News

IT for government and public sector

• April 11, 2018 11 Apr'18

  CBI calls on government to get post-Brexit regulations right

  Ensuring the UK gets rules and regulations right is key to a thriving economy, and convergence with the digital single market is critical for tech companies, according to the CBI

• April 11, 2018 11 Apr'18

  Diversity key to more effective cyber security, says NCSC

  Diversity in defence teams is key to improved cyber security, according to the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC)

• April 11, 2018 11 Apr'18

  NSA calls for cyber security community collaboration

  A US National Security Agency (NSA) representative has called for cyber security community collaboration at the National Cyber Security Centre’s conference in Manchester

• April 11, 2018 11 Apr'18

  UK to launch crackdown on dark web

  The UK is to enhance its specialist law enforcement response to crack down on criminals operating on the dark web

• April 11, 2018 11 Apr'18

  Finnish government backs national AI development strategy

  Government is harnessing Finland’s tech base to help make the country a leading location for the artificial intelligence industry

• April 10, 2018 10 Apr'18

  NWIS and Life Sciences Hub Wales to create digital health ecosystem

  The NHS Wales Informatics Service and Life Sciences Hub Wales have joined forces to launch a digital health and care network to help tech companies access the sector and share innovations

• April 09, 2018 09 Apr'18

  Cyber threat to UK business greater than ever, report reveals

  The cyber threat to UK business is “bigger than ever” and the best way to defend against it is collaboration between government, law enforcement and business, a report shows

• April 09, 2018 09 Apr'18

  Norway government backs ambitious datacentre investment plan

  Norway has a plan to be a leading location for datacentres with a policy that will put it in direct competition with some of its Nordic neighbours

• April 09, 2018 09 Apr'18

  Autonomous drones will fly into danger zones for emergency services

  Automated drones will use sophisticated visual systems and machine learning techniques to carry out search and rescue missions where humans fear to tread

• April 05, 2018 05 Apr'18

  5G mobile spectrum auction raises £1.3bn

  The principal bidding stage in Ofcom’s latest mobile network spectrum auction has concluded, raising more than £1bn for the Treasury

• April 05, 2018 05 Apr'18

  Interview: GDPR will give Dutch privacy watchdog its teeth

  The Netherlands’ privacy watchdog has not handed out fines so far because there has been no reason to, says the organisation’s chairman, Aleid Wolfsen

• April 05, 2018 05 Apr'18

  IR35 reforms: Calls for inquiry into pre-launch tests of HMRC IR35 assessment tool

  HM Revenue & Customs hits back at contractors who claim it failed to test its online IR35 status assessment tool rigorously enough in the run-up to its launch in March 2017, as calls for an inquiry into its dev and test procedures grow

• April 04, 2018 04 Apr'18

  Average attacker dwell time nearly six months for EMEA, study shows

  Firms in Europe, the Middle East and Africa take nearly six months to detect cyber attacks on average, a report reveals

• April 03, 2018 03 Apr'18

  Data policy move to DCMS causes mixed reactions

  Some believe Theresa May handing over government data policy responsibility to DCMS is “downgrading digital government” while others see it as a positive move

• April 03, 2018 03 Apr'18

  Future of internet regulation is focus of Lords inquiry

  Inquiry will seek evidence on whether or not the law is up to the job of regulating online platforms such as Facebook, and what improvements can be made

• March 30, 2018 30 Mar'18

  GDS loses government data policy to DCMS

  Prime minister confirms long-rumoured move in written statement to Parliament as MPs left for Easter recess

• March 29, 2018 29 Mar'18

  Business unaware of scale of cyber threat

  Many businesses, especially board members, do not understand the scale of the cyber threat, but international efforts to combat cyber crime are being hampered by political barriers

• March 29, 2018 29 Mar'18

  UK government secures public sector discounts on Microsoft cloud products to April 2021

  Government procurement chiefs have secured ongoing preferential pricing on Microsoft cloud products for the public sector through Digital Transformation Agreement

• March 29, 2018 29 Mar'18

  IR35 reforms: IT contractors express concerns over ‘inevitable’ private sector roll-out

  Research suggests IT contractors are resigned to the IR35 reforms being implemented in the private sector, and many fear an announcement to that effect will come this year

• March 28, 2018 28 Mar'18

  Home Office ‘over-promised’ on exit checks programme, report finds

  Chief inspector of borders and immigration calls on Home Office to re-establish exit checks project with proper data quality in place, but department rejects recommendation

• March 28, 2018 28 Mar'18

  Home Office issues guidance on tech to prevent identity fraud

  Advice highlights the benefits of using identity document validation to audit and share data on fraudulent documents

• March 28, 2018 28 Mar'18

  Government should take a ‘Lego brick’ approach to public services, report says

  Report calling for a radical reform of public services says government should open up, standardise processes and stop developing services that already exist

• March 27, 2018 27 Mar'18

  Case study: Berkshire NHS trust provides mental health support through social network

  Berkshire NHS is using its Support Hope and Recovery Online Network to provide 24/7 support and advice to service users struggling with mental health issues

• March 26, 2018 26 Mar'18

  UK government publishes export strategy for UK cyber security

  The government has published a guide for UK cyber security firms on how it plans to support their efforts to find and secure opportunities to export their products and services

• March 26, 2018 26 Mar'18

  Swedish study talks up benefits of artificial intelligence

  A major report has reassured Swedish society that artificial intelligence will be a positive force for change despite fears of job losses

• March 24, 2018 24 Mar'18

  Government must improve quality and awareness of childcare website, say MPs

  Treasury Committee says government should launch websites only when they can cope with the expected workload, after childcare website was down for 160 hours last summer

• March 23, 2018 23 Mar'18

  Private sector over-investing against nation-state attacks

  The creator of a routing technique that protects the domain name system says the money spent on guarding against nation-state actors could have been better used for other purposes

• March 22, 2018 22 Mar'18

  GP contract calls for increased digital uptake

  NHS England’s GP contract says practices must move to e-referrals by October 2018, and work on improving uptake of patients using online services to 30%

• March 22, 2018 22 Mar'18

  Privacy group calls for UK response to data exploitation

  Policy-makers need to respond swiftly to the Cambridge Analytica and Facebook data exploitation scandal, according to privacy rights group

• March 22, 2018 22 Mar'18

  CityFibre consumer broadband collaboration hits Peterborough

  CityFibre is returning to one of its earliest Gigabit City projects with Vodafone in tow to upgrade thousands of homes in Peterborough to gigabit-capable full-fibre broadband

• March 22, 2018 22 Mar'18

  Mayor of London kick-starts drive to make city top for AI

  London mayor Sadiq Khan commissions a study to look at improving the capital’s readiness for artificial intelligence

• March 22, 2018 22 Mar'18

  HMRC sets August launch date for customs IT system

  HMRC plans to begin a phased deployment of its Customs Declaration Service this August, with completion expected by early 2019

• March 22, 2018 22 Mar'18

  UK local councils favour hybrid cloud as legacy IT management needs persist

  Research into the IT buying habits of more than 300 local authorities in the UK reveals a growing appetite for using cloud, as councils continue to grapple with managing and maintaining legacy IT

• March 21, 2018 21 Mar'18

  Shared services project is about user needs, not tech, says strategy director

  If you’re hoping for the government’s shared services strategy to “break revolutionary ground” in terms of tech, you’ll be disappointed. It’s about serving user needs – not tech – says its strategy director Andy Helliwell

• March 21, 2018 21 Mar'18

  MoD to focus on SMEs to raise supply chain cyber security

  The Ministry of Defence continues to develop a joint initiative with industry aimed at raising the security posture throughout the UK’s defence supply chain, with increasing focus on SMEs

• March 21, 2018 21 Mar'18

  UK must hurry to agree science and innovation deal with EU, MPs say

  The Science and Technology Committee calls on government to urgently secure science and innovation deal with the EU to get clarity on funding, regulation and talent retention and recruitment

• March 21, 2018 21 Mar'18

  Popular culture key to giving cyber security much-needed boost

  The cyber security industry should turn to popular culture to raise awareness of the cyber threat to businesses and consumers and attract new blood to the field, says McMafia author

• March 21, 2018 21 Mar'18

  Danish government launches business-focused national digital strategy

  Denmark’s government has launched a plan to get more small businesses into the digital economy as it targets being a leader in advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence

• March 21, 2018 21 Mar'18

  WhatsApp co-founder calls time on Facebook

  Brian Acton has called time on Facebook following reports of the firm’s dealings with data mining firm Cambridge Analytica linked to the EU referendum and Donald Trump’s US election campaign

• March 20, 2018 20 Mar'18

  Croydon Council partners with Rainmaker to shake up its IT

  Croydon Council has employed digital transformation specialist Rainmaker to help it change the way it delivers IT over the next three years

• March 20, 2018 20 Mar'18

  Ofcom opens 5G spectrum auction

  Ofcom has opened the bidding in the auction of spectrum to support 4G and 5G mobile networks

• March 20, 2018 20 Mar'18

  Brexit is an opportunity to transform, says HMRC digital transformation director

  HMRC’s digital transformation director Brigid McBride on Brexit opportunities, using AI and robotics to improve services, and growing the API ecosystem

• March 20, 2018 20 Mar'18

  Think tank reports lifts lid on police cyber crime training

  UK think tank Parliament Street has lifted the lid on spending by police forces on training staff to deal with cyber crime and recommended greater collaboration in this regard

• March 19, 2018 19 Mar'18

  Wigan data breaches underline need to share threat intelligence

  Ongoing data breaches experienced by local authorities underline the need for greater sharing of threat intelligence, say security experts

• March 19, 2018 19 Mar'18

  NHS wants independent evaluation of GP at Hand service

  The NHS is looking for an organisation to undertake an independent review of the on-demand virtual GP app, allowing patients in London to access GP services using their smartphones

• March 19, 2018 19 Mar'18

  Southwark brings full-fibre broadband to council estates

  London’s Southwark Council has enlisted Hyperoptic to deliver FTTP broadband services across its housing portfolio

• March 19, 2018 19 Mar'18

  Russia compromised core router in US energy attacks

  Russian cyber attackers used a compromised core router in a series of attacks on the US energy sector, security researchers have revealed as the UK energy sector is placed on alert

• March 16, 2018 16 Mar'18

  Employers face hiring crisis as AI replaces mid-skilled jobs

  Artificial intelligence could replace two-thirds of existing jobs within 20 years, and employers will face growing difficulties recruiting skilled staff

• March 16, 2018 16 Mar'18

  IT contractors not a risk despite Snowden leaks, GCHQ tells court

  The government argues in the Investigatory Powers Tribunal that contractors with systems administration rights to computers holding GCHQ’s most sensitive intelligence pose no more of a security risk than the agency’s employees

• March 16, 2018 16 Mar'18

  Cyber criminals using complex financial system, study shows

  Cyber criminals are using a combination of new cryptocurrencies, gaming currencies and micro-payments to launder up to $200bn in ill-gotten gains, research has revealed

• March 16, 2018 16 Mar'18

  Tech won’t solve Brexit UK-Ireland border challenges, say MPs

  There is no evidence of any technical solution “anywhere in the world” that would help avoid physical infrastructure at the UK-Ireland border post-Brexit, according to the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee

• March 16, 2018 16 Mar'18

  Defence industry urges government to relax controls on crypto exports

  Trade body representing defence, aerospace and security companies calls on government to make it easier to export “non-contentious” cryptography to secure organisations against cyber crime

• March 16, 2018 16 Mar'18

  US blames Russia for cyber attacks on energy firms

  The US has blamed Russia for a series of attacks on energy sector firms, underlining the need to ensure critical infrastructure IT systems are up to date and secure

• March 15, 2018 15 Mar'18

  Coders feel responsible for impact of artificial intelligence on society

  The technologists building artificial intelligence algorithms should take responsibility for the technology’s impact on society, a survey finds

• March 15, 2018 15 Mar'18

  With auditability, deep learning could revolutionise insurance industry

  The likes of Google may be pushing deep learning in artificial intelligence, but it may not be the best approach for regulated industries

• March 15, 2018 15 Mar'18

  Online data can be used to create better housing for all, says Resi’s Depledge

  Alex Depledge, CEO of Resi, will speak at Datafest on how online data can open up architecture to more people – but she warns against over-hyping data science

• March 14, 2018 14 Mar'18

  Non-compliant G-Cloud suppliers escape spend data sharing fines, as MISO revamp gathers pace

  Freedom of Information request reveals G-Cloud providers are not being fined for failing to submit monthly spend data, as the CCS claims success with using other deterrent methods

• March 14, 2018 14 Mar'18

  Government setting up local planning group to support 5G roll-out

  Digital minister Margot James is building a new initiative to support collaboration on 5G mobile network roll-out at a local level, bringing together councils, landowners and industry to work on planning challenges and policy

• March 14, 2018 14 Mar'18

  Public sector IT buyers still neglecting to report G-Cloud savings, FoI request reveals

  Computer Weekly has learned that public sector IT buyers are still neglecting to self-report details of the savings they have accrued through using the G-Cloud framework

• March 13, 2018 13 Mar'18

  Stoke Council picks VX Fiber to light up fibre broadband network

  VX Fiber’s Open Access Platform will allow Stoke-on-Trent council to realise a return on its fibre investment while bringing gigabit broadband services to homes and businesses

• March 13, 2018 13 Mar'18

  Government hands out £95m for local full-fibre broadband

  The government has named the first recipients of a £190m tranche of funding to realise local full-fibre broadband projects

• March 13, 2018 13 Mar'18

  Government ‘unlawfully delegated’ bulk data powers to GCHQ, court hears

  Privacy International urges Britain’s most secret court, the Investigatory Powers Tribunal, to rule that the government illegally collected surveillance data from internet and phone companies until at least September 2017

• March 13, 2018 13 Mar'18

  Hammond delivers tech-positive Spring Statement

  Delivering his Spring Statement, the chancellor bangs the drum for UK tech businesses, confirms £25m for 5G testbeds, allocates full-fibre funding and highlights the need for digital skills

• March 13, 2018 13 Mar'18

  Government pumps £300m into tech and innovation for ageing society

  Business secretary Greg Clark announces plans to use £300m from the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund for new technology and research, such as artificial intelligence and genome sequencing

• March 13, 2018 13 Mar'18

  Public sector organisations ill-prepared for GDPR

  Public sector organisations in the UK need to do much more to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation rule on providing information to citizens about details held about them

• March 13, 2018 13 Mar'18

  Singapore tops global rankings on smart cities

  The city-state of Singapore was lauded for its efforts in tapping the internet of things to improve public infrastructure and services in a global study by Juniper Research

• March 12, 2018 12 Mar'18

  Digital for rural areas worth up to £26bn to UK economy

  A study commissioned by Amazon has posited that greater use of digital tools and services could be worth between £12bn and £26bn per annum to the UK economy

• March 12, 2018 12 Mar'18

  Eight new cyber threats a second in Q4 2017, McAfee report reveals

  There was an increase in cyber attacks on healthcare organisations, the use of fileless malware and cryptocurrency mining in the last three months of 2017, with eight new threats a second

• March 12, 2018 12 Mar'18

  Scottish government to spend £25m to fill 4G coverage gaps

  The Scottish government has announced a £25m programme to infill gaps in 4G mobile network coverage across Scotland

• March 12, 2018 12 Mar'18

  Politicians need to be more involved in tech, says Sadiq Khan

  Flying the flag for the UK capital at the SXSW festival in Texas, London mayor Sadiq Khan says government should “do more” for technology, as well as mitigate the risks that come with it, and calls on social media firms to take responsibility for ...

• March 12, 2018 12 Mar'18

  Regulator takes tougher line than expected on surveillance warrants

  The Investigatory Powers Commissioner’s Office has signalled to government that it will take a tough line when scrutinising surveillance warrants under the controversial Investigatory Powers Act

• March 12, 2018 12 Mar'18

  UK leads global upward trend in SOC maturity

  The UK is leading the way towards more efficient security operations centres, but many still continue to operate with serious gaps in security, a report reveals

• March 09, 2018 09 Mar'18

  Government reveals winners of 5G mobile competition

  The government has unveiled the winners of a multimillion-pound competition to create 5G mobile network testbeds around the UK

• March 09, 2018 09 Mar'18

  Universal Credit project warned over Gov.uk Verify performance in 2015

  Government project management experts warned as long ago as 2015 that a problem with GDS's Verify online identity system could undermine the Universal Credit business plan

• March 09, 2018 09 Mar'18

  Cooperation and exercises key to cyber defence, says Nato centre

  International cooperation and regular tabletop exercises are essential to ensure effective cyber defence, according to the Nato cyber defence centre

• March 09, 2018 09 Mar'18

  Cryptojacking cyber criminals up their game

  Cyber criminals hijacking computing resources to mine for cryptocurrencies are raising their efforts to bypass enterprise security controls, researchers have found

• March 08, 2018 08 Mar'18

  DWP to publish key documents on Universal Credit

  The government will finally publish internal assessment reviews of the controversial Universal Credit programme under Freedom of Information laws, after years of refusing to do so

• March 07, 2018 07 Mar'18

  Government to help cultural sectors take advantage of digital

  Arts and culture organisations will be given help to access new technologies and digital skills as part of a government plan to “support the whole digital culture ecology”

• March 07, 2018 07 Mar'18

  Cyber security is a team sport, says NCSC

  The UK’s national cyber security agency aims to help organisations understand the need to act collaboratively and collectively against the cyber threat, urging them to raise the bar

• March 06, 2018 06 Mar'18

  G-Cloud 10 launch date confirmed for June 2018

  The Crown Commercial Service (CCS) confirms it will start accepting new bids from suppliers wanting to join the tenth iteration of the G-Cloud framework from April 2018, in anticipation of the next version going live in June

• March 06, 2018 06 Mar'18

  US defence chiefs cut $1bn cloud contract with AWS partner amid anti-trust complaints

  The US Department of Defense confirms it is revising down the cost and scope of a billion dollar cloud deal awarded to an AWS partner, after critics picked holes in the procurement process

• March 06, 2018 06 Mar'18

  Essex, Herts Councils expand smart city pilot scheme

  Essex and Hertfordshire County Councils have joined forces to run a number of pilots assessing the socioeconomic benefits of smart city technologies

• March 06, 2018 06 Mar'18

  Local councils call for government funding for GDPR compliance

  National Association of Local Councils is concerned complying with GDPR puts financial strain on local authorities and calls on government to help with funding

• March 06, 2018 06 Mar'18

  Microsoft courts US government cloud users with Azure Stack integration promise

  Microsoft is stepping up its efforts to get the US government using its cloud in anger, with the promise of a forthcoming Azure Stack integration and new datacentre regions to house “secret” classified data

• March 05, 2018 05 Mar'18

  Government aims to complete genome sequencing project by end of 2018

  The government-funded 100,000 Genomes Project, originally due to be completed by the end of 2017, has reached the halfway point and aims to have mapped 100,000 genomes by the end of the year

• March 05, 2018 05 Mar'18

  Interview: Andy Street, mayor of the West Midlands

  West Midlands mayor Andy Street talks about why digital is key to the region’s economic growth, his hunt for a chief digital officer, and the importance of skills and collaboration

• March 02, 2018 02 Mar'18

  UK will need data protection agreement with EU as part of Brexit deal, says PM

  Prime minister Theresa May's Brexit speech highlights need for data protection deal with EU, “advanced” border IT systems, and re-confirms UK won’t be part of the EU digital single market

• March 02, 2018 02 Mar'18

  New privacy fears as IT challenges delay surveillance oversight body by a year

  IT challenges have delayed government plans for an independent body to authorise requests to access the public’s internet and phone records by nearly a year, raising new legal and privacy concerns

• March 01, 2018 01 Mar'18

  Contractor confidence in HMRC’s IR35 online assessment tool remains low

  Research suggests contractors still have misgivings about using HM Revenue & Customs' IR35 online assessment tool, one year on from launch

• March 01, 2018 01 Mar'18

  NHS to pilot ID verification platform this spring

  NHS roadmap for digital services sets out plans for launching a joined-up NHS app, piloting its citizen ID platform and moving across to the new NHS.uk website

• March 01, 2018 01 Mar'18

  Security fears delay roll-out of national e-voting system in Finland

  Project enters problem-solving phase to identify advanced, effective and best practice solutions to develop a secure internet-based voting system

• February 28, 2018 28 Feb'18

  Salary is not top way to attract cybersec pros, report reveals

  Salary is not the highest priority for cyber security professionals, a report on hiring and retaining top cyber security talent shows

• February 28, 2018 28 Feb'18

  Government must rewrite illegal sections of Snoopers’ Charter, court told

  A court has been asked to give ministers until July 2018 to rewrite powers to require phone and internet companies to retain data on the population. The government acknowledges parts of surveillance regime are unlawful

• February 27, 2018 27 Feb'18

  King’s College dumps legacy SAN for Nimble hybrid flash

  Cambridge college triples storage capacity for VMware virtualised environment and adds Veeam backup. Nimble hybrid flash ensures rapid data access with Sata bulk storage behind

• February 27, 2018 27 Feb'18

  Understanding the cyber threat key to UK defence, says NCSC

  Understanding cyber threats is key to defending the UK and ensuring it is a safe place to do business, says the National Cyber Security Centre

• February 26, 2018 26 Feb'18

  London councils set aside more than £1.2m for GDPR

  London councils have spent over £1.2m in preparation for new EU data protection laws, a think tank report has revealed

• February 26, 2018 26 Feb'18

  Surveillance watchdog investigates security risks of GCHQ IT contractors

  The investigatory powers commissioner is reviewing the security arrangements for IT contractors that have access to live computer systems at GCHQ holding highly sensitive records on the UK population

• February 26, 2018 26 Feb'18

  Cyber criminals catching up with nation state attacks

  The trickle-down effect of advanced “military-grade” tools is seeing the gap between cyber criminal and nation state attack capabilities closing, outpacing many organisations’ defence capabilities

• February 26, 2018 26 Feb'18

  Estonia wants to introduce special visa for digital nomads

  Baltic state’s next digital development could be a visa targeted at people who work online and are location independent

• February 26, 2018 26 Feb'18

  Legacy lock-in and lack of skills hamper public sector cloud adoption

  Migrating from legacy lock-in and the ability to manage workloads in cloud infrastructure are among the major challenges that are slowing down public sector cloud adoption