access tech jobs, increasing digital skills, funding for small tech companies, and growing digital infrastructure
December 13, 2017 13 Dec'17
Dutch IT expert takes an ethical hacking sabbatical

Ethical hacker discovered nearly 1,000 vulnerabilities after taking a year off from his job in the Netherlands government to set up a hack group
December 12, 2017 12 Dec'17
Startups and corporations mingle at Finland’s Slush tech event

Startup events are becoming rich hunting grounds for large enterprises looking for the platforms of the future
December 12, 2017 12 Dec'17
GDS staff survey reveals concerns over leadership and evidence of bullying and harassment

Employee survey at Government Digital Service shows staff enjoy their work but have concerns about senior management – plus complaints over discrimination, bullying and harassment

December 11, 2017 11 Dec'17
Innovation key to halt cyber attacks

In the light of the number of cyber breaches taking place, innovative security systems are required, according to the UK National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC)
December 11, 2017 11 Dec'17
Workers should embrace robots, not fear them, says Labour deputy

Labour deputy leader to say workers need not fear robots taking their jobs, but welcome the opportunities they will bring
December 11, 2017 11 Dec'17
Perth airport security plans stolen by Vietnamese hacker

Australian authorities have named a Vietnamese hacker they say was able to break into the IT systems at Perth International Airport and steal security information
December 08, 2017 08 Dec'17
Critical border IT systems won’t be ready before Brexit, says PAC report

Of the 85 IT systems at the UK border, 30 will need to be replaced or changed due to Brexit, but critical new or updated border IT systems won’t ready by the time the UK leaves the EU, PAC report finds
December 08, 2017 08 Dec'17
Second GCHQ Cyber Accelerator kicks off

Nine cyber security firms have been chosen to take part in the second GCHQ Cyber Accelerator, which is aimed at helping UK startups take the lead in producing the next generation of cyber security systems
December 07, 2017 07 Dec'17
Tieto wins Stockholm’s multimillion IT outsourcing contract

Swedish capital switches IT services provider after “administrative error” ruled original contractor out of agreement
December 06, 2017 06 Dec'17
UKtech50 2017 - The most influential people in UK IT

Computer Weekly has announced the eighth annual UKtech50 – our definitive list of the movers and shakers in the UK IT sector
December 06, 2017 06 Dec'17
UKtech50 interview: DWP chief digital and information officer Mayank Prakash

The UKtech50 most influential person in UK IT 2017, Department for Work and Pensions chief digital and information officer Mayank Prakash, talks about changing ways of working, the importance of culture and the role of new technologies
December 06, 2017 06 Dec'17
Andromeda mastermind Sergey Jarets jailed, say security researchers

Security researchers say they believe that a hacker arrested by Belarus police is Andromeda botnet mastermind Sergey Jarets
December 06, 2017 06 Dec'17
Space organisation dumps NAS for object storage to gain space

Satellite Applications Catapult upgrade to 2PB of Cloudian object storage pays for itself in power and cooling savings as numerous legacy NAS boxes are replaced
December 04, 2017 04 Dec'17
First female degree apprentices at Capgemini graduate

The first female degree apprentices at Capgemini talk about their journeys into the IT sector
December 04, 2017 04 Dec'17
Giving machines a voice: what’s next for unified communications?

As Mitel closes its acquisition of ShoreTel, creating a new unified communications and collaboration powerhouse, CEO Rich McBee reveals what’s coming next in the sector
December 04, 2017 04 Dec'17
Cambridge University deploys Dropbox for file sync-and-share

Dropbox replaces numerous consumer file share products and bespoke connections as Cambridge audits 6,500 academics to roll out invisible collaboration for hundreds of use cases
December 01, 2017 01 Dec'17
‘Sound policy’ to prosecute hackers in UK, says former DPP in Love case

The former director of public prosecutions (DPP), Ken Macdonald, said in written evidence in Lauri Love’s extradition case that it is normal practice to prosecute hackers accused of attacking US servers in the UK – rather than extradite them to the ...
December 01, 2017 01 Dec'17
Proposed snoopers’ charter changes inadequate, say rights groups

The government has proposed additional safeguards around the power granted to police by the Investigatory Powers Act, but the Open Rights Group and Liberty say they do not go far enough
November 30, 2017 30 Nov'17
Security community urges caution on offensive cyber defence

Some Nato countries are reportedly considering responding to cyber attacks with offensive cyber strikes, but security industry commentators warn of dangers
November 30, 2017 30 Nov'17
Lauri Love could face jail in detention centre condemned by US judges

Appeal court hears conditions in Metropolitan Detention Centre, where alleged hacker Lauri Love is likely to be sent if extradited to the US, described by US judges as 'unconscionably bad', and that Love would be at 'real risk'
November 30, 2017 30 Nov'17
Transport researchers get 2PB of Scality object storage

Transport Systems Catapult retires ageing NetApp filers with 2PB of Scality object storage in a £1.5m project that future proofs the organisation with built-in DR
November 30, 2017 30 Nov'17
CCS extends G-Cloud 9 until May 2019

The government has extended G-Cloud 9 for up to 12 months, meaning the next iteration of the framework is unlikely to go live before May 2019
November 29, 2017 29 Nov'17
TechUK calls for swift action to safeguard data exchange after Brexit

TechUK and UK Finance raise fear of “cliff edge” if legal basis for data transfers between the EEA and the UK lapses overnight in March 2019
November 29, 2017 29 Nov'17
Lauri Love would face ‘medieval’ conditions in US prison if extradited over hacking charges

Engineering student Lauri Love should be tried in the UK, court hears, as new evidence is presented on the “medieval” conditions in US jails for people with medical problems
November 29, 2017 29 Nov'17
IT problems cost UK companies £6.9bn in lost labour

IT issues and the time it takes to fix them is costing UK companies billions of pounds due to employees not being able to work
November 28, 2017 28 Nov'17
CCS invites more SMEs to bid for NHS networking contracts

NHS Digital’s HSCN Dynamic Purchasing System framework has gone live, and the government is keen to get smaller services providers signed up
November 28, 2017 28 Nov'17
TfL forges ahead with 4G for the Tube after successful test

Having built a pilot 4G network for ESN on the Waterloo & City Line during the summer, TfL is pressing ahead with plans to roll out mobile broadband for all London Underground users
November 27, 2017 27 Nov'17
NHS trust gets Commvault to cut backup times and get set for GDPR

North Derbyshire hospital trust cuts 70 physical servers to 11 Nutanix hyper-converged nodes, with Commvault replacing multiple backup software products in three-year project
November 27, 2017 27 Nov'17
UK IT professionals could lose out in a free trade deal between UK and India

There could be an increase in Indian IT professionals coming to work in the UK post-Brexit if a new trade deal is signed with India
November 27, 2017 27 Nov'17
Focus on innovation and AI in government Industrial Strategy

The government’s Industrial Strategy whitepaper aims to make the UK the “the most innovative nation by 2030” and commits to investing further £275m in Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund
November 27, 2017 27 Nov'17
Moscow to build on its smart city credentials

Moscow ranks in the world’s top 10 smart cities, but is keen to develop more technologies to boost its growing status
November 26, 2017 26 Nov'17
UK only average in terms of digital public services

UK government has the innovation skills to become a digital public services leader, but needs to improve the ID and authentication that sits underneath it to reach this goal
November 26, 2017 26 Nov'17
Blockchain could be used for citizen identity services, says Reform

Reform think tank argues that government could use blockchain technology to create a secure identity for citizens to use across public services
November 24, 2017 24 Nov'17
Public sector IT suppliers demand clarity over G-Cloud 10 launch date

G-Cloud listed IT suppliers are getting concerned that the next iteration of the framework agreement could be delayed by up to a year, and claim it could harm the public sector’s digital transformation efforts
November 24, 2017 24 Nov'17
Academics and public sector organisations collaborate on London Wi-Fi project

Students and public sector staff across London will get easier access to the Jisc eduroam and govroam Wi-Fi networks through a new scheme spearheaded by City, University of London and Camden Council
November 23, 2017 23 Nov'17
DCMS opens local fibre broadband fund to applicants

Public sector bodies invited to apply for funding from £190m fund designed to stimulate local-level investment in FTTP broadband services
November 23, 2017 23 Nov'17
Geospatial Commission announced in Budget to open up OS data

Chancellor of the exchequer Philip Hammond announced in his November 2017 budget a £40m Geospatial Commission to open up Ordnance Survey data to stoke new business for small companies
November 22, 2017 22 Nov'17
IR35 reforms: Consultation on private sector roll-out confirmed in Autumn Budget 2017

The government has confirmed it is preparing to consult on whether or not to roll out the controversial IR35 tax avoidance reforms to the private sector
November 22, 2017 22 Nov'17
Chancellor Philip Hammond pledges more than £500m for tech in 2017 Budget

Autumn Budget promises major investment in tech to drive the UK post-Brexit, including money for artificial intelligence, driverless cars, a new national centre for computing and a geospatial data commission
November 22, 2017 22 Nov'17
Government urged to improve redress for mass data breaches

Open letter calls for UK government to make it easier for consumers to get compensation for mass data breaches by implementing an effective system for collective redress
November 21, 2017 21 Nov'17
IR35 reforms: Economic concerns raised over prospect of private sector roll-out

With the government’s stance on rolling out the IR35 reforms to the private sector appearing to soften, IPSE and others air concerns over the threat this move could pose to the post-Brexit economy
November 21, 2017 21 Nov'17
UK cyber defenders set to build on existing capability

UK national cyber attack response and investigation is a well-defined and rehearsed process, but the responsible agencies say they are building more capability and closing the gaps
November 20, 2017 20 Nov'17
Universal Credit moves into Amazon Web Services cloud

Parts of the digital system underpinning the controversial welfare reform programme are now running on AWS under DWP’s hybrid cloud strategy
November 20, 2017 20 Nov'17
MPs press Theresa May to explain why alleged hacker Lauri Love is being extradited to US

MPs question the attorney general and prime minister about why alleged hacker Lauri Love is to be extradited to the US, when at least 13 other hackers have been tried for US hacking offences in the UK
November 20, 2017 20 Nov'17
Budget 2017 to promise huge UK technology boost

Wednesday’s Budget will include funding for artificial intelligence, driverless cars, 5G, digital skills and more computer science teachers
November 20, 2017 20 Nov'17
Tech industry demands clarity on Brexit ahead of key budget

TechUK warns government that this week's budget could be its last chance to give tech firms confidence in the post-Brexit UK economy
November 17, 2017 17 Nov'17
Business crucial to cyber crime fight, say UK cyber cops

Business has a crucial role in fighting cyber crime in terms of intelligence sharing and pursuing cyber criminals, according to the country’s top cyber cops
November 17, 2017 17 Nov'17
ICO funds first four privacy tool development projects

The UK’s privacy watchdog has begun funding innovative research into data privacy tools for children and the medical and financial sectors
November 17, 2017 17 Nov'17
Computer science student wins 2017 UK Cyber Security Challenge

Cyber attack simulation challenge sees 22-year-old computer science student crowned UK amateur cyber security champion
November 16, 2017 16 Nov'17
Europe not ready for imminent cyber strikes, say infosec professionals

Information security leaders in Europe believe a major breach of critical infrastructure is coming and that data breaches in their own organisations are imminent – yet most are not ready
November 16, 2017 16 Nov'17
MPs warn of ‘deeply worrying’ risks if new customs IT systems are not ready for Brexit

Home Affairs committee calls on government to improve contingency planning in case new systems miss Brexit deadline at end of March 2019
November 15, 2017 15 Nov'17
DWP insourced 400 staff from HPE into new IT services subsidiary

New arrangement allows Department for Work and Pensions to pay higher base salaries to encourage staff expecting private sector wages
November 15, 2017 15 Nov'17
Oxford University gets deep learning supercomputer

Academics and the IT industry will be able to use university’s Atos-supplied supercomputer as a service
November 15, 2017 15 Nov'17
Critical IT problems cost UK organisations £200,000 a month

UK companies are losing hundreds of thousands of pounds a month because of IT problems, but are relatively good at preventing the same issues recurring
November 15, 2017 15 Nov'17
Data skills could improve employment options as AI accelerates

House of Lords artificial intelligence select committee hears evidence on societal risks of AI, data, life-long learning and the changing role of white-collar workers
November 14, 2017 14 Nov'17
Dubai Road and Transport Authority pilots artificial intelligence to measure customer happiness

Initiative is part of the UAE’s strategy to make Dubai the smartest and happiest city in the world
November 14, 2017 14 Nov'17
Prime minister Theresa May offers extra support for 'world-class' UK tech sector

Government announces expansion of visa scheme for top overseas tech talent, and additional funding to support startups and broadband
November 14, 2017 14 Nov'17
Emergency Services Network delay to cost hundreds of millions

The Emergency Services Network roll-out has hit further delays and is likely to become very costly indeed, the Public Accounts Committee has heard
November 14, 2017 14 Nov'17
GDPR is a business opportunity, says Belgian minister

The EU’s General Data Protection Regulation should not be viewed only as a compliance issue, says Belgium’s minister for privacy
November 14, 2017 14 Nov'17
Government will deliver at least 89 digital services by 2020, says Caroline Nokes

New minister for digital government talks about plans for more digital services, the importance of digital in Brexit, and the roll-out of Gov.uk Verify
November 14, 2017 14 Nov'17
Waltham Forest Council gives 5G network plans a boost

Waltham Forest Council in London is to allow Arqiva to deploy small cell technology on 16,000 lampposts across the borough
November 14, 2017 14 Nov'17
IPSoft’s latest robot will process helpdesk requests from users and automate fixes

AI software maker combines a cognitive front end and automated back end to simplify enterprise service requests from workers
November 13, 2017 13 Nov'17
GE Digital to transform Middle East industry using the power of the internet

Bill Ruh, CEO at GE Digital, outlines the company’s vision of the industrial Internet of things (IIoT) in the Middle East and how it plans to transform industry through the power of the Internet
November 13, 2017 13 Nov'17
Muslim hactivists hack “unhackable” IS news site

A Muslim hacktivist group has hacked into Islamic State’s news site and published thousands of subscribers’ details just hours after the site claimed it was impenetrable
November 13, 2017 13 Nov'17
Nordic states deepen cyber defence collaboration

Nordic and Baltic government leaders discuss pooling technologies and competences to counter hybrid threats within the cyber security domain
November 12, 2017 12 Nov'17
Slow technology adoption linked to low productivity among UK business, CBI says

CBI calls on businesses to adopt more “tested technologies” and says government should highlight the need for tech adoption in the industrial strategy
November 10, 2017 10 Nov'17
Exiting large government IT contracts could take four years, document warns

Government Commercial Function's guidance on exiting large, monolithic outsourcing contracts says disaggregation takes longer than thought, and must be run as a business transformation programme
November 10, 2017 10 Nov'17
CIOs admit digital transformation strategy will not be fully implemented

Research by Vanson Bourne, on behalf of HCL, shows that the majority of CIOs doubt digital transformation strategies will be fully put into effect
November 10, 2017 10 Nov'17
UK calls for more anti-terror tools in social media

The UK is calling on social media campaigns to do more to detect and remove “militant messaging” automatically, while former MI5 head issues another caution against tampering with encryption
November 10, 2017 10 Nov'17
WikiLeaks publishes code and analysis of CIA hacking tool

Security experts are questioning the wisdom of WikiLeaks releasing more source code for US intelligence agency hacking tools
November 09, 2017 09 Nov'17
University of East Anglia investigates another data leak

University is investigating a second leak in six months, illustrating that data breaches are often caused by non-malicious insiders and that organisations are not getting to grips with the problem
November 09, 2017 09 Nov'17
ISPs can play unique role in cyber security, says BT CEO

Internet service providers are perfectly positioned to make a significant contribution to cyber security for everyone, BT’s Gavin Patterson believes
November 09, 2017 09 Nov'17
Cyber attacks not impossible to manage, says ex-GCHQ head

Ex-GCHQ head says despite the growing number of sophisticated cyber threats, tackling them is not impossible, but business has to find new ways of finding cyber defenders in previously untapped pools of talent
November 09, 2017 09 Nov'17
Bangalore offers the best ecosystem for digital transformation, says Economist report

Bangalore ranked as the number one location for businesses looking to access the right ecosystem to support digital transformation
November 08, 2017 08 Nov'17
Everyone has cyber security responsibility, says Euro commissioner

Everyone has a role to play in cyber security, including big market players – but if this is not done voluntarily, legislation may be required, says the European commissioner for security union
November 08, 2017 08 Nov'17
Estonian e-resident population growth exceeds birth rate

The number of non-Estonian people who applied for e-residency of the Baltic state exceeds the birth rate so far for this year
November 07, 2017 07 Nov'17
Cyber security skills a priority for UK government

The UK government is pursuing various short and long-term initiatives aimed at promoting the cyber security profession and growing skills in the sector, including supporting a professional body
November 07, 2017 07 Nov'17
UK spies face landmark challenge over mass surveillance in human rights court

Ten human rights organisations challenge lawfulness of UK surveillance legislation and mass internet surveillance by UK intelligence agencies in Strasbourg court
November 06, 2017 06 Nov'17
Automation and AI require education and training, says CBI

Industry and government must collaborate on skills and retraining to get to grips with new innovations, CBI conference told
November 06, 2017 06 Nov'17
UKtech50 2017: Vote for the most influential person in UK IT

Tell us who you think should be chosen as the most influential person in the UK tech scene for 2017 by submitting your vote now
November 06, 2017 06 Nov'17
UK must ‘embrace technological change’, says Theresa May

As Brexit approaches, prime minister Theresa May says the country must work together to make Britain an “international centre for transformative technologies of the future”, and calls on industry to increase its R&D investment
November 03, 2017 03 Nov'17
UK supercomputer is now world’s biggest Panasas scale-out NAS cluster

Jasmin network supercomputer storage expands to 20PB of Panasas scale-out NAS, which has helped to cut analysis times for environmental data from days to hours
November 02, 2017 02 Nov'17
Society needs to work together to gain control of cyber space

Cyber space is influencing human development and behaviour, but no one is in control and it will take a collective effort to ensure the cyber effect is more positive than negative, says cyber psychology expert
November 02, 2017 02 Nov'17
Nordic CIO interview: Filippa Jennersjö, Sweden’s Public Employment Agency

The CIO at Sweden's Public Employment Agency has been bringing the organisation in line with other departments’ digital developments
October 31, 2017 31 Oct'17
NHS to get open source API lab

NHS Digital plans on launching an API lab before the end of the year, with the goal accelerating development of interoperability in health and social care
October 31, 2017 31 Oct'17
Spoofing of Dutch politicians causes heated debate

A report about how easy it is to spoof the email addresses of Dutch politicians causes wider security debate in the Netherlands
October 30, 2017 30 Oct'17
EU may struggle to prove cyber attack links, warns expert

EU governments are reportedly planning to respond to cyber attacks as an act of war, but a cyber security expert says links to nation states may be hard to prove
October 30, 2017 30 Oct'17
Heathrow to probe leak of security files

Heathrow is investigating how and why files containing security information were stored without any protection on a USB stick found by a member of the public
October 30, 2017 30 Oct'17
Court dates set for Post Office accounting system trials

An end is in sight for sub-postmasters’ campaign against alleged wrongful prosecution, which they blame on a faulty computer system
October 27, 2017 27 Oct'17
First female Capgemini UK apprentices graduate

The Capgemini UK apprentice scheme gets its first three female graduates
October 26, 2017 26 Oct'17
NAO calls on NHS to ‘get its act together’ after WannaCry attack

The NHS could have prevented the WannaCry cyber attack had it followed basic IT security best practice, according to National Audit Office boss
October 26, 2017 26 Oct'17
EU to collect biometrics of all visitors - which could include UK citizens post-Brexit

European Parliament approves entry/exit system which will cover all non-EU visitors to the European Union
October 26, 2017 26 Oct'17
No guarantees HMRC’s customs declaration service ready for Brexit

HMRC CEO tells MPs the department needs an extra £7.3m to upgrade current Chief system as a contingency, should new customs IT system not be ready in time for Brexit