News

IT for government and public sector

June 22, 2016 22 Jun'16
Singapore to block internet access for its public servants from 2017

From May 2017, most of Singapore’s public servants will not be able to access the internet from their workstations
June 21, 2016 21 Jun'16
Angus Council signs up to Scottish Wide Area Network

Angus Council has become the latest local authority in Scotland to sign up to the Scottish Wide Area Network, or Swan, for enhanced public services delivery
June 20, 2016 20 Jun'16
Lower average cost of Australian data breaches is not a sign of comfort

The average cost of a data breach to Australian organisations dropped in 2015, according to research
June 20, 2016 20 Jun'16
GDS drafts new technology code of practice

The Government Digital Service (GDS) plans to update its technology code of practice and asks stakeholders for feedback

June 20, 2016 20 Jun'16
Leaving the EU would put tech startups at risk, says Ed Vaizey

Speaking at the launch of London Technology Week, minister of state for culture and the digital economy Ed Vaizey says the digital single market is a “massive opportunity” for UK tech companies
June 17, 2016 17 Jun'16
How MI5 and MI6 gather your personal data for surveillance

Publicly released documents shed light on the many databases and sources used by the intelligence services to gather bulk personal data about UK citizens
June 17, 2016 17 Jun'16
Hays Recruitment service desk project is all gain and no pain

The firm was attracted by the many benefits of a cloud-based service desk, but chief among them was the low risk involved in implementation
June 17, 2016 17 Jun'16
Clegg unaware of GCHQ monitoring parliamentary emails

Former deputy prime minister tells a public meeting he was unaware parliamentary emails were scanned by system linked to GCHQ
June 17, 2016 17 Jun'16
Report calls for “collective approach” to health and care integration

National health and care organisations are calling for better leadership to drive integration of services and getting rid of silos
June 16, 2016 16 Jun'16
Memset laments ‘pitiful return’ on G-Cloud datacentre investments

Memset managing director Kate Craig-Wood claims public sector buyers are too entrenched in old procurement practices to make the most of G-Cloud

June 16, 2016 16 Jun'16
Builders kill Virgin broadband service to thousands of Londoners

Builders working in Brixton, south London, have severed a crucial link in Virgin Media’s trunk network, cutting broadband and cable TV services to thousands
June 16, 2016 16 Jun'16
Enfield council to deploy customer service robot

The London Borough of Enfield is starting to use a software robot, known as Amelia, to process citizen requests
June 15, 2016 15 Jun'16
Australian datacentre investments rocket due to latest enterprise IT trends

The increased use of big data, analytics, cloud and mobile technologies in Australian enterprises is driving spending in datacentre services
June 15, 2016 15 Jun'16
Hancock sets out key principles for digital transformation

Data should be a public service in its own right and the civil service need to add digital to their skillset, says Cabinet Office minister Matt Hancock
June 14, 2016 14 Jun'16
Health and care IT industry join forces to create action group to champion interoperability

29 health and social care IT suppliers launch an action group to accelerate the development of open standards in the sector
June 14, 2016 14 Jun'16
Infrastructure and Projects Authority still concerned over HMRC Aspire exit

One-fifth of the overall Aspire contract will continue to run until 2020, and the Infrastructure and Projects Authority remains concerned about HMRC's ability to manage the exit process
June 13, 2016 13 Jun'16
BT wins pan-London ICT framework contract worth up to £200m

BT will be the sole supplier for a pan-London procurement framework for ICT services, set up by three London councils
June 13, 2016 13 Jun'16
Digital skills gap costs UK economy £63bn a year

The Science and Technology Committee says the UK is facing a digital skills crisis and calls on government to publish its Digital Strategy “without further delay”
June 12, 2016 12 Jun'16
Philippines government data breach is a warning to Asean region

Security is a rising concern in the Asean region, with fears fuelled by incidents such as the recent hacking incident in Manila
June 10, 2016 10 Jun'16
IoT security: Lack of expertise will hurt, says Bruce Schneier

Government action at national and international levels is essential for addressing IoT security issues, but the relevant expertise is lacking, according to security expert Bruce Schneier
June 10, 2016 10 Jun'16
Middle East virtualisation strategies mature

CIOs in the Middle East are formulating their virtualisation strategies as the region warms to the benefits of cloud computing
June 10, 2016 10 Jun'16
Majority of civil servants don’t understand GaaP

Some 43% of civil servants don’t know what the Government Digital Service’s government-as-a-platform programme is, according to a survey
June 10, 2016 10 Jun'16
Australia knows it has a cyber security problem, but not the scale

The Australian government is aware it has a cyber security challenge, but might not understand the size of the issue, according to experts
June 09, 2016 09 Jun'16
Engage early with police on cyber crime, business told

Businesses should approach law enforcement as early as possible about cyber crime, even before they are targeted, according to an expert panel
June 09, 2016 09 Jun'16
Public-private partnerships key to fighting cyber threats, says William Hague MP

There is a need for both privacy and security, and only a network of partnerships is going to succeed in delivering that, according to William Hague MP
June 08, 2016 08 Jun'16
Poor tech choices damage productivity and cut income

Mid-sized businesses are less efficient and are losing money because they give staff the wrong computing devices to do their jobs
June 08, 2016 08 Jun'16
Citrix expands in Middle East with first Saudi Arabia office

Citrix is increasing its presence in the Middle East, opening its first office in Saudi Arabia with plans to expand into Qatar and Egypt
June 07, 2016 07 Jun'16
GDS builds cross-government IT contract dashboard

Common Technology Services director Iain Patterson wants to strengthen the relationship with departments and industry
June 07, 2016 07 Jun'16
Unlicensed software rife among Asean computer users, says BSA

The Asean region has the highest levels of unlicensed software use, according to the 2016 Global Software Survey from the Business Software Alliance (BSA)
June 06, 2016 06 Jun'16
How emails sent to and from Parliament are monitored

Government officials deny that emails sent by MPs are open to surveillance by GCHQ and NSA - we examine the evidence
June 06, 2016 06 Jun'16
‘Considerable risk’ if Post Office replaced Horizon system, says chairman

Post Office chairman Tim Parker says there would be ‘considerable risk’ associated with changing its Horizon computer system
June 06, 2016 06 Jun'16
Government reaches accord over ESN in National Parks England

The Home Office reaches an agreement with National Parks England over the provision of mobile coverage for the emergency services
June 02, 2016 02 Jun'16
More safeguards needed to protect MPs communications, claims parliamentary body

Joint Committee on Human Rights argues Investigatory Powers Bill protections are ‘inadequate’
June 01, 2016 01 Jun'16
MPs’ private emails are routinely accessed by GCHQ

Computer Weekly investigation reveals the extent of interception of MPs’ and peers’ email communications and data
June 01, 2016 01 Jun'16
Safe Harbour confusion fuels rise in demand for European datacentre space, CBRE claims

User demand for locally hosted cloud services prompts cloud firms and infrastructure providers to rapidly take-up datacentre space in Europe, CBRE research shows
June 01, 2016 01 Jun'16
Thailand province successfully trials flood simulation system

A province of Thailand is using an IT system from NEC to help it predict floods
May 31, 2016 31 May'16
Sloppy SaaS firms lose out on G-Cloud deals, research suggests

Ex-EuroCloud general secretary Lindsay Smith claims SaaS providers need to stop blaming others for their lack of G-Cloud sales success
May 27, 2016 27 May'16
25 Scottish councils seek joint chief digital officer

A group of Scottish councils are creating a digital transformation partnership to drive change across local services
May 27, 2016 27 May'16
Councils must bridge digital gap to remain relevant

The general public is not confident councils can make their digital strategies work
May 26, 2016 26 May'16
Avoiding a security nightmare at South Australia’s Catholic schools

Taking on the challenge of securing student and organisational data while ensuring easy access to resources
May 26, 2016 26 May'16
Navigating the world of cross-sector collaboration

Three very different organisations share their stories of how to make projects a success and deliver real results
May 26, 2016 26 May'16
GDS begins publication of PSN performance data

The government makes public data gleaned from its monitoring of the performance of the Public Services Network to help customers understand their networks
May 26, 2016 26 May'16
UK government details plans for National Cyber Security Centre

The objectives of the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre are to address systemic vulnerabilities, reduce risks, respond to serious incidents and nurture national cyber security capability
May 25, 2016 25 May'16
Implementation problems ‘inevitable’ in HMRC’s digital transformation, says NAO

HMRC “misjudged” impact of its transformation programme and failed to build in sufficient contingency in its plans, says National Audit Office
May 25, 2016 25 May'16
Digital Catapult creates open source permissions platform to track creative IP

The Digital Catapult innovation centre launches an open permissions platform to allow creatives to track where their content has been used
May 25, 2016 25 May'16
Theresa May agrees to review proposed bulk data collection powers

Labour welcomes the government’s commitment to review bulk data collection powers in the draft Investigatory Powers Bill, but says more change is needed to win the party’s backing
May 25, 2016 25 May'16
How The Hague solved its bike parking problem with a mobile app

City authorities in The Hague are cleaning the streets of wrecked and abandoned bicycles with the help of Kony’s mobile app platform
May 24, 2016 24 May'16
UK government announces CyberFirst bursary scheme

GCHQ will partner with other government departments and private industry to offer students a comprehensive package of financial assistance and cyber skills
May 23, 2016 23 May'16
Dutch mastering the art of big data analysis

Gathering and analysing huge amounts of data offers the promise of business efficiency and new opportunities. We look at what this all means for the once-cautious Dutch
May 23, 2016 23 May'16
UK emergency services upgrade set to save lives

The UK government introduces an open standard for emergency services’ IT systems to improve the speed and efficiency of responses to incidents
May 20, 2016 20 May'16
No trade-off between security and privacy, says Claude Moraes MEP

Any legislation on encryption should be preceded by an in depth and careful reflection process, says EU Civil Liberties Committee chair Claude Moraes
May 20, 2016 20 May'16
Copenhagen creates marketplace for trading data

Organisations in Copenhagen can buy and sell previously unavailable data on a data marketplace set up by the city government
May 20, 2016 20 May'16
HumanOps calls for improved working conditions for infrastructure operations staff

The pressure of delivering 24/7 support to IT infrastructure is taking its toll on the people tasked with caring for it, warns HumanOps advocates
May 20, 2016 20 May'16
Cabinet Office failed to manage risks around migration to shared service centres, says NAO

The government’s delayed programme to migrate back-office functions to two shared service centres is not achieving value for money, lacks an integrated business case and has failed to track additional costs incurred, says the NAO
May 20, 2016 20 May'16
CIO interview: Antti Ylä-Jarkko, city of Vantaa, Finland

The CIO of Finnish city Vantaa tells Computer Weekly why the Nordic public sector can lead the way in the use of digital
May 19, 2016 19 May'16
Digital inclusion charity demands government enforcement of web accessibility laws

AbilityNet claims government is "falling down on the job" by failing to act against firms that do not make their websites and services accessible to disabled users
May 19, 2016 19 May'16
Gov.uk Verify to go live 24 May 2016

On 24 May 2016, the government’s identity assurance platform will move from beta to “fully live”, after missing its original April go-live target
May 18, 2016 18 May'16
Cyber espionage campaign targets Ukraine separatists

Security researchers discover a surveillance operation against separatists in Eastern Ukraine using spear phishing attacks to spread previously unknown malware
May 18, 2016 18 May'16
Five suppliers get 51% of all UK government IT spending, says PAC

Public Accounts Committee (PAC) report questions government progress on growing the volume of public-sector business it gives to SMEs
May 18, 2016 18 May'16
Queen’s Speech sets out plans for Digital Economy Bill

The Queen’s Speech announced plans to make the UK a world leader in the digital economy and reiterated a commitment to making fast broadband a legal right
May 18, 2016 18 May'16
Manchester student nurses training to record patients’ information on tablets

Patientrack system, which helps assess vital signs digitally and flags up potential problems, is in use throughout several hospitals in the region
May 18, 2016 18 May'16
Government claims Electronic Communications Code reforms will boost UK network coverage

Government plans to cut costs associated with letting mobile operators build infrastructure on private land could lead to lower mobile costs for consumers, it is claimed
May 17, 2016 17 May'16
Police set for better engagement with UK tech firms

The policing lead for digital investigation and intelligence says new structures will improve engagement and collaboration between the UK tech industry and police forces
May 17, 2016 17 May'16
South Yorkshire and Humberside police forces award £41m IT contract to Sopra Steria

Two police forces have selected Sopra Steria to supply a common IT system to align business processes in a deal worth up to £41m
May 16, 2016 16 May'16
GDS urged to reinstate G-Cloud web accessibility safeguards

Public sector IT buyers risk breaking disability discrimination laws, following removal of web accessibility safeguards from G-Cloud, it is claimed
May 16, 2016 16 May'16
Cifas calls on UK government to help tackle fraud

The UK fraud prevention service is calling on the government to use the Queen’s Speech to introduce policy and legislative changes to tackle cyber and other forms of fraud
May 16, 2016 16 May'16
Childnet helps young people step up as digital leaders

Children’s charity Childnet wants to empower kids by teaching them how to become digital leaders and advise their peers about online safety
May 12, 2016 12 May'16
Government to create anti-corruption innovation hub

Together with nine other countries, the UK government will create an anti-corruption innovation hub to share innovation and best practice
May 12, 2016 12 May'16
ICO probes Google DeepMind patient data-sharing deal with NHS Hospital Trust

Data protection watchdog the information commissioner's office (ICO) investigates the NHS data-sharing deal with Google DeepMind, after a complaint from the public
May 12, 2016 12 May'16
CCS technology products framework to focus on quality, not cost

The Crown Commercial Service’s £4bn technology products and services framework opens up for SMEs and moves focus to quality rather than price
May 12, 2016 12 May'16
IT security leaders set to maintain or increase IAM spending

Senior IT decision-makers understand the need for identity and access management (IAM) systems to meet the challenges and opportunities of the digital age
May 11, 2016 11 May'16
CityFibre lights up Milton Keynes and Northampton

CityFibre opens up its metro fibre networks to b2b services in Milton Keynes and Northampton
May 10, 2016 10 May'16
Safer cycling project wins BT smart city contest

Northern Irish startup See.Sense scoops £15,000 prize in BT smart city contest after developing a connected bike light
May 10, 2016 10 May'16
Parts of Whitehall will no longer exist by 2030, says Stephen Foreshew-Cain

By 2030, parts of Whitehall will no longer exist, policy making will change and digital government will be the norm, predicts government digital chief Stephen Foreshew-Cain
May 09, 2016 09 May'16
CEO Natalie Ceeney to quit the Courts Service

Courts and Tribunal Service CEO Natalie Ceeney’s sudden departure raises questions on the future of digital courts
May 09, 2016 09 May'16
Post Office apologises as system goes down

The Post Office computer system failed on 9 May 2016, leaving sub-postmasters unable to open branches
May 09, 2016 09 May'16
EE expands 4G roll-out with satellite backhaul

EE signs communications provider Avanti to use satellite capacity for mobile backhaul on its 4G network at a number of sites in the UK
May 09, 2016 09 May'16
Two-thirds of UK businesses hit by cyber security breaches, but directors remain unaware

Two-thirds of large UK businesses are hit by cyber security attacks, but directors aren’t told about them, according to a government sponsored report
May 06, 2016 06 May'16
Socitm looks at GaaP potential for local public services

The Local Digital Coalition is “well-placed” to extend government as a platform (GaaP) services – such as gov.uk Notify, Pay and Verify – says Socitm
May 05, 2016 05 May'16
Australia closing tax loopholes, ready to grab millions of dollars from tech giants

OECD initiative and audits of some of the world’s biggest technology firms prompted the tax clampdown, outlined in a budget statement
May 04, 2016 04 May'16
Real-time data helps manage traffic in Philippines

OpenTraffic smart data platform provides free GPS information for better analysis of travel speeds and journey times in Metro Manila and Cebu City
May 04, 2016 04 May'16
Google company’s access to NHS records raises privacy concerns

A data-sharing agreement between a Google-owned firm and the Royal Free NHS trust raises privacy concerns, despite assurances that Google cannot use the data
May 03, 2016 03 May'16
Gov.uk Verify misses April go-live target

The Government Digital Service didn’t meet its target of taking identity assurance service Verify out of beta by the end of April, but is “nearly there”, according to programme director Janet Hughes
May 03, 2016 03 May'16
Southern fire services pool resources with shared command and control system

Fire and rescue services in Devon, Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire and Hampshire have joined forces to deploy modern command and control technology
April 29, 2016 29 Apr'16
Virtual desktop infrastructure set for Middle East enterprise growth

More and more IT leaders in the Middle East are considering adopting virtual desktop infrastructures, but user cases are needed to speed things up
April 29, 2016 29 Apr'16
Cyber security in Belgium will gain prominence after terror attacks

Belgium’s physical security has been branded inadequate, so how does the country’s cyber security measure up?
April 29, 2016 29 Apr'16
Saudi Arabia could warm to cloud computing, so long as regulation and connectivity keep pace

One of the world’s biggest oil producers has responded to tumbling crude prices by announcing a $2tn war chest to fund an economic diversification strategy, with IT set to be a beneficiary
April 28, 2016 28 Apr'16
Inefficient IT hampering UK government plans to reduce re-offending, says NAO

National Audit Office highlights problems such as re-keying of data and a lack of integration
April 28, 2016 28 Apr'16
Asean CIOs expect IT budget increase in 2016

IT leaders in the Asean region expect to spend more on IT this year, with big data, mobility and IoT all priorities
April 28, 2016 28 Apr'16
Government approves Elizabeth Denham as next information commissioner

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee approves Elizabeth Denham as the UK’s next information commissioner
April 28, 2016 28 Apr'16
Interview: Alistair Duggin, head of accessibility, Government Digital Service

GDS’s head of accessibility, Alistair Duggin, aims to help government departments design digital services that are accessible to everyone
April 28, 2016 28 Apr'16
Disrupting IT in the Nordics, from banks to taxis

IT is dramatically changing traditional industry sectors in the Nordic region. Computer Weekly examines the transformation
April 28, 2016 28 Apr'16
Government accepts data ethics council proposal

The government accepts the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee’s recommendation that a data science ethics council is established at the Alan Turing Institute
April 28, 2016 28 Apr'16
UFO broadband network sees promising results from pilot testing

Trials of York’s Ultra Fibre Optic (UFO) broadband service is moving ahead, with early adopters proving enthusiastic about the speeds available
April 27, 2016 27 Apr'16
Mobilising a workforce drives up performance and productivity

Mobile workers are also more creative, satisfied and loyal, says EIU study
April 27, 2016 27 Apr'16
IT outsourcing starts year with a bang

The IT outsourcing sector got off to a strong start in 2016, with sales volumes and values up
April 27, 2016 27 Apr'16
Singapore is second most cloud ready country in Asia-Pacific

Broadband quality, data privacy and pro-business regime makes Singapore the second most cloud ready country in the Apac region
April 26, 2016 26 Apr'16
HMRC weighs up desktop services and cloud collaboration

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is considering tendering for managed desktop services and an integrated cloud-based system, worth up to £215m
April 26, 2016 26 Apr'16
Interview: Janet Hughes, Gov.uk Verify programme director, GDS

As the Government Digital Service prepares to go fully live with its identity assurance service Gov.uk Verify, Computer Weekly speaks to programme director Janet Hughes
April 25, 2016 25 Apr'16
Government aims to make UK best place to innovate

The government launches a probe into barriers that stifle entrepreneurs, and creates a plan on how to drive innovation in the UK