News

IT for government and public sector

October 11, 2017 11 Oct'17
Sharjah Department of eGovernment sets out aims at Gitex 2017

The emirate of Sharjah has set out its plans for digital transformation at the Gitex 2017 event in Dubai
October 11, 2017 11 Oct'17
Dubai Police launches Fajwa to streamline staff recruitment

Dubai police are improving recruitment processes through new system announced at Gitex 2017
October 11, 2017 11 Oct'17
Australia outlines space ambitions

A national space agency would put the country in the league of nations with space capabilities, but questions about its true value remain
October 11, 2017 11 Oct'17
House of Lords committee hosts clash between AI enthusiasts and sceptics

In the first session of its enquiry into artificial intelligence and the UK economy, a House of Lords select committee takes contrasting testimony from academic enthusiasts and press sceptics

October 11, 2017 11 Oct'17
Dutch government agreement increasingly focuses on IT security

The coalition government in the Netherlands has agreed its plan for the next four years, with IT security prominent
October 11, 2017 11 Oct'17
Industrial control systems under attack, warns MIT researcher

Industrial control systems are under attack, and these attacks are likely to get worse, according to a security researcher and former NSA inspector general
October 11, 2017 11 Oct'17
Government proposes changes to make Britain safer online

The UK government has unveiled plans for an internet safety strategy to protect the British public from ‘worrying or nasty’ content online
October 11, 2017 11 Oct'17
Cyber threats are among top dangers, says Nato

Nato’s adviser on emerging security challenges tells conference of growing challenge posed by security threats
October 10, 2017 10 Oct'17
Abu Dhabi transport department uses drones to improve traffic flows

Data collected by live video stream from drones is analysed at control centre to help alleviate traffic jams and other issues
October 10, 2017 10 Oct'17
More than three-quarters of global email protected by Dmarc

Support for email authentication among the world’s internet service providers has surged in the past two years, a two-year study has revealed

October 10, 2017 10 Oct'17
Some IT contractors earning more than £700 a day

Research shows 40% of contractors reach the average annual IT salary within three months
October 10, 2017 10 Oct'17
World at a cyber security crossroad, warns expert

Governments need to agree on cyber security realities and priorities, and move towards more effective regulation, legislation and law enforcement to enable tech interoperability for business
October 09, 2017 09 Oct'17
Euro commissioner calls for more collaboration on cyber security

European commissioner for security union has called for greater awareness of cyber security risks and increased collaboration in defending against them
October 09, 2017 09 Oct'17
NCSC to host cyber practitioner summit

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) is to host a summit for cyber security practitioners in February 2018
October 09, 2017 09 Oct'17
Dubai’s integrated government on Gitex catwalk

At this year’s Gitex, Dubai's smart city project is showing off its successes in integrating government services
October 06, 2017 06 Oct'17
All EU countries sign up to implement digital-by-default services

Declaration reaffirms commitment to bring public sector services into the digital age and improve citizens’ interaction with government
October 05, 2017 05 Oct'17
HMRC accused of suppressing IR35 stakeholder views on public sector contractor walkouts

Stakeholders are accusing HMRC of trying to suppress their take on how the tax avoidance reforms are affecting contractors, following claims their views were omitted from the latest IR35 Forum minutes
October 05, 2017 05 Oct'17
UK at risk of AI skills crisis

The UK is at risk of being left behind when it comes to artificial intelligence advances, with the current shortage of AI skills likely to get a lot worse
October 05, 2017 05 Oct'17
Singapore’s public sector finds agility and speed in AWS

City-state’s government has been able to meet peak demands and address security issues through a cloud-based web-hosting platform powered by Amazon Web Services
October 04, 2017 04 Oct'17
‘Formality’ puts Evry’s £278m outsourcing contract in Sweden at risk

Court of appeal overrules City of Stockholm’s decision to award IT deal to Norwegian firm
October 04, 2017 04 Oct'17
Global IT spending to hit $3.7tn next year, says Gartner

IT spending is taking on a different shape as organisations embark on, and accelerate, digital transformation projects
October 04, 2017 04 Oct'17
Daisy and Redcentric named HSCN compliant as launch date nears

Managed service providers Daisy Group and Redcentric have both been named as HSCN-compliant suppliers as the network service launch date nears
October 04, 2017 04 Oct'17
Russia’s state-owned bank backs blockchain

Vneshekonombank puts its weight behind blockchain technology as the country’s public sector looks on
October 03, 2017 03 Oct'17
Investigatory Powers Tribunal faces challenge in appeal court over mass hacking

Appeal court will decide whether UK citizens have the right to challenge controversial decisions made by Britain’s most secret court, the Investigatory Powers Tribunal
October 03, 2017 03 Oct'17
Irish High Court asks European court to rule on legality of EU-US data transfers

Latest round in Max Schrems’s legal battle with Facebook could have major implications for EU-US trade and the privacy of millions of European residents
October 03, 2017 03 Oct'17
CIOs moving to revenue-generating roles

Gartner survey shows changing role for CIOs to cover revenue generation and deriving value from data, and spending less time on traditional IT delivery
October 03, 2017 03 Oct'17
Minister confirms Universal Credit roll-out will continue despite concerns

Government plans to plough on with Universal Credit despite calls to pause the project as people struggle to make claims successfully
October 02, 2017 02 Oct'17
UK National Cyber Security Centre looks to future in annual review

While there is still much work to be done, the NCSC’s first annual report says it has prevented thousands of cyber attacks since its inception
October 02, 2017 02 Oct'17
Europol and Interpol reaffirm fight against cyber crime

Europol-Interpol Cybercrime Conference sees No More Ransom anti-ransomware initiative highlighted as successful example of law enforcement agencies’ collaboration
September 29, 2017 29 Sep'17
Finnish tax administration strengthens cyber security capabilities

Tax administration steps up cyber security initiatives as more of its services are delivered digitally
September 29, 2017 29 Sep'17
Cyber security should be data-based, says NCSC

The National Cyber Security Centre has begun several initiatives in its first year and hopes to use data drawn from those to drive better cyber security practices
September 28, 2017 28 Sep'17
Grosvenor signs broadband investment deal for London’s West End

Landowner and property developer has signed a co-investment partnership with Openreach to address poor broadband connectivity standards in parts of the capital
September 28, 2017 28 Sep'17
UK needs to face ‘challenge of automation’, says Corbyn

Labour leader says new technologies provide opportunities, but could be a threat “in the hands of the greedy” and require re-training of the UK workforce
September 27, 2017 27 Sep'17
SDN an essential component of future public sector networks

Public sector organisations need to adopt software-defined networking to deliver more agile and resilient networks that bring fit-for-purposes services to users and citizens
September 27, 2017 27 Sep'17
Talent shortage keeps Nordic IT companies focused on job satisfaction

Nordic companies are aiming to win the race for scarce IT professionals through improving the workplace and concentrating on employees’ job satisfaction levels
September 27, 2017 27 Sep'17
NHS must up its digital game, says NHS Digital programme director

NHS Digital’s programme director for its digital collaboration service is looking at the potential of using voice recognition for NHS 111 services
September 26, 2017 26 Sep'17
Health sector and social media top cyber targets

The healthcare sector and social media users are popular targets for cyber attackers, a report has revealed
September 26, 2017 26 Sep'17
Building ‘senseable’ cities will be the talk of Gitex

MIT professor will present his vision of smart city developments at Gitex 2017 in Dubai
September 25, 2017 25 Sep'17
Cage director found guilty of terrorism offence after refusing to disclose passwords

Muhammad Rabbani, international director of Cage, is convicted of an offence under the terrorism act after refusing to disclose his mobile phone PIN and laptop password under Terrorism Act
September 25, 2017 25 Sep'17
Amazon launches Middle East region

Amazon opens its latest delivery hub in Bahrain to serve customers in the Middle East
September 25, 2017 25 Sep'17
Three adds in-store sign language service for deaf customers

Mobile operator pilots in-store sign language service to support the needs of its deaf customers
September 25, 2017 25 Sep'17
FSA connects 220 abattoirs to fibre for food safety monitoring

Food Standards Agency picks Exponential-e to revitalise connectivity across 220 sites as it strives to improve operational efficiency and compliance processes
September 21, 2017 21 Sep'17
Cyber security demands change in approach

There needs to be a change in the way technology is designed and in attitudes to data security to ensure cyber safety, say industry experts
September 21, 2017 21 Sep'17
Enterprise SDN adoption rapidly approaching tipping point, claims report

A study commissioned by networking solutions supplier Riverbed claims that legacy networks are causing problems for businesses trying to undergo digital transformation, and more decision makers are considering SDN as a result
September 21, 2017 21 Sep'17
UK organisations lose £217m a year due to lack of cloud skills

The cloud computing skills shortage in the UK is costing businesses hundreds of millions of pounds in lost revenue
September 20, 2017 20 Sep'17
Brexit mobile and broadband debate must involve consumers

The voices of consumers are being missed as communications services providers, industry bodies and the government set the agenda for the UK’s communications infrastructure market after Brexit
September 20, 2017 20 Sep'17
Finnish government eyes €1bn savings through digitisation

Finland’s public sector aims to save €1bn by 2029 as a result of digitising public services
September 20, 2017 20 Sep'17
Salesforce world tour lands in Amsterdam

Salesforce customers met up for the Dutch leg of the supplier's world tour with a distinctly non-techy crowd present
September 20, 2017 20 Sep'17
Most UK councils hit by cyber attacks

A study has revealed that most UK local authorities have suffered cyber attacks in the past year, showing local government is a key target for cyber criminals and that legacy software is a top security concern
September 20, 2017 20 Sep'17
PM pressures internet companies to act on terrorist propaganda

The UK, France and Italy will use a meeting with technology companies at the UN General Assembly in New York to press for development of technical solutions to defeat terrorist activity on the internet
September 20, 2017 20 Sep'17
Blockchain tests delivering results and IBM seen as leader

Businesses that have invested in trials of blockchain technology will repeat their investments
September 19, 2017 19 Sep'17
Middle East firms must focus on IT training and employing more women to stay competitive

Organisations in the Middle East face IT recruitment challenges unless they offer more training and employ more women
September 19, 2017 19 Sep'17
Public sector cloud use still too focused on ‘low-hanging fruit’ IT projects, finds research

Public sector cloud adoption continues to rise, but wide-scale digital transformation success remains elusive, claims Cloud Industry Forum research
September 18, 2017 18 Sep'17
NHS Digital hopes for orderly transition to new Health and Social Care Network

NHS Digital’s Health and Social Care Network is gearing up to connect its first customers in the next month, in the first stage of a staggered transition process
September 18, 2017 18 Sep'17
Tech disruption in Middle East a key focus at GITEX 2017

Not surprisingly, Middle East digital disruption will take centre stage at this year’s GITEX event in Dubai
September 15, 2017 15 Sep'17
HMRC builds blockchain proof of concept for UK border

HMRC‘s Mike Potter says department has built blockchain proof of concept to coordinate interventions at the border, and highlights the need for an ‘API economy’ in Whitehall
September 14, 2017 14 Sep'17
Europe’s data regulators head to US to discuss Privacy Shield

A delegation from Europe's data protection regulators will meet with the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, which oversees US intelligence gathering
September 14, 2017 14 Sep'17
HMRC reaches halfway point on project to develop new UK customs IT system

The new system for handling customs at UK borders is 50% complete, says HMRC - but CEO warns he cannot give guarantees over Brexit deadline
September 14, 2017 14 Sep'17
HMRC confirms Microsoft corporate vice-president Jacky Wright as new CDIO

HMRC has tasked Microsoft corporate vice-president Jacky Wright with helping the department achieve its goal of becoming one of the world's most digitally advanced tax authorities
September 14, 2017 14 Sep'17
£30m National Innovation Centre for Data launched

The government and Newcastle University have teamed up to launch a £30m National Innovation Centre for Data, as part of the Northern Powerhouse
September 14, 2017 14 Sep'17
Mobile networks restored to hurricane-hit Caribbean islands

Emergency networking teams from the Vodafone Foundation and Télécoms Sans Frontières are working to restore mobile connectivity after the Caribbean was ravaged by Hurricane Irma
September 14, 2017 14 Sep'17
GDS is ‘sidelined’ and government as a platform ‘is dead’, says Francis Maude

Former Cabinet Office minister cites diminishing of Government Digital Service role as he criticises civil service resistance to change
September 14, 2017 14 Sep'17
BT offers enterprise customers flexible bandwidth for peak usage

New element of BT IP Connect Global WAN service will enable businesses to dial their network capacity up and down at will
September 14, 2017 14 Sep'17
Lack of skills main barrier to civil service tech adoption

TechUK civil servants survey highlights need for skills training, common standards and working practices across departments to deliver joined-up public services
September 13, 2017 13 Sep'17
Philip Hammond: AI will stoke productivity in government

Philip Hammond, chancellor of the exchequer, told a House of Lords select committee that artificial intelligence could stoke government productivity in areas of “low-level decision making”
September 13, 2017 13 Sep'17
Self-preservation: The Gibraltar National Archives uses cloud to safeguard its history

The head of the Gibraltar National Archives discusses how cloud and archiving technologies are safe-guarding its history for future generations
September 13, 2017 13 Sep'17
Vodafone identifies 50 future digital hubs

A Vodafone research report has identified a number of towns and cities that have the potential to become what it refers to as Digital Super Towns
September 13, 2017 13 Sep'17
CBI calls for transitional deal with EU on data

The CBI is warning of the risks to UK businesses of no deal with the European Union on data exchange when Brexit arrives
September 12, 2017 12 Sep'17
University gets Nutanix for self-serve cloud to replace Red Hat

The University of Reading replaces ageing and difficult-to-manage Red Hat storage with half a petabyte of Nutanix hyper-converged and dodges £1/2 million of VMware costs
September 12, 2017 12 Sep'17
Home Office agrees back-office transformation deal

The Home Office is moving more of its back-office processes into the cloud
September 11, 2017 11 Sep'17
Martha Lane Fox warns UK is 'sleepwalking' through digital disruption

During a House of Lords debate, Martha Lane Fox claimed the UK has been “sleepwalking” through digital change and urged for more to be done to promote “digital understanding”
September 11, 2017 11 Sep'17
UK government sets to work on replicating the Digital Marketplace model overseas

Government procurement chiefs and digital champions share details of the work being done to help export the principles of the Digital Marketplace overseas
September 11, 2017 11 Sep'17
HMRC should prioritise ‘basic’ customs IT system, says report

Amidst concerns that the customs declaration service won’t be ready in time for Brexit, the Institute for Government calls on HMRC to focus on getting the basics right and let innovation come later
September 08, 2017 08 Sep'17
Interview: IT disruption hits outsourcing’s legal profession

IT is disrupting almost every corner of the business world, and those who operate in the IT services are no exception, with lawyers in the sector feeling the disruption
September 07, 2017 07 Sep'17
CCS claims Technology Service 2 framework will help SMEs win more public sector IT deals

With data suggesting the proportion of public sector IT spend secured by SMEs is falling, CCS embarks on a renewed bid to help smaller firms win government contracts
September 06, 2017 06 Sep'17
European Union states question copyright law proposal

European states are questioning legality of a new copyright law proposed by the EU
September 06, 2017 06 Sep'17
IoT networks a massive sales opportunity for operators, claims GSMA

Commercial initiatives around low power wide area network infrastructure will present mobile operators with a potential $1.8tn revenue opportunity over the next decade
September 06, 2017 06 Sep'17
Leaked Brexit document shows plans for digital immigration status checker portal

Government is set to create a joined-up digital portal to check immigration status of EU citizens post-Brexit, according to leaked Home Office document
September 06, 2017 06 Sep'17
Huddle claims new ownership means "business as usual" for public sector customers

UK cloud collaboration firm Huddle confirms Turn/River as new majority shareholder, and claims the tie-up will help accelerate its growth into new markets. But what of its existing customers?
September 05, 2017 05 Sep'17
Accenture to deliver video-enabled justice to Sussex Police

Sussex Police aim to save time and increase flexibility by providing video live links for witnesses to give evidence in court
September 05, 2017 05 Sep'17
UK universities increasingly targeted by cyber criminals

Cyber attacks are turning their attention to UK universities, with research being the main prize
September 05, 2017 05 Sep'17
People with non-IT backgrounds could help fill cyber security skills gap

Organisations should look to fill cyber security roles with people who are curious and have work experience rather than focusing solely on graduates
September 05, 2017 05 Sep'17
Met Police IT strategy: CCTV footage shared through Box

The Met Police digital policing strategy is taking shape under CIO Angus McCallum, and will use Box for sharing documents and CCTV footage
September 04, 2017 04 Sep'17
HMRC denies IR35 reforms to blame for public sector IT project delays and cancellations

New research from ContractorCalculator suggests contractors have left the public sector in droves since the IR35 reforms came into force, but HMRC has a different take on the situation
September 04, 2017 04 Sep'17
Technology is needed to boost UK productivity, but not at the cost of employees

The Trade Union Congress calls for a debate about the future of employment as more roles become automated or replaced by artificial intelligence
September 04, 2017 04 Sep'17
Women still under-represented in Nordic IT despite region’s efforts

Although countries in the Nordic region are often hailed as pioneers of digital and equal worker rights, there is still gender inequality in the IT sector.
September 04, 2017 04 Sep'17
Government launches FTTP pilot for businesses, schools and hospitals

The government has released £10m to six FTTP trial projects around the UK, testing ultrafast broadband technology in businesses, schools and hospitals
September 04, 2017 04 Sep'17
AWS eyes Australian government growth

Amazon Web Services is eyeing the Australian public sector for growth, with increased budgets and IT disasters in the past pushing government organisations towards the public cloud
August 31, 2017 31 Aug'17
ICO fines council £70,000 for exposing personal data online

The ICO has issued a monetary penalty to Nottinghamshire County Council for leaving personal information exposed online for five years
August 30, 2017 30 Aug'17
UK libraries could get national online platform

The British Library has launched an 18-month project to investigate possibility of “single digital presence” through an online platform for all UK libraries
August 29, 2017 29 Aug'17
Satellite broadband beams solar eclipse footage to millions

ViaSat network supports Nasa’s solar eclipse live broadcast, streaming high-resolution images and footage around the world
August 29, 2017 29 Aug'17
Saudi Telecom Company creates cloud computing giant

The IT joint venture in Saudi Arabia will drive the digitisation of government services
August 29, 2017 29 Aug'17
UK critical infrastructure skipping security checks

Almost two-fifths of the UK’s national infrastructure providers have not completed basic cyber security steps recommended by the UK government, an FOI response shows
August 25, 2017 25 Aug'17
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan appoints first chief digital officer

Camden Council’s Theo Blackwell will lead the digital transformation of the capital city
August 25, 2017 25 Aug'17
US arrests Chinese national for using malware linked to OPM hack

US authorities have arrested a Chinese national for allegedly using malware linked to a breach of millions of records at the US federal personnel agency
August 24, 2017 24 Aug'17
Future of dark web markets not yet in question, says analyst

AlphaBay and Hansa shutdowns are unlikely to jeopardise the future of dark web markets, according to a security analyst
August 24, 2017 24 Aug'17
Government Digital Marketplace spend with SMEs exceeds £1bn but declines in 2017

Spending with SMEs through Cabinet Office Digital Marketplace framework goes over £1bn, but figures suggest SMEs getting smaller proportion of sales
August 24, 2017 24 Aug'17
Policing revamp needed to tackle rise of digital crime, says Reform report

Think tank calls for £450m increase in police digital budget and giving bosses the ability to fire officers without digital skills
August 24, 2017 24 Aug'17
UK business welcomes government post-Brexit data sharing plan

Business has welcomed government proposals for data protection to enable unhindered data sharing with the EU after Brexit
August 23, 2017 23 Aug'17
HMRC admits 2,600 parents affected by childcare website problems

Technical issues while applying for new childcare benefits caused problems for some parents – but HMRC says only 1% were affected