News

IT for government and public sector

• November 29, 2016 29 Nov'16

  Group litigation against Post Office in Horizon system dispute prepares for next stage

  Postmasters’ legal case against the Post Office claims that computer system is to blame for losses, not false accounting or theft

• November 28, 2016 28 Nov'16

  Surrey County Council extends BT PSN contract for two years

  Council’s contract for Unicorn network, which provides a fully managed and integrated voice and data communications service, extended to 2021

• November 28, 2016 28 Nov'16

  HMRC geared up to block 500 million phishing emails a year

  HMRC is first department to implement technology to block phishing emails as part of UK government’s active cyber defence programme and self-testing strategy

• November 28, 2016 28 Nov'16

  Petition to force MPs to consider debate on surveillance bill

  Open Rights Group has called on parliament to debate the Investigatory Powers Bill and review it in light of pending court actions, after petition against the bill tops 100,000 signatories

• November 28, 2016 28 Nov'16

  SMEs still struggle to get foothold in public sector market

  TechUK survey shows there are still barriers to small companies gaining access to public sector procurement despite government efforts

• November 25, 2016 25 Nov'16

  US Navy breach highlights third-party cyber risk

  The personal details of more than 130,000 current and former US Navy personnel have been exposed in a breach linked to the compromise of third-party supplier’s laptop

• November 25, 2016 25 Nov'16

  Experts attack Digital Economy Bill for lack of data-sharing safeguards

  Group of 26 experts criticises Digital Economy Bill for vague information-sharing provisions and lack of safeguards, calling on the government to take action

• November 23, 2016 23 Nov'16

  Are Asean organisations ready for blockchain technology?

  Blockchain promises to increase the efficiency and security of transactions in industries way beyond its financial services roots. But what does it mean in the Asean region?

• November 23, 2016 23 Nov'16

  Chancellor Phillip Hammond announces £400m investment in tech startups

  Promises made in the chancellor’s autumn statement include major investment in venture capital to innovative startups and a £390m boost to future transport tech

• November 23, 2016 23 Nov'16

  Nasscom lowers sales growth prediction for India’s IT industry

  Nasscom lowers the rate at which it expects revenues for the Indian IT services industry as a whole to grow, citing domestic and global issues in its revision

• November 23, 2016 23 Nov'16

  Government offers five-year tax holiday on new fibre networks

  In his Autumn Statement, Chancellor Philip Hammond confirms a massive cash injection for broadband and 5G, and announces business rate cuts for new fibre broadband network builds

• November 23, 2016 23 Nov'16

  IBM, HPE and T-Systems compete for Europe-wide €5.3m hybrid cloud contract

  European research groups confirm details of who made it through to next stage of their hybrid cloud procurement process

• November 23, 2016 23 Nov'16

  High-assurance identity top priority for government and finance

  The UK government and financial sector is working together to meet the need for high-assurance identity globally

• November 22, 2016 22 Nov'16

  Alibaba to open datacentre in Australia

  Alibaba Cloud will open a datacentre in Sydney by the end of 2016 as part of its global expansion

• November 22, 2016 22 Nov'16

  Derbyshire Constabulary picks O2 and Airwave to mobilise police officers

  Derbyshire Constabulary is to outfit its frontline police officers with smartphones and applications in an attempt to improve visibility and efficiency

• November 22, 2016 22 Nov'16

  Alleged hacker Lauri Love’s ‘life will be destroyed’ under Trump regime

  Supporters fear for activist Lauri Love if his extradition to face hacking charges to the US goes ahead

• November 22, 2016 22 Nov'16

  Dutch IT ministry needed to take digital lead

  Whenever the media covers a failed Dutch government IT project, the question is always asked whether the government should have a ministry of IT

• November 22, 2016 22 Nov'16

  UK needs ‘radical thinking’ to deal with post-Brexit challenges, says Corbyn

  Labour leader says Britain needs to respond to the fourth industrial revolution and leaving the EU by harnessing innovation

• November 21, 2016 21 Nov'16

  IBM to triple size of UK datacentre footprint by opening four new sites in 2017

  Big blue claims datacentre expansion plans represent its largest country-specific cloud datacentre investment to date

• November 21, 2016 21 Nov'16

  UK industry to increase innovation spend because of Brexit

  British businesses are committed to “making the best of Brexit” and 70% plan to increase or maintain their innovation spend

• November 21, 2016 21 Nov'16

  PM Theresa May promises £2bn extra R&D investment

  Prime Minister wants to put post-Brexit Britain “at the cuttIng edge of science and tech” and announces an extra £2bn annual investment in research and development

• November 18, 2016 18 Nov'16

  Ordnance Survey to lay groundwork for UK 5G networks

  The government has asked Ordnance Survey to develop a planning and mapping tool to help determine the future locations of 5G mobile network infrastructure

• November 17, 2016 17 Nov'16

  Smart meter benefits millions of pounds less than first thought, admits BEIS

  The gross financial benefit from the national smart meter rollout could be hundreds of millions of pounds less than first thought, but the costs of the programme are still rising

• November 17, 2016 17 Nov'16

  Home Office confident in Emergency Services Network delivery despite risks

  The Public Accounts Committee has begun its inquiry into the controversial Emergency Services Network, taking evidence from suppliers, emergency services and the Home Office

• November 17, 2016 17 Nov'16

  Investigatory Powers Bill looks set to become law

  Rights groups have vowed to continue to oppose the controversial Investigatory Powers Bill, which is now just two steps away from becoming law

• November 16, 2016 16 Nov'16

  National Police Chiefs’ Council sets out strategy for digital policing

  UK police chiefs aim to improve data sharing, integrate IT functions, improve digital intelligence and make digital interactions easier by 2025

• November 16, 2016 16 Nov'16

  Government data security confusing, finds PAC

  A Public Accounts Committee hearing shows the government’s data and cyber security landscape is chaotic and confusing

• November 16, 2016 16 Nov'16

  UK almost bottom of OECD pile for ICT investment

  The UK ranks low in terms of how much it invests in the ICT infrastructure as a proportion of GDP

• November 15, 2016 15 Nov'16

  Government launches digital trade platform

  The Department for International Trade launches an online digital trade hub to help businesses gain access to international markets

• November 15, 2016 15 Nov'16

  Amber Rudd orders Lauri Love extradition to US to face hacking charges

  Engineering student Lauri Love faces trials in three US states and a possible 99-year jail sentence for allegedly hacking into US government computer systems as part of a political protest, despite concerns over his health

• November 14, 2016 14 Nov'16

  NHS England selects eight projects for second tranche of healthcare innovators

  Latest projects in NHS Innovation Accelerator programme include IT platform for end-of-life care and text-based appointment booking system

• November 11, 2016 11 Nov'16

  National Cyber Security Centre to trial cyber defence initiatives on government

  NCSC technical director Ian Levy details some of the initiatives being pursued as part of its Active Cyber Defence Programme

• November 11, 2016 11 Nov'16

  GDS strategy aims to 'take digital transformation further'

  An early draft of the new Government Digital Transformation Strategy, seen by Computer Weekly, aims to tackle the challenge of breaking down civil service IT siloes

• November 11, 2016 11 Nov'16

  GDS aiming for 25 million users of Gov.uk Verify by 2020

  Early draft of new GDS strategy reveals an ambitious target for its identity assurance service

• November 10, 2016 10 Nov'16

  Government must tread carefully on AI ethics

  Science advisor Mark Walport voices concerns around transparency, accountability and personal security with regard to the use of artificial intelligence by the government

• November 10, 2016 10 Nov'16

  US information security lobby group hopeful of reform under Trump

  The Internet Security Alliance is hopeful that the Trump administration will take decisive action on shoring up US cyber security policy

• November 09, 2016 09 Nov'16

  HP sponsors cyber security research chair at Birmingham University

  Five-year research collaboration agreement will support government efforts to address cyber security challenges

• November 09, 2016 09 Nov'16

  Capita’s GP support contract service failings ‘unacceptable’, says public health minister

  Members of Parliament criticise Capita for failing to deliver appropriate services as part of its NHS primary care outsourcing contract

• November 08, 2016 08 Nov'16

  Human-machine teaming key to cyber defence, says Intel Security

  Intel Security is working with a select group of customers on developing systems to enable human-machine teaming to get the best of both worlds in applying cyber threat intelligence

• November 08, 2016 08 Nov'16

  European agencies seek to bolster co-operation on cyber crime

  Fifth annual joint workshop seeks to foster better co-operation between national cyber incident response teams and law enforcement agencies to establish a network to discuss topics of mutual interest

• November 08, 2016 08 Nov'16

  SSE Enterprise Telecoms doubles network footprint in Capita deal

  SSE Enterprise Telecoms set to expand national Ethernet connectivity service for business customers, while Capita and Updata get additional strength for outsourcing projects

• November 07, 2016 07 Nov'16

  Google cloud platform heats up the cloud market in Asia

  Google is set to inject more life into the Southeast Asian cloud market with new products and local datacentres

• November 04, 2016 04 Nov'16

  Social care IT lacks interoperability, research finds

  NHS Digital wants social workers to help improve IT and technology in social care as research finds challenges and concerns in the sector

• November 04, 2016 04 Nov'16

  CCS technology products framework goes live with strong SME focus

  More than 50% of the 68 suppliers awarded a place on the Crown Commercial Service’s £4bn technology products and services framework are SMEs

• November 04, 2016 04 Nov'16

  Failure to prepare for cyber attack could be catastrophic, warns Ted Koppel

  Veteran investigative reporter Ted Koppel says a cyber attack on the US power grid is likely, but preparations for such an event are not up to scratch

• November 03, 2016 03 Nov'16

  Police forces struggle with complex IT and a lack of digital skills, says watchdog

  The latest report from police watchdog HMIC discovers that a lack of skills in digital and complex IT systems are major challenges for modern police forces

• November 03, 2016 03 Nov'16

  DWP’s state pension success due to ‘minimum IT changes’

  The Department for Work and Pensions met its deadline for introducing a new state pension system by making very few changes to IT systems and delaying the development of a digital service, says the National Audit Office

• November 02, 2016 02 Nov'16

  Australia and New Zealand IT pros on bigger salaries than UK equivalents

  Aussie IT pros are better rewarded than their counterparts in the UK, according to surveys

• November 02, 2016 02 Nov'16

  GDS starts to fill vacancies in leadership team after recent executive departures

  Government Digital Service chief Kevin Cunnington announces two new appointments, after the departures of five former directors

• November 01, 2016 01 Nov'16

  UK government re-announces £1.9bn cyber security spend

  Five-year spending increase - announced by Chancellor Philip Hammond 12 months after George Osborne did so - will support new UK cyber security strategy

• October 31, 2016 31 Oct'16

  IT industry development is an obvious choice for Bahrain

  Bahrain is a gateway to the Middle East for multinationals, and to the world for locally grown IT startups

• October 31, 2016 31 Oct'16

  GDS needs to ‘re-equip’ to support digital transformation

  Institute for Government report says the government could save £2bn by 2020 through digital, but calls GDS to re-establish and evolve its role

• October 28, 2016 28 Oct'16

  SDN trailblazer Big Switch Networks launches in UK

  Having established a base of paying customers through a key partnership with Dell, SDN supplier Big Switch Networks is opening its first European offices and gunning for Cisco’s ACI business

• October 28, 2016 28 Oct'16

  Hundreds of IT contractors let go and projects put on hold as DWP denies rumours of overspend

  Hundreds of digital and technology projects are under review at the Department for Work and Pensions - but department denies rumours of budget overspend

• October 28, 2016 28 Oct'16

  Home Office extends Fujitsu outsourcing deal

  IT outsourcing deal extended until 2018 as Home Office plans transition to smaller suppliers

• October 27, 2016 27 Oct'16

  Tech industry helps drive GDP growth post-Brexit

  The technology sector is one of the key drivers behind the UK economy’s 0.5% growth in the months following Brexit

• October 27, 2016 27 Oct'16

  GDS loses yet another senior leader as CTO Andy Beale quits

  Government Digital Service chief technology officer Andy Beale is the fifth senior executive to leave since appointment of new chief Kevin Cunnington

• October 27, 2016 27 Oct'16

  Government launches inquiry into Emergency Services Network

  The Public Accounts Committee is to scrutinise the controversial Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme

• October 26, 2016 26 Oct'16

  NHS North Central London needs £180m to enable digital health and care

  The North Central London local health and care economy submits its draft sustainability and transformation plan to NHS England, but criticises the process for lack of focus on social care

• October 25, 2016 25 Oct'16

  Hundreds of thousands of public sector jobs automated by 2030

  Repetitive roles in the UK public sector will be decimated as organisations replace people with automation technology

• October 24, 2016 24 Oct'16

  GDS faces review by public spending watchdog

  National Audit Office wants to review Government Digital Service's relations with Whitehall departments as a result of 2015 rural payments IT problems

• October 24, 2016 24 Oct'16

  More than 100 MPs ask Obama to halt extradition bid against Lauri Love

  UK MPs across all parties call for US president to save activist from extradition to the US on hacking charges on humanitarian grounds

• October 21, 2016 21 Oct'16

  Interview: Kevin Cunnington, director general, Government Digital Service

  The government’s new digital chief talks about his plans for the future and the challenges of transforming public services

• October 21, 2016 21 Oct'16

  Defence secretary announces £265m funding to boost UK cyber defences

  Defence secretary Michael Fallon has promised funding to get rid of “cyber vulnerabilities” in the UK, as he also revealed the government is using “offensive cyber” against Daesh

• October 21, 2016 21 Oct'16

  UK first to bring surveillance under rule of law, says former GCHQ director

  Former GCHQ head David Omand says the UK will be the first country in Europe to legislate to regulate digital intelligence and put it under judicial supervision with judicial review

• October 21, 2016 21 Oct'16

  GDS goes nationwide to ease relations with government departments

  Government Digital Service aims to open more regional outposts for training civil servants in digital skills, says new chief Kevin Cunnington

• October 20, 2016 20 Oct'16

  Armed forces minister wants military recruiters to "think different" to attract cyber security pros

  Armed Forces minister Mike Penning says military must rethink how it recruits trainees to attract people with the cyber security skills the country needs to protect itself

• October 19, 2016 19 Oct'16

  Asean countries deepen joint efforts against global cyber threats

  Asean Cyber Capacity Programme (ACCP) launched in Singapore to fund cyber security efforts across the region.

• October 19, 2016 19 Oct'16

  Cloud backup saves data after fire destroys school

  Data from The Academy secondary school in the seaside town of Selsey was restored just hours after a fire destroyed most of the premises, thanks to a cloud backup agreement set up a year earlier

• October 19, 2016 19 Oct'16

  Ministry of Defence CIO Mike Stone set to leave in early 2017

  Ministry of Defence IT chief will depart in March next year, becoming the latest of several high-profile government technology leaders to quit

• October 19, 2016 19 Oct'16

  Matt Hancock calls for market to lead on full FTTP broadband

  Digital and culture secretary used his keynote speech at Broadband World Forum to call for a national market-led fibre-to-the-premise roll-out, and pledged government support to make it happen

• October 19, 2016 19 Oct'16

  Ireland to follow UK in setting up national cyber security centre

  The Republic of Ireland plans to set up a national cyber security centre and education programme to improve the security of critical infrastructure, businesses and citizens

• October 19, 2016 19 Oct'16

  Cabinet Office needs to get shared service centres back on track, says PAC

  Cabinet Office must “act now” to avoid wasting more money on its delayed programme to migrate back-office functions to two shared service centres, according to a PAC report

• October 19, 2016 19 Oct'16

  Snowden: the IT analyst turned whistleblower who exposed mass surveillance

  Oliver Stone's biopic on Edward Snowden reaches the heart of the ethical crisis posed by mass surveillance for the state and ordinary citizens

• October 19, 2016 19 Oct'16

  Information security needs to cast recruitment net wider, says panel

  Companies struggling to fill info sec roles should focus on finding people who can do what they need, not on qualifications, according to a security industry panel

• October 18, 2016 18 Oct'16

  Saving Lauri Love: activists plan their next move

  An eclectic bunch of activists, charity workers and reformed hackers spent a rainy Sunday afternoon plotting their next move in a campaign to save Lauri Love from extradition to the US on hacking charges

• October 18, 2016 18 Oct'16

  DCMS appoints director general for digital and media

  Matthew Gould is taking on the role as director general for digital and media to help build “digital ecosystems” and promote innovation

• October 18, 2016 18 Oct'16

  Desktop virtualisation growth to continue in Asean region

  Despite barriers such as cost of implementation and customer preference for mobile technologies, desktop virtualisation will see steady growth in the Asean region

• October 17, 2016 17 Oct'16

  Intelligence agencies collected personal data unlawfully for a decade, says IPT

  UK intelligence agencies have been collecting communications data on the population without adequate oversight for over a decade, according to the Investigatory Powers Tribunal

• October 17, 2016 17 Oct'16

  Bromley signs two-year extension with Liberata

  London borough’s contract with Liberata will not end until 2020 as the local authority signs an extension worth up to £22m

• October 14, 2016 14 Oct'16

  Digital Economy Bill lacks clarity on data sharing, experts say

  The Digital Economy Bill needs to firm up its definitions on data sharing and improve transparency to avoid losing public trust, according to experts

• October 14, 2016 14 Oct'16

  Focus on SME broadband to build Northern Powerhouse, says report

  SMEs in the north of England need a defined government strategy on broadband and skills if they are to flourish, says a thinktank

• October 13, 2016 13 Oct'16

  CIO interview: Mia Forsäng, Swedish municipality Vara

  Despite moving on to pastures new, the former CIO at Swedish municipality Vara tells Computer Weekly how she used her people skills to transform the IT department

• October 12, 2016 12 Oct'16

  Government to name and shame departments failing to secure email

  The NCSC is piloting various cyber security intiatives with government departments such as Dmarc and other email security measures, and plans to name and shame those which fail to comply

• October 12, 2016 12 Oct'16

  Isle of Man signs up for new policing platform

  The Isle of Man’s police force sign up for the Connect policing platform – the largest IT investment the island’s police force has made in a decade

• October 12, 2016 12 Oct'16

  G7 sets financial sector cyber defence guidelines as attacks grow

  G7 countries have agreed cyber security guidelines in response to concerns about the safety of interconnected global financial systems that are increasingly coming under attack, according to Symantec

• October 11, 2016 11 Oct'16

  Singaporean organisations face stiff competition for junior IT professionals

  Singaporean multinationals are no longer the default employers of talented IT professionals in the Asean region as a vibrant startup community and growth in other countries turns heads

• October 11, 2016 11 Oct'16

  IR35 dispute prompts mass walkout of IT contractors from MoD agency

  Public sector IT contractors leave UK Hydrographic Office en masse over IR35 clampdown, Computer Weekly understands

• October 11, 2016 11 Oct'16

  Three-quarters of UK policing websites lack secure encryption

  A quarter of UK policing websites have secure foundations, but half have room for improvement, and the remaining quarter are in need of serious and urgent improvement, according to the Centre for Public Safety

• October 11, 2016 11 Oct'16

  Middle East CISO Council CEO warns of global cyber security storm

  Cyber security issues will be a major theme at this month’s GITEX Technology Week 2016 conference in Dubai

• October 10, 2016 10 Oct'16

  Another senior leader leaving GDS as data director Paul Maltby to go

  Three directors of Government Digital Service have departed since appointment of new director general Kevin Cunnington in August

• October 10, 2016 10 Oct'16

  Singapore: a nation united on its digital future

  Singapore is setting itself to be a leader in the digital age, with a reorganised government department the protagonist

• October 10, 2016 10 Oct'16

  Corbyn appoints Louise Haigh shadow minister for digital economy

  Sheffield MP Louise Haigh replaces Chi Onwurah as shadow minister for the digital economy in Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn’s reshuffle

• October 10, 2016 10 Oct'16

  Smartwatches banned from UK Cabinet as EC plans IoT security standards

  The EC is planning a security certification scheme for internet of things devices as the UK Cabinet bans smartwatches amid heightened fears of cyber espionage

• October 10, 2016 10 Oct'16

  More virtualisation to come in mature Australian market

  Australia has been hailed as a rapidly growing market for mobile virtualisation

• October 07, 2016 07 Oct'16

  Singapore launches department to drive digital public services

  GovTech agency will work with public sector organisations, the IT industry and citizens to apply technologies to government services

• October 07, 2016 07 Oct'16

  The Alan Turing Institute secures $5m of Microsoft cloud investment

  UK data science research institute secures Microsoft funding to accelerate its machine learning and analytics work

• October 06, 2016 06 Oct'16

  IT professionals in Singapore reap high rewards

  IT pay rates in Singapore dwarf those in neighbouring countries and could be increased further due to an emerging skills gap

• October 06, 2016 06 Oct'16

  Ofcom opens consultation on extra spectrum for 5G mobile

  Ofcom is seeking input from industry and stakeholders on bringing parts of the 3.6GHz to 3.8GHz radio spectrum bands into use to support 5G networks

• October 06, 2016 06 Oct'16

  NSA contractor arrest for spying underlines insider threat

  Malicious insiders are still one of the biggest threats and a popular means of data theft, according to famous spy catcher Eric O'Neill and other security industry experts