News

IT for government and public sector

May 11, 2017 11 May'17
Australian government bolsters IT security in budget boost

The country’s Digital Transformation Agency has been given a shot in the arm to guard public sector IT systems against cyber attacks
May 10, 2017 10 May'17
Trump’s ‘hire American’ rhetoric is stalling global IT services sector

The IT services sector is facing an important period as political decisions impact their business models
May 10, 2017 10 May'17
Nordic region competes for datacentre dominance

The Nordic region is an attractive region for datacentres as demand for cloud services in the area grows
May 10, 2017 10 May'17
Durham Police to use artificial intelligence to help decide if suspects should be held in custody

Durham Police are to use artificial intelligence to help them decide whether or not to keep suspects in custody

May 10, 2017 10 May'17
Automation can turn tables on cyber attackers

Security defenders should use automation to turn the tables on attackers, according to the CTO of the US Department of Homeland Security
May 09, 2017 09 May'17
Blockchain gains momentum in the Middle East

Blockchain is gathering pace in the Middle East, with the United Arab Emirates leading the way
May 09, 2017 09 May'17
General election: ODI hopes to see data, skills and innovation pledges in party manifestos

The Open Data Institute wants the UK’s political parties to make room for data policy in their manifestos ahead of the general election
May 09, 2017 09 May'17
Highly skilled professionals at risk of being replaced by computers

Highly skilled jobs will be replaced by artificial intelligence by 2022, says Gartner
May 09, 2017 09 May'17
Large UK businesses increasingly want CEOs to have IT background

More large businesses in the UK want a CEO that has a good understanding of IT
May 08, 2017 08 May'17
London councils look at potential for creating technology and innovation office

The Greater London Authority and a group of London boroughs are looking to create a London Office of Technology and Innovation to join up data, digital and technology innovation

May 05, 2017 05 May'17
Crossrail uses cloud software to address challenge of on- and off-boarding contractors

Railway construction company moves to cloud-based IT service management software from ServiceNow as it scales down IT users ahead of project completion
May 05, 2017 05 May'17
Ex-government privacy advisor calls for 'fundamental review' of Gov.uk Verify identity scheme

Former Cabinet Office privacy group co-chair says the Verify identity assurance programme needs 'honest and fundamental reset'
May 05, 2017 05 May'17
Lib Dems decry surveillance plans exposed in leaked documents

After the election, the UK government plans to introduce extreme mass surveillance capabilities, according to documents leaked to the Open Rights Group
May 05, 2017 05 May'17
Oracle outlines German cloud datacentre expansion plans

Database software giant claims investment in German datacentres is being fuelled by growing demand for its cloud services in Europe
May 04, 2017 04 May'17
Child protection database project plagued by delays

NHS Digital’s child protection information sharing project is suffering from low and slow uptake both among NHS trusts and local authorities
May 04, 2017 04 May'17
NHS Digital picks up pace on paperless healthcare

NHS Digital’s director of digital transformation, Beverley Bryant, says the organisation needs to demonstrate pace and agility and highlights plans for improving interoperability, standards and collaboration with suppliers
May 04, 2017 04 May'17
Combound uses AI tool to manage customer interactions

Global sales service provider Combound is using a platform with artificial intelligence to support its telephone-based sales teams
May 04, 2017 04 May'17
Metropolitan Police to hit massive IT overspend

The Metropolitan Police Service is set to massively overspend on IT as it attempts to improve digital policing
May 03, 2017 03 May'17
SAP focuses on training young Arab graduates in Middle East

SAP has a raft of initiatives planned in the Middle East which includes a strategy to equip young people and entrepreneurs with the IT skills required as the region transforms.
May 03, 2017 03 May'17
Mayor of London seeks chief digital officer

Capital’s first-ever chief digital officer will oversee the digital transformation of public services across London
May 03, 2017 03 May'17
Government privacy advisor quits and slams Cabinet Office for lack of support

Co-chair of Privacy and Consumer Advisory Group resigns and criticises officials for ignoring its advice and attempting to smuggle “inadequate proposals past ministers”
May 02, 2017 02 May'17
Indian IT services giant to increase US workforce

Infosys has committed to create 10,000 new jobs in the US as president Trump ratchets up pressure on businesses to hire Americans
May 02, 2017 02 May'17
IT outsourcing going strong in the Nordics

IT outsourcing is popular among companies in the Nordic region, but the market is changing
April 29, 2017 29 Apr'17
IS supporter Samata Ullah branded a “new and dangerous breed of terrorist"

Samata Ullah, a 34-year-old man from Cardiff who posted encryption training videos on a radical Islamic blog, is a dangerous “cyber terrorist”, a court heard on 28 April 2017
April 28, 2017 28 Apr'17
Office workers don’t appreciate the complexities facing IT staff

IT staff feel under-appreciated because office workers don't understand what they do, study shows
April 28, 2017 28 Apr'17
Facebook pledges to counteract government propaganda

Facebook has pledged to take action to stop governments exploiting its platform to influence opinion in other countries
April 26, 2017 26 Apr'17
Research: Local councils urged against rushing to adopt cloud

An academic paper, profiling the cloud adoption journeys of three local councils, cautions public sector organisations from being pressured into adopting off-premise technologies before they are ready
April 26, 2017 26 Apr'17
Globalisation creates Catch-22 for protectionists as India responds to threat of US visa clampdown

US government might have to negotiate with India before getting tough on its work visa regime
April 26, 2017 26 Apr'17
Accenture increasing Newcastle-based workforce

Accenture is expanding its operation in Newcastle with the addition of 60 recruits
April 26, 2017 26 Apr'17
Russian cyber espionage highlights need to improve email security

Security experts are advising political parties and businesses to pay more attention to email security after the latest revelations about a Russian cyber espionage group
April 26, 2017 26 Apr'17
Danish defence minister accuses Russia of cyber espionage

Government officials in Denmark believe they have been under attack from Russia-based hackers
April 26, 2017 26 Apr'17
Cyber attackers are more ambitious than ever, Symantec warns

Cyber attackers displayed new levels of ambition in 2016, according to the latest threat report from security firm Symantec
April 25, 2017 25 Apr'17
TechUK urges city mayors to put digital on the agenda

Ahead of local elections, the tech industry body calls on new mayors to lead digital from the top, appoint chief digital and innovation champions and tackle digital exclusion
April 25, 2017 25 Apr'17
Court grants Lauri Love appeal against extradition

Alleged hacker’s appeal court hearing will be the first major test of the UK’s forum bar, designed to protect vulnerable people from extradition
April 25, 2017 25 Apr'17
Huddle needs $5m equity injection or to find a buyer, as investment declaration deadline looms

Companies House documents reveal Huddle needs to raise $5m or more by the end of April or find a buyer to meet its financial obligations for the next 12 months
April 25, 2017 25 Apr'17
HMRC’s Making Tax Digital programme dropped from Finance Bill

With the 2017 Finance Bill due to pass through parliament before the general election, the government has removed HM Revenue and Customs’ digital tax programme from it, but the controversial IR35 reforms remain
April 25, 2017 25 Apr'17
City University London launches undergraduate data science course after postgraduate success

Following the success of its postgraduate data science course, London university launches undergraduate programme
April 24, 2017 24 Apr'17
SAP board member talks Middle East investment

In an interview with Computer Weekly, SAP’s chief financial officer, Luka Mucic, talks up the significance of the UAE and wider Middle East region in terms of IT transformation
April 24, 2017 24 Apr'17
Motorola brings big data digital evidence service to UK police forces

Motorola is launching a digital evidence management service to UK police forces, backed off into AWS cloud infrastructure
April 24, 2017 24 Apr'17
Digital exclusion still an issue in local government, says report

While local councillors are generally positive towards the benefits of digital technology, concerns include exclusion, connectivity and unsatisfactory data sharing arrangements
April 24, 2017 24 Apr'17
Cyber security centre of excellence to open at Cardiff University

Cardiff University and Airbus have launched the first centre of its kind in Europe to tackle cyber attacks on critical infrastructure
April 24, 2017 24 Apr'17
Criminal Courts Review Commission appoints forensic accountants for Post Office IT system cases

Investigation into claims of miscarriages of justice in relation to a Post Office accounting system has appointed a forensic accountant firm
April 24, 2017 24 Apr'17
Collaboration is key to fighting cyber crime, say UK police

Cyber crime will be defeated only through collaboration, according to UK police, the Global Cyber Alliance, Cyber Defence Alliance and Verizon
April 21, 2017 21 Apr'17
Public safety ‘imperilled’ by lack of functional and interoperable police IT, says report

Use of technology in the country’s police forces remains poor, according to chief inspector of constabulary Thomas Winsor, who is calling for a decision-making mechanism procuring, establishing and running police IT
April 21, 2017 21 Apr'17
Government puts up £23m a year for AI to boost UK economy

Business secretary Greg Clark announces Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund, committing more than £1bn over four years
April 21, 2017 21 Apr'17
PAC concerned Emergency Services Network will be undeliverable

The new Emergency Services Network could be delayed until September 2020, which could lead to the country being without the service for six months as a post-March 2020 extension of the current contract may not be possible
April 21, 2017 21 Apr'17
UK likely to face national cyber emergency, says NCSC

The UK is likely to face a level-1 cyber attack at some point in the future, according to the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC)
April 20, 2017 20 Apr'17
How to ensure tech staff gain ‘essential soft skills’

Nottingham Trent University’s infrastructure services manager explains how she has made sure her technology team have the essential soft skills they need to support users
April 20, 2017 20 Apr'17
Camden open data platform aims to blaze a trail across London

Camden council’s open data platform aims to enlist other London boroughs in a drive to be “world class”. The borough is home to leading lights of UK tech, including Google UK and BT Openreach
April 20, 2017 20 Apr'17
UK's first digital government head, Andrew Pinder, dies

Pinder was responsible for pushing the UK broadband agenda and starting the ball rolling on the digitisation of government services
April 20, 2017 20 Apr'17
Human interaction still key to cyber attacks, study reveals

An analysis of threats faced by organisations in the first quarter of 2017 reveals that cyber attackers still rely heavily on user interaction
April 20, 2017 20 Apr'17
How tech teams can reduce LGBT+ university dropout

The number of students in the LGBT community who consider dropping out of university is higher than the average, but IT teams can make some small changes which will make a big difference to this figure
April 19, 2017 19 Apr'17
Trump’s clampdown on use of immigrant IT workers may have little impact

US president's latest executive order aims to reduce the number of immigrant IT workers in the country
April 19, 2017 19 Apr'17
How Dutch university quickly connected thousands of students to new learning management system

Dutch university TU Delft is replacing its legacy learning management system after 17 years
April 19, 2017 19 Apr'17
Robotic automation takes off in the Nordics

Software robots are rapidly automating traditionally manual tasks at enterprises across the Nordic region
April 18, 2017 18 Apr'17
How to attract more women into the Gulf tech sector

Organisations in the Middle East need to increase the number of women in their IT workforces
April 18, 2017 18 Apr'17
Sarah Wilkinson to head up NHS Digital

Home Office chief digital, data and technology officer Sarah Wilkinson is leaving the department to lead NHS Digital as its CEO
April 18, 2017 18 Apr'17
Kone brings elevator maintenance online with IBM Watson and Salesforce

Lift manufacturer is using sensors and artificial intelligence to support its maintenance staff
April 13, 2017 13 Apr'17
Victoria Police to get more productive with mobile devices

Apple devices fitted with policing apps will let officers access vital information and collaborate while on the go
April 12, 2017 12 Apr'17
Government must keep EU telecoms and broadband rules after Brexit

The Broadband Stakeholder Group has published a report on the future of the broadband and telecoms sector, urging the government not to lose touch with EU regulations after Brexit
April 12, 2017 12 Apr'17
Foreign cyber attackers may have targeted EU referendum

Cyber attacks may have targeted the EU referendum website in an attempt to influence the outcome, MPs have warned
April 11, 2017 11 Apr'17
Going mobile in Moscow: city digitisation the Russian way

Computer Weekly meets with Andrey Belozerov, strategy and innovations advisor to the CIO of Moscow, to learn how the city government is taking a joined-up approach to digitisation and smart city technology
April 11, 2017 11 Apr'17
‘Can do’ attitude of DevOps teams is driving cloud-first strategies

The cloud-first strategies of businesses across sectors are maturing, with DevOps teams playing a leading role
April 11, 2017 11 Apr'17
Thurrock Council latest to put gigabit broadband in public housing

Thurrock Council will fit out thousands of publicly owned properties with gigabit fibre-to-the-premises broadband
April 11, 2017 11 Apr'17
Europol and Brazil agree co-operation on cyber crime

Brazil, which has a significant and growing cyber crime problem both as the target of international attacks and the source of regional attacks, is set to work more closely with Europol to fight cross-border crime
April 11, 2017 11 Apr'17
Kelihos botnet downed after arrest of alleged kingpin

The US has led the takedown of the international botnet Kelihos after the arrest in Spain of the Russian believed to have operated the botnet since 2010
April 10, 2017 10 Apr'17
Government outsourcing contracts to be extended due to Brexit

Government outsourcing contracts could be extended without renegotiation due to the civil service being overburdened with Brexit work
April 10, 2017 10 Apr'17
Dallas city alarm hack raises fears over vital system security

Hackers have accessed the emergency alert system in Dallas in the largest breach of its kind, raising fears about the cyber security of critical infrastructure
April 07, 2017 07 Apr'17
Home Office U-turn over IR35 contractor classifications prompts IT project delay fears

IT project delays predicted at Home Office, following reports of last-minute departmental U-turn over contractors' IR35 status classifications
April 07, 2017 07 Apr'17
HMRC on the hunt for chief digital information officer

HM Revenue & Customs are looking to hire a CDIO to lead the department’s digital agenda, with a potential salary of up to £180,000
April 07, 2017 07 Apr'17
Most UK companies not prepared for service provider failures

UK businesses are ill-prepared for the impact on their business resulting from the failure of an IT of business process supplier
April 07, 2017 07 Apr'17
Interview: Dave Perry, chief technology officer, DVLA

DVLA’s CTO talks about the agency’s plans to become a hub for digital motoring, the importance of culture, and moving away from legacy IT
April 06, 2017 06 Apr'17
CIO interview: John Seglias, CTO, Defra

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is working on replacing its legacy outsourcing contract, creating user-friendly services and transforming its digital and technology functions
April 06, 2017 06 Apr'17
IR35 reforms: Stakeholders warn of risk to public sector IT projects as contractors walk

With the IR35 reforms coming into force today, 6 April, contracting stakeholders warn of the widespread threat the changes pose to the delivery of public sector IT projects
April 06, 2017 06 Apr'17
Telenor launches IoT pilot in Norway

Telenor is opening up its IoT infrastructure in Norway to encourage students and entrepreneurs to develop IoT products and services
April 06, 2017 06 Apr'17
McAfee report reveals five challenges to cyber threat intelligence

McAfee Labs’ latest report details the challenges facing threat intelligence sharing efforts and reveals growing trends in malware, ransomware, mobile malware and other threats
April 06, 2017 06 Apr'17
Interview: F-Secure’s Mikko Hyppönen on the Nordics, Russia and the internet of insecure things

Computer Weekly sat down with Finnish cyber security expert Mikko Hyppönen to talk about security in the Nordics, Russia and the trouble with connected devices
April 05, 2017 05 Apr'17
NHS Digital plans September go-live for citizen identity service

Health and social care patients will have a single online identity verification log-in to use across health and care by autumn 2017
April 05, 2017 05 Apr'17
Northern Ireland schools to continue with Capita IT services

Two-year, £60m contract extension covers ICT services for 1,100 schools
April 04, 2017 04 Apr'17
CIO interview: Jason Caplin, chief digital officer, Barnardo's

Chief digital officer Jason Caplin is at the helm of the charity’s plans to create a shared data platform, aiming to improve social care services for children
April 04, 2017 04 Apr'17
Chinese hacking group targeted firms through IT MSPs

Security researchers have uncovered a China-based cyber espionage campaign that targeted IT services firms and their customers, underlining the need for supply chain security
April 04, 2017 04 Apr'17
IT services 'mega-child' DXC takes first steps

The merger of CSC and HPE Services is complete and the new company will focus on digital transformation
April 04, 2017 04 Apr'17
Outsourced water market IT system up and running

England’s competitive water and sewage market is now in operation, underpinned by an IT system from CGI
April 04, 2017 04 Apr'17
Housing and care industry must get ready for digital

More than half of housing associations plan to move to digital systems, but suffer from a lack of support and understanding, according to a study
April 04, 2017 04 Apr'17
IR35 reforms: HMRC 'delays' blamed for last-minute public sector compliance panic

Public sector stakeholders claim the late release of HMRC's online tax status assessment tool and its supporting IR35 legislation is causing contractors to leave projects in their droves
April 04, 2017 04 Apr'17
Workers at least mentally prepared for robots to take over some of their work

One-fifth of workers are mentally prepared for technology to take over some of their roles, but employers must do more to support them
April 03, 2017 03 Apr'17
UK nuclear stations on terror alert for cyber attacks

The cyber security industry has been urged to co-operate with government to protect UK critical national infrastructure from cyber attacks.
March 31, 2017 31 Mar'17
Rudd backs down on end-to-end encryption

Lib Dems welcome government’s apparent U-turn on seeking to restrict end-to-end encryption for popular messaging apps and online communication services
March 30, 2017 30 Mar'17
Treasury Committee 'confidence collapse' in HMRC customs IT system

The Treasury Committee is concerned HMRC’s new customs check system won’t be ready to go live by the time the UK leaves the EU
March 30, 2017 30 Mar'17
Government must avoid post-Brexit ‘tech talent cliff edge’, says techUK

As the UK prepares to leave the EU, techUK calls on the government to ensure the tech industry will not lose vital access to digital skills
March 30, 2017 30 Mar'17
GDS builds DDaT jobs framework

The Government Digital Service has created a framework to build common skills and capability across digital, data and technology roles
March 30, 2017 30 Mar'17
First cyber security startups graduate from GCHQ accelerator

The first group of companies has completed a government-led cyber accelerator programme aimed at helping UK startups take the lead in producing the next generation of cyber security systems, with another round to be announced in 2017
March 30, 2017 30 Mar'17
HMRC contractors leave over inside IR35 ruling

HMRC has begun classifying its public sector contractors as "inside IR35", prompting fears of a digital "brain drain" at the organisation
March 29, 2017 29 Mar'17
GDS digital transformation delivers mixed results, says NAO

National Audit Office report examines Gov.uk Verify uptake, GDS strategy changes, spending controls and collaboration with departments
March 29, 2017 29 Mar'17
GDS needs a clearer role, NAO is expected to say

Although the Government Digital Service has done well to change the government’s approach to digital transformation, there is a risk that its remit is still too broad, the National Audit Office is expected to say in a report due out tomorrow
March 29, 2017 29 Mar'17
Are ethical questions holding back AI in France?

France has been slow to create a strategy around the use of artificial intelligence, partly due to questions around ethics
March 28, 2017 28 Mar'17
Threats grow in Saudi Arabia’s cyber sector

Saudi Arabia's wealth makes it an attractive target for cyber criminals, but what have been the recent trends in cyber crime?
March 28, 2017 28 Mar'17
Article 50 triggers uncertainty for the tech industry

As prime minister Theresa May formally notifies the EU of Britain’s intention to withdraw its membership, the tech industry prepares to move into uncharted territory
March 28, 2017 28 Mar'17
Association of Recruitment Consultancies asks MPs to delay roll-out of IR35 reforms

The chairman of Association of Recruitment Consultancies calls for introduction of IR35 reforms to be put on hold until numerous issues pertaining to the legislation are resolved
March 28, 2017 28 Mar'17
1,000 sub-postmasters apply to join IT-related group litigation against Post Office

Group legal action against Post Office relates to allegedly faulty Horizon computer system