News

IT for government and public sector

• 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

• April 25, 2016 25 Apr'16

  Australia pledges A$230m to prevent a ‘lawless’ cyber domain

  Australia's latest cyber security strategy will see the appointment of a cyber ambassador, charged with liaising with other nations

• April 25, 2016 25 Apr'16

  Indonesian internet users turn to smartphones to go online

  Organisations with a cyber footprint in Indonesia must understand most internet users in the country access online content and services on smartphones

• April 22, 2016 22 Apr'16

  Nordic corporations open their doors to tech startups

  Traditional Nordic corporations are starting to take advantage of the vibrant startup community in the region, and they are changing the way they think

• April 22, 2016 22 Apr'16

  Barnet Council audit finds some Capita services lacking

  The internal audit reports show a series of failings by supplier Capita, such as “no documented IT disaster recovery plans” and gaps in change management processes

• April 22, 2016 22 Apr'16

  New Zealand wants UK and other overseas ICT professionals to fill skills gap

  New Zealand needs ICT professionals from overseas to fill a growing skills gap

• April 22, 2016 22 Apr'16

  UK information commissioner weighs in on Privacy Shield

  It would be “very sensible” if both the EU and the US answered the questions European data protection authorities are asking about the Privacy Shield pact, according to the UK information commissioner