News

IT for government and public sector

• September 27, 2016 27 Sep'16

  Yahoo breach underlines need for Security Serious Week

  The recently disclosed Yahoo data breach shows that no business is immune, underlining the need to raise awareness and improve practices, say the organisers of Security Serious Week

• September 26, 2016 26 Sep'16

  Ministry of Justice IT systems are ‘fragile and precarious’, say MPs

  Public Accounts Committee calls on ministry to urgently improve its “inefficient” IT systems to avoid delays to service transformation

• September 23, 2016 23 Sep'16

  Government mishandling smart meter roll-out, says committee

  The Science and Technology Committee accuses the government of being unclear on the benefits of gas and electricity smart meters, and mishandling aspects of the national roll-out

• September 23, 2016 23 Sep'16

  Government enlists startups to develop exporters’ network

  The Department for International Trade selects two startups to help it build an artificial intelligence, peer-to-peer knowledge network

• September 23, 2016 23 Sep'16

  BBC opens up about holographic TV trials

  Broadcaster reveals how it is attempting to pre-empt the potential change in viewing habits the rise of augmented reality could bring

• September 23, 2016 23 Sep'16

  UK government partners with tech startups on cyber security

  Applications are open to cyber security startups for the first of two cyber innovation centres to receive £50m over five years, as part of the government’s £1.9bn National Cyber Security Programme

• September 23, 2016 23 Sep'16

  Case study: Housing & Care 21 makes digital advances

  The retirement housing and care services provider has launched its first digital system in a care home and will no longer install analogue systems across its estate

• September 22, 2016 22 Sep'16

  Government’s lack of clear plan for digital NHS poses risk to ‘credibility’

  The King‘s Fund warns that the government’s plans for a digital NHS lack clarity around funding and priorities

• September 21, 2016 21 Sep'16

  IBM opens first Nordic cloud datacentre

  Oslo datacentre is IBM’s 12th in Europe and 48th globally and will target large and small enterprises and startups to offer services

• September 19, 2016 19 Sep'16

  Australia adopts British internet of things framework

  Australia is adopting an internet of things standard that was developed in the UK to help improve security, among other things

• September 19, 2016 19 Sep'16

  Surrey and Borders NHS Trust launches IoT trial for dementia patients

  A major trial of IoT technology in the homes of vulnerable dementia patients could pave the way for a revolution in how elderly care is delivered in the NHS

• September 19, 2016 19 Sep'16

  MoJ appoints new chief digital and information officer

  Tom Read, currently digital boss at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, will replace Arif Harbott as chief digital and information officer at the Ministry of Justice

• September 16, 2016 16 Sep'16

  Alleged hacker Lauri Love can be extradited to the US, court rules

  Westminster Magistrates’ Court has ruled that alleged hacker, Lauri Love, can be extradited to the US, where he could face a 99-year prison sentence

• September 16, 2016 16 Sep'16

  Yorkshire and Humber CSI gets joint command and control system

  Scientific support services organisation buys system from Sopra Steria as part of regional collaboration programme

• September 16, 2016 16 Sep'16

  DWP to begin private beta roll-out of CIS database

  The Department for Work and Pensions has been giving its customer information system an overhaul, and will begin deploying it to a limited number of users this month

• September 15, 2016 15 Sep'16

  UK justice system set for ‘wholesale shift’ to digital

  £1bn programme is latest government plan to transform courts with better use of technology

• September 15, 2016 15 Sep'16

  GDS takes over DWP Digital Academy and gets ‘national presence’

  More changes ahead for Government Digital Service as Cabinet Office minister Ben Gummer tells staff they will be moving to east London as the organisation takes over the DWP Digital Academy

• September 15, 2016 15 Sep'16

  Emergency Services Network a risky proposition, say auditors

  The Emergency Services Network is untried, untested and carries significant implementation risk, according to the National Audit Office

• September 15, 2016 15 Sep'16

  Cabinet Office role in information security in government not clear

  The UK government has work to do to reduce complexity of security policies, according to the NAO

• September 14, 2016 14 Sep'16

  National Cyber Security Centre boss plans to scale up DNS filters

  National Cyber Security Centre boss Ciaran Martin sets out plans to launch a countrywide firewall, blocking malware and fight hackers

• September 14, 2016 14 Sep'16

  NHS trusts and suppliers not ready for end of N3 network

  Network integrator Updata has warned that NHS organisations and network suppliers must mobilise now to get ready for the transition to the Health and Social Care Network next year

• September 14, 2016 14 Sep'16

  MPs split on BT Openreach and broadband USO

  At the second reading of the controversial Digital Economy Bill, MPs debated the future of BT and Openreach and the proposed universal service obligation for broadband

• September 13, 2016 13 Sep'16

  UK SMEs have false sense of cyber security

  Many small businesses have the mistaken impression that they are safe from cyber attacks and the huge damage they can cause

• September 13, 2016 13 Sep'16

  Scottish local government appoints CDO and CTO

  Chief digital officer and chief technology officer will drive forward the digital transformation strategy of 27 Scottish councils

• September 13, 2016 13 Sep'16

  Scotland begins new superfast broadband procurement

  Scottish government issues prior information notice to kick off new procurement to deliver 100% superfast broadband access across the country

• September 12, 2016 12 Sep'16

  Australian council removes costly bottleneck with traditional storage architecture

  Redland City Council chose to return to a traditional storage architecture when it was struggling to get rates notices out in good time

• September 12, 2016 12 Sep'16

  The way of all flash in Asean

  Are all-flash arrays the hottest storage technology in Asean and is it only a matter of time before flash will replace hard drives for all hot and warm data?

• September 12, 2016 12 Sep'16

  Aberdeen City Council begins Swan network roll-out

  Aberdeen City Council has begun work on a regional fibre network to enhance digital services under the auspices of the Capita-run Scottish Wide Area Network framework

• September 12, 2016 12 Sep'16

  HP Inc to pay over $1bn for Samsung printers

  HP Inc has agreed to take over Samsung’s printing business, with disruption in the copier market its aim

• September 09, 2016 09 Sep'16

  CIO interview: Changing supplier relationships at the MoD

  Mike Stone says when he became the MoD's CIO the organisation's IT was far behind modern best practice – but now it has a ground-breaking cloud deal

• September 09, 2016 09 Sep'16

  GDS looks for councils to pilot Gov.uk Verify

  The Government Digital Service plans to launch two pilot projects and is looking for councils to trial the identity assurance service free of charge

• September 08, 2016 08 Sep'16

  Understanding criminal underground key to defence, says Trend Micro

  Studying criminal undergrounds provides clues as to how to plan cyber defences, says Trend Micro researcher

• September 07, 2016 07 Sep'16

  Government must be servant of the people, says Ben Gummer

  Cabinet Office minister Ben Gummer reiterates government commitment to SMEs and reveals he has given GDS “two new large pieces of work” since taking office

• September 07, 2016 07 Sep'16

  NSA used Iraq war to develop surveillance capability, documents show

  As the controversial Investigatory Powers Bill inches closer to becoming law, NSA documents reveal that the agency used the Iraq war to develop and expand its surveillance infrastructure

• September 07, 2016 07 Sep'16

  Basic security could have prevented OPM breach, says report

  Basic security controls and malware-detection tools could have prevented the breach of more than 21 million records at the US Office of Personnel Management in 2015, claims a congressional report

• September 07, 2016 07 Sep'16

  Managed services could be key to connecting up siloed IT in Middle East organisations

  Organisations in the Middle East will increasingly look for managed services to connect up their IT as they embark on digital transformation

• September 07, 2016 07 Sep'16

  A quarter of local council procurement policies do not support use of G-Cloud, research shows

  Latest research by public sector-focused IT provider Eduserv sheds further light on reasons why local councils have been slow to adopt the G-Cloud procurement framework

• September 06, 2016 06 Sep'16

  Use ransomware to get security buy-in, says Trend Micro CTO

  Ransomware is one of the top cyber threats to business, but organisations should use that to engage stakeholders and review processes and defences, says Trend Micro CTO Raimund Genes

• September 06, 2016 06 Sep'16

  DWP "seriously considered" suing IT suppliers over Universal Credit failure

  Institute for Government report reveals that during the 2013 “reset” of Universal Credit, the Department for Work and Pensions pointed fingers at suppliers

• September 05, 2016 05 Sep'16

  Silverstone Circuit pilots smart transport service at 2016 British MotoGP

  Silverstone Circuit tests InterDigital’s oneTransport traffic flow management service at the 2016 British Grand Prix MotoGP

• September 05, 2016 05 Sep'16

  Simulated cyber attack in London adds finalists to 2016 UK Cyber Security Challenge

  Ten would-be cyber warriors head to the final of the UK Cyber Security Challenge after showing off their skills to prospective employers in dealing with a simulated cyber attack

• September 02, 2016 02 Sep'16

  Cheshire councils face complaints over proposed 12-year ERP contracts

  The Crown Commercial Service confirms two complaints about a proposed joint council IT procurement framework – offering contracts up to 12 years in length – have been raised

• September 02, 2016 02 Sep'16

  Cloud collaboration boosts Cumbria County Council's disaster response abilities

  How Cumbria County Council tackled the unsanctioned use of cloud services within its organisation and improved the robustness of its disaster response in face of December 2015's Storm Desmond

• September 01, 2016 01 Sep'16

  DWP joins up digital, data, security and IT

  After the departure of its business transformation director, Kevin Cunnington, the Department for Work and Pensions is reorganising its digital design and IT teams

• August 31, 2016 31 Aug'16

  Cyber security breaches reported to ICO double in a year

  An increase in cyber security incidents reported to the Information Commissioner’s Office is further evidence of the need to shift to automated, artificial intelligence-led defences, says Huntsman Security

• August 30, 2016 30 Aug'16

  Asean ministers discuss Europol equivalent in Singapore

  Governments in Southeast Asia are considering setting up a regional equivalent of Europol to help fight cyber crime

• August 30, 2016 30 Aug'16

  UAE firms look to light fidelity technology to enable IoT applications

  LED-based connectivity slated as key component of internet of things-related deployments

• August 30, 2016 30 Aug'16

  Westpac bank launches Databank data protection service

  Australia's Westpac bank is offering organisations that share customer data a service that it says securely locks down personal information

• August 30, 2016 30 Aug'16

  Jeremy Corbyn launches Labour digital manifesto

  Labour leader pledges a digital revolution, with a £25bn investment in high-speed internet, digital citizen passports and open source software

• August 26, 2016 26 Aug'16

  Department for Work and Pensions to recruit chief data officer

  The Department for Work and Pensions is looking to hire a chief data officer with a potential salary of around £130,000

• August 26, 2016 26 Aug'16

  Computing GCSE continues to rise in popularity, but grades drop

  The number of girls taking computing at GCSE level has more than doubled with more students taking the subject than ever before, but grades are dropping

• August 25, 2016 25 Aug'16

  French submarine maker data breach highlights challenges of IP security

  French naval contractor data breach proves that protecting intellectual property is challenging, say security experts

• August 24, 2016 24 Aug'16

  UK organisations still not taking ransomware seriously

  Security experts say UK organisations are not taking ransomware attacks seriously enough, after two studies reveal that tens of UK universities and NHS Trusts have been attacked

• August 23, 2016 23 Aug'16

  Singapore models entire country in 3D with smart map

  Singapore authorities are creating 3D maps of the entire country to help organisations in the public and private sector make better planning decisions.

• August 23, 2016 23 Aug'16

  Interim Gov.uk Verify boss sets out future priorities

  Jess McEvoy looks at potential for re-use of the government’s identity assurance platform in both public and private sector

• August 22, 2016 22 Aug'16

  How Middle East CIOs can steer business strategy

  The perception of the role of CIO at organisations in the Middle East is gradually shifting from back-end support to business enabler

• August 22, 2016 22 Aug'16

  DWP digital experts brought in to help assess plans for Government Digital Service

  The new GDS chief Kevin Cunnington has turned to his former DWP colleagues to help as he prepares his plans for the team

• August 19, 2016 19 Aug'16

  No alternative to bulk surveillance powers, says Anderson report

  The government welcomes a review of the controversial Investigatory Powers Bill that found there is no viable alternative to the bulk data collection powers proposed by the bill

• August 16, 2016 16 Aug'16

  GDS loses another senior exec with departure of Gov.uk Verify’s Janet Hughes

  Following the departure of GDS boss Stephen Foreshew-Cain earlier this month, Gov.uk Verify director Janet Hughes has announced she’s leaving too

• August 16, 2016 16 Aug'16

  TfL’s 24-hour tube API retains app compatiblity

  TfL extends its open data API to support London’s 24-hour tube service, with TfL saying the API won’t break existing apps

• August 16, 2016 16 Aug'16

  No appetite among ISPs to become broadband USO provider, says Ofcom

  Ofcom’s summary of responses to its consultation over the proposed broadband universal service obligation reveals that many service providers do not want to take on the job

• August 16, 2016 16 Aug'16

  MoD launches £800m futuristic tech fund

  The Ministry of Defence plans a Dragons’ Den-type competition for futuristic technology ideas such as dragonfly drones, mobile robots and laser weapons

• August 15, 2016 15 Aug'16

  HMRC ramps up digital tax plans

  HM Revenue and Customs launches six consultations on its plans to digitise the tax system and promises free software to small businesses

• August 15, 2016 15 Aug'16

  Disaster Tech Lab brings emergency internet to refugee camps

  Voluntary organisation Disaster Test Lab deploys ruggedised Cradlepoint technology to provide mobile connectivity to 18 refugee camps in Greece

• August 12, 2016 12 Aug'16

  Newcastle and Gateshead take public Wi-Fi network to the streets

  Newcastle and Gateshead councils have extended their public Wi-Fi network for a further 10 years with assistance from BT and the government

• August 11, 2016 11 Aug'16

  IT business confidence in UK drops by a fifth

  Brexit is set to shake-up the IT industry, given many tech firms run European head offices in the UK

• August 10, 2016 10 Aug'16

  Prisons to get power to remotely pull plug on illicit mobile phones

  The Home Office is to give prisons in the UK new powers to cut off illicit use of mobile phones by inmates

• August 10, 2016 10 Aug'16

  UK well equipped to protect data after Brexit, says new ICO head

  The public sector, industry, civil society and the public at large all have a role to play in effective data protection regulation, says new UK information commissioner Elizabeth Denham

• August 10, 2016 10 Aug'16

  IPT fines Police Scotland for communications breach of privacy

  The case comes as the UK government prepares to introduce the Investigatory Powers Bill, which will give sweeping powers for suspicion-less surveillance of telephone, web and email communications

• August 10, 2016 10 Aug'16

  MI5 staff repeatedly overrode data surveillance rules

  Security service MI5 is responsible for 210 “clear contraventions” over five years for the way it accessed private internet and telephone data

• August 09, 2016 09 Aug'16

  PwC Australia uses gamification to teach cyber security lessons

  With the number of cyber incidents identified by Australian organisations more than doubling in the past year, PwC is using an online game to give enterprises first-hand experience of what it means to face a cyber attack

• August 08, 2016 08 Aug'16

  Home Office dishes out £23m to digital policing projects

  A range of digital policing projects across England and Wales have been awarded funding from the police transformation fund

• August 08, 2016 08 Aug'16

  Strider cyber attack group deploying malware for espionage

  Symantec security researchers have uncovered a spying campaign by a previously unknown group using modular malware as stealthware

• August 08, 2016 08 Aug'16

  CIO interview: Omid Shiraji, interim CIO, Camden Council

  Camden Council’s interim CIO talks cloud migration, partnerships and digital leadership in local government

• August 08, 2016 08 Aug'16

  CityFibre nears end of Edinburgh fibre broadband roll-out

  Urban fibre broadband supplier CityFibre is nearing the end of a 12-month, 150km network dig in Edinburgh, its largest project to date

• August 05, 2016 05 Aug'16

  GDS ‘will not be broken up’, says new boss Kevin Cunnington

  The new GDS boss promises to continue the work of his predecessors and vows that the organisation will retain digital leadership of the public sector

• August 03, 2016 03 Aug'16

  Will Whitehall power struggle cripple Government Digital Service?

  After losing its second leader in less than a year, does the Government Digital Service stand any chance of a successful future?

• August 03, 2016 03 Aug'16

  Blockchain could be decades away for Australian enterprises

  Blockchain use by Australian enterprises could be decades away despite the hive of activity around the technology

• August 03, 2016 03 Aug'16

  Government considers use cases for blockchain

  A government Select Committee met with industry experts to discuss the potential for using blockchain in and outside of the UK government

• August 03, 2016 03 Aug'16

  Asean consumers divided on digital satisfaction

  SAP survey reveals 47% of Asean consumers are satisfied with their digital experiences, while 20% are dissatisfied

• August 02, 2016 02 Aug'16

  White House efficiency reforms will limit new datacentre investments from January 2017

  US government CIO Tony Scott outlines the next wave of reforms designed to curtail datacentre use by public sector agencies and departments

• August 01, 2016 01 Aug'16

  Stephen Foreshew-Cain confirms he is leaving GDS

  Head of Government Digital Service is leaving after nine months in the role, to be replaced by the Department for Work and Pensions’ Kevin Cunnington

• August 01, 2016 01 Aug'16

  IT boss Mark Dearnley to leave HMRC

  HMRC’s chief digital and information officer is returning to the private sector in the midst of the department’s Aspire contract exit

• August 01, 2016 01 Aug'16

  Canadian government reveals ‘right cloud’ adoption strategy for public sector organisations

  Government plans G-Cloud-like resource to help public sector CIOs procure cloud services more easily

• July 31, 2016 31 Jul'16

  DWP director Kevin Cunnington set to take over as new head of Government Digital Service

  Kevin Cunnington, currently director general for business transformation at DWP, is taking over as the new head of the Government Digital Service

• July 28, 2016 28 Jul'16

  Revealed: The battle for GDS – how Whitehall mandarins are trying to carve up digital strategy

  Insiders say senior civil servants want to break up the Government Digital Service and return IT to its previous departmental model

• July 28, 2016 28 Jul'16

  MI5 accused of compromising security court

  Judges at the UK's most secret court were persuaded not to disclose the existence of secret intrusive data on the population after briefings and lunch with MI5's deputy director general

• July 28, 2016 28 Jul'16

  UK’s top security judges struggle to assess privacy threats

  Technological advancements make it difficult for the Investigatory Powers Tribunal to assess privacy threats, say the tribunal’s own judges

• July 27, 2016 27 Jul'16

  Digital Greenwich joins forces with University of Surrey for 5G smart city tests

  Collaboration will investigate “smarter” ways to cope with challenges related to transport, health, energy and the built environment

• July 27, 2016 27 Jul'16

  Accenture to move HMRC tax system to private cloud

  HMRC has awarded Accenture a contract that will run until 2020 to digitise the UK tax system

• July 27, 2016 27 Jul'16

  Warwickshire and West Mercia police select Saab to update shared control room

  Warwickshire and West Mercia combine emergency and contact centre systems using Saab Group’s Safe unified control room system

• July 27, 2016 27 Jul'16

  Gov.uk Notify notifications system starts to be used for live digital services

  Status updates system is latest part of the government-as-a-platform strategy from the Government Digital Service

• July 26, 2016 26 Jul'16

  No barrier to trial in UK, Lauri Love extradition hearing told

  British hackers, including members of Anonymous, have been tried in the UK, despite causing serious damage to US computer systems, a court hears

• July 26, 2016 26 Jul'16

  Date set for landmark hearing into EU-US data transfers

  Irish court hearing triggered by Austrian law student Max Schrems could have huge implications for EU-US trade and the data privacy rights of millions of EU citizens

• July 26, 2016 26 Jul'16

  Government tests use of social media accounts for verifying online user identity

  Online public service users may be asked to allow access to their Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter accounts to help prove they are who they say they are

• July 25, 2016 25 Jul'16

  Skills shortage and poor IT infrastructure hinder tech adoption by Asean governments

  EIU report highlights governments’ desire for better use of data, including cloud access

• July 25, 2016 25 Jul'16

  Estonia seeks UK datacentre to protect citizens' personal data from hackers - report

  The Baltic state is reportedly in early stage talks with the UK and Luxembourg governments about setting up a backup site in either country to protect citizens’ data from risk of hackers

• July 22, 2016 22 Jul'16

  Jihadists’ digital tools revealed

  A report by dark web intelligence firm Flashpoint reveals how jihadist groups use common security and other tools to hide their digital communications from national security forces

• July 22, 2016 22 Jul'16

  UK government needs 2,800 extra digital staff to deliver current plans

  Head of the National Audit Office highlights risks from a 'digital capability' gap across Whitehall

• July 21, 2016 21 Jul'16

  Almost half of UK's largest councils lack cloud strategy, Eduserv FOI study reveals

  Eduserv study into cloud take-up inside local authorities suggests council CIOs are still over-invested in on-premise technology