News

IT for government and public sector

August 28, 2019 28 Aug'19
Targeted cyber attacks, including ransomware, on the rise

Governments and healthcare institutions are prime targets of ransomware operators, a report shows
August 28, 2019 28 Aug'19
CIO interview: Network Rail plans digital factory to accelerate modernisation

The operator will enhance its multimillion-pound IT strategy with a sharper focus on areas including mobile, data and cultural change for digital transformation
August 28, 2019 28 Aug'19
Ransomware has evolved into a serious enterprise threat

Ransomware has seen a resurgence since the start of 2019, with cyber criminals changing code and tactics to target enterprises and local authorities for higher ransom payments, McAfee researchers warn
August 27, 2019 27 Aug'19
Councils deliver savings through digital initiatives

Projects under the Digital Channel Shift programme reported fivefold return on investment

August 23, 2019 23 Aug'19
IR35 reforms: HMRC defends off-payroll rules guidance against "woeful" IPSE jibes

HMRC promises there are more preparatory materials in the pipeline to help the private sector prepare for the April 2020 IR35 rules, after IPSE brands its current guidance "woeful"
August 23, 2019 23 Aug'19
Three more identity providers to withdraw from troubled Gov.uk Verify programme

Three of the five companies supporting the government's troubled digital identity scheme are pulling out, raising further questions over the viability of the £175m programme
August 22, 2019 22 Aug'19
Security pros reiterate warning against encryption backdoors

The majority of security professionals believe countries with government-mandated encryption backdoors are more susceptible to nation-state cyber attacks
August 22, 2019 22 Aug'19
A helping hand from the Nordics in the eye of the GDPR storm

Nordic IT companies are well suited to supporting enterprises in their data protection projects, even though openness is more natural to them
August 22, 2019 22 Aug'19
Student Loans Company appoints chief information officer

Stephen Campbell will be leading a complex transformation programme and handling problems including high staff turnover
August 22, 2019 22 Aug'19
NHSX aims for mental health services transformation

Digital unit of the NHS has started a discovery process focused on children and young people

August 21, 2019 21 Aug'19
Healthcare faces triple cyber threat, says FireEye

Criminal and nation-state cyber attackers are increasingly targeting the healthcare industry to steal data, carry out espionage and cause disruption, a report reveals
August 20, 2019 20 Aug'19
NHSX kicks off discovery process to revamp screening

The digital unit decides to prioritise improving the delivery of services and starts discovery exercise
August 20, 2019 20 Aug'19
Government opens new round of digital funding for councils

Grants of up to £350,000 will be invested from the £7.5m Local Digital Fund for local authorities to enhance their projects focused on innovation
August 20, 2019 20 Aug'19
YPO debuts £400m datacentre and cloud framework for local councils and schools

Procurement management organisation YPO has set live a public sector framework designed to support local authorities and educational institutions embrace hybrid cloud
August 20, 2019 20 Aug'19
Buyers think SD-WAN is too expensive and complicated

Building and maintaining an SD-WAN is perceived as a complicated endeavour, and the industry’s messages are not getting through, says a new report
August 19, 2019 19 Aug'19
Q2 shows ransomware proliferation, Kaspersky warns

Ransomware modifications have more than doubled in the past year, the number of ransomware families has grown, and the number of attempted infections is up nearly 50%
August 16, 2019 16 Aug'19
ICO to probe facial recognition at King’s Cross

UK privacy watchdog is to investigate whether the use of live facial recognition technology at King’s Cross complies with data protection laws
August 16, 2019 16 Aug'19
UK government advances plans for National Robotarium

Edinburgh-based facility National Robotarium is hoped to support the growth of national smart robotics companies
August 16, 2019 16 Aug'19
NHS readies data-driven health checks

The government takes another step towards ramping up use of data-driven technologies in the public health system, with expected benefits including reduced pressure on public resources
August 15, 2019 15 Aug'19
Australia needs to get digital identity right

A top Ping Identity executive urges Australia to put more focus on digital identity management following the government’s efforts to lay the groundwork for an open banking regime
August 15, 2019 15 Aug'19
Latest Post Office Horizon problems fixed with software update to blame

The Post Office has fixed the latest problems with its Horizon system, affecting hundreds of branches
August 15, 2019 15 Aug'19
2019 set to be another record year for data breaches

The number of data breach incidents continues to rise and looks set to reach another record this year, with the business sector first in the firing line, according to a mid-year breach report
August 14, 2019 14 Aug'19
Publicly accessible biometric database highlights key failings

The discovery of a publicly accessible database of biometric information highlights failings by the supplier, the need for supply chain security, and the challenges of using biometric data
August 14, 2019 14 Aug'19
NTT Security partners with Europol

Link-up is part of a commitment to share strategic information with partners and law enforcement to bolster threat intelligence in the global fight against cyber crime
August 13, 2019 13 Aug'19
Government drives surge in outsourcing spend

Back-office transformation is a key area of focus for the government as new deals continue to flow despite economic uncertainty, according to research
August 13, 2019 13 Aug'19
HS2 rolls out augmented reality for staff training

Immersive technology will support processes around the development of high-speed railway’s London super hub before it is built
August 12, 2019 12 Aug'19
South Wales Police starts facial recognition trial despite opposition

The use of the facial recognition app by South Wales Police marks the latest deployment of controversial facial recognition technology by police forces in the UK
August 12, 2019 12 Aug'19
Department for Work and Pensions claims payments progress

Key milestones were completed as the government department seeks to evolve its service delivery with innovations such as distributed ledger technologies
August 12, 2019 12 Aug'19
Hundreds of Post Office branches hit by new Horizon problem

Subpostmasters suffering slow running and frozen terminals while Post Office searches for a fix to issues apparently caused by a software update
August 09, 2019 09 Aug'19
Prime minister to launch fast-tracked visas for skilled workers

Prime minister Boris Johnson has urged government departments to work on a new fast-tracked visa for those skilled in sciences, and may scrap other visa caps to attract top talent
August 09, 2019 09 Aug'19
F-Secure warns of F5 Big IP-related security issue

F-Secure has discovered security issues relating to an F5 device that it says could potentially turn hundreds of thousands of load balancers into beachheads for cyber attacks
August 09, 2019 09 Aug'19
Whistleblowers: James Glenn’s battle with Cisco opens new front on cyber security

James Glenn, a 42-year-old security specialist, fought a 10-year legal battle with Cisco after blowing the whistle on serious security flaws. He lost his job, but has no regrets
August 08, 2019 08 Aug'19
Ransomware a continued threat to business, report warns

Businesses are increasingly becoming the most popular targets for ransomware, which remains a top cyber threat around the world, especially in the US, a report reveals
August 08, 2019 08 Aug'19
NHS gets £250m boost for AI and genomics

National Artificial Intelligence Lab will work on new treatments for cancer, dementia and heart disease
August 07, 2019 07 Aug'19
Digital transformation hampered by lack of C-suite support

Most organisations are driving digital projects, but only a small percentage is happy with the board support they receive, according to research
August 07, 2019 07 Aug'19
The $10bn question: Why is the US government’s JEDI cloud contract taking so long to award?

The announcement of who has won the US government’s controversial $10bn, decade-long cloud contract is nearly 12 months overdue. So what’s holding it up?
August 06, 2019 06 Aug'19
African bank foils suspected North Korean cyber attack

An African bank is among the financial institutions to be targeted by North Korea’s multi-billion dollar cyber theft campaign to support its weapons programmes
August 06, 2019 06 Aug'19
Scottish government launches £30m Cloud Services Framework with a 50% SME supplier list

Framework has gone live with 14 suppliers making the cut, who will be on hand to provide public sector organisations in Scotland with access to public, private and hybrid cloud services, as well as colocation capacity
August 06, 2019 06 Aug'19
Problems around police algorithms emerge in government debates

Information sharing across agencies, data protection and governance implications are discussed as the government attempts to appropriately use data-driven technologies
August 05, 2019 05 Aug'19
Most UK university applicants at risk of email fraud

The majority of hundreds of thousands of applicants to UK universities are at risk of email fraud before and after A-level results day, due to a failure to implement full Dmarc protection, a study reveals
August 02, 2019 02 Aug'19
CDEI concludes public engagement on online targeting

The Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation has concluded a major events programme supporting one of its upcoming reviews
August 02, 2019 02 Aug'19
Birmingham City Council ends 13-year IT contract with Capita

Local authority to bring IT services in-house, saying “the time is right to transfer the services back to the council”
August 01, 2019 01 Aug'19
IR35 reforms: Contractor poll highlights lack of faith in new UK government

Research into how the contractor community views the government and its ability to deliver the private sector IR35 reforms should provide “food for thought” for prime minister Boris Johnson
August 01, 2019 01 Aug'19
Industrial control system cyber security risk high, report warns

The industrial control system cyber risk to global oil and gas companies is high and rising, as new attack groups continue to enter the arena
August 01, 2019 01 Aug'19
Central government data infrastructure threatens digital progress

Leaders across UK public sector see their current legacy technology as a key hurdle to modernisation, according to research
July 31, 2019 31 Jul'19
Cisco pays $8.6m after whistleblower discloses security flaws in video surveillance system

James Glenn, a video surveillance expert working for a Cisco reseller in Denmark, alerted Cisco to security faults and stands to gain a share of a multimillion-dollar settlement with the US government
July 31, 2019 31 Jul'19
Middle East businesses welcome Amazon Web Services region launch

Bahrain AWS region, with three datacentres, links Middle East to AWS's global network and will help to accelerate digital transformation
July 31, 2019 31 Jul'19
Police Scotland awards National Network contract to BT

Police Scotland is embarking on a £3.9m network project as part of its wider digital transformation strategy
July 31, 2019 31 Jul'19
5G mobile networks transformative for health and social care, says TechUK

A new report produced by TechUK and the Liverpool 5G testbed shows how 5G can be used effectively in the NHS, and offers recommendations to government
July 30, 2019 30 Jul'19
UK government announces new online safety body

The UK Council for Internet Safety has an expanded scope to tackle digital abuse and will inform future policy development