News

IT for government and public sector

May 22, 2015 22 May'15
Microsoft accused again over UK government lobbying practices

Further evidence has emerged of the extent to which Microsoft lobbied the UK government over its policy on open standards
May 22, 2015 22 May'15
EE and O2 go head-to-head to provide ESN mobile network

Home Office names EE and O2 among the preferred bidders to build the new Emergency Services Network
May 22, 2015 22 May'15
Worcestershire NHS Trust outsources to Computacenter

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust is enabling its member organisations to share IT following a managed services deal with Computacenter
May 21, 2015 21 May'15
CIO interview: Austerity drives joined-up council IT with Force.com

Peterborough has become a big user of software-as-a-service for council services. We speak to its IT head

May 21, 2015 21 May'15
Telstra Pacnet hack shows telcos are a prime target, say security experts

Cyber breach of Telstra’s Asian subsidiary, Pacnet, underlines the importance of cyber defences in the telecoms industry, say security commentators
May 21, 2015 21 May'15
DD4BC cyber extortion gang targets key European sectors

A gang using DDoS attacks to extort bitcoins is now targeting high-profile organisations in key sectors in Europe
May 20, 2015 20 May'15
IT system related to subpostmaster prosecutions under review by CCRC

The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) receives 20 applications from subpostmasters related to prosecutions for account shortfalls
May 20, 2015 20 May'15
Government cloud adoption hit by ongoing legacy tech investments

IT supplier Eduserv wants government departments banned from investing in legacy tech to drive up cloud adoption
May 20, 2015 20 May'15
BT and BDUK failed to make costs transparent, says report

A major report on BDUK commissioned by DCMS identifies a number of failures around the transparency of the scheme’s costs
May 20, 2015 20 May'15
US group calls to keep encryption strong as UK snoopers’ charter set to return

A coalition of top cryptologists and several large technology firms have sent a letter urging the US government to preserve strong encryption

May 19, 2015 19 May'15
GDS will not scale locally with continued bespoke approach

If the Government Digital Service (GDS) continues to develop bespoke digital services, the progress it has made to date will not scale at a local level, Eddie Copeland, head of technology at the Policy Exchange, has warned
May 19, 2015 19 May'15
ICO calls for practical approach to data protection

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has called for a more practical approach to data protection regulation
May 18, 2015 18 May'15
Socitm to launch women in IT network

Society of Information Technology Management on the hunt for partners to help launch women in IT network
May 18, 2015 18 May'15
Whitehall technology chiefs vetoed new Windows XP support deal

Government technology chiefs vetoed a new deal with Microsoft to continue Windows XP support to force laggards to move off the OS
May 15, 2015 15 May'15
UK law enforcers support snoopers’ charter

Three of the UK’s law enforcement chiefs have come out in support of a revival of the so-called snoopers’ charter to monitor electronic communications
May 15, 2015 15 May'15
IT suppliers call on new-look GDS for commitment to G-Cloud's future

In light of Francis Maude's departure from GDS, G-Cloud suppliers want assurances from the government about what's in store for the framework
May 15, 2015 15 May'15
Joanna Shields appointed junior minister

Former Tech City CEO Joanna Shields appointed parliamentary under secretary of state at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport
May 15, 2015 15 May'15
Fire services to keep Airwave Tetra radios until 2020

The Department for Communities and Local Government approves a major extension of the fire services' Firelink Tetra network to the end of 2019
May 14, 2015 14 May'15
Digital age a turning point for policing, says commissioner Leppard

Policing in the digital age will face a turning point in the next two years, according to City of London Police commissioner Adrian Leppard
May 13, 2015 13 May'15
Virgin adds Unify OpenScape UC software to public sector packages

Virgin Media Business signs an agreement to offer Unify’s OpenScape unified communciations software to public sector customers
May 13, 2015 13 May'15
Cyber threats one of top risks to financial markets, study shows

Most financial institutions cite cyber threats as a top five risk, the latest Systemic Risk Barometer Study shows
May 13, 2015 13 May'15
Ed Vaizey to continue as culture and digital economy minister

Ed Vaizey is re-appointed as minister of state for culture and the digital economy in David Cameron's post-election cabinet reshuffle
May 12, 2015 12 May'15
Matt Hancock to oversee GDS as Francis Maude steps aside

The fate of the Cabinet Office and the GDS has been decided with the appointment of two new Cabinet Office ministers
May 12, 2015 12 May'15
IT industry has positive outlook for new entrants as Conservatives begin second term

As the new government begins its term, the IT industry highlights its hopes and worries for the next five years
May 11, 2015 11 May'15
DCMS gets new boss in cabinet shuffle

John Whittingdale replaces Sajid Javid as culture secretary at DCMS as David Cameron puts together the first majority Tory cabinet in almost 20 years
May 11, 2015 11 May'15
PSNGB rebrands to drive information sharing across PSN

PSNGB, the trade association set up to promote the Public Services Network, rebrands itself as Innopsis and says its work is far from over
May 11, 2015 11 May'15
Executives fear domino effect of cyber attacks, study shows

More than half of US top executives fear the impact of cyber attacks on national infrastructure, a study shows
May 08, 2015 08 May'15
Theresa May signals Tory majority could revive snoopers’ charter

Theresa May has indicated the party could revive the so-called "snoopers’ charter" to monitor electronic communications
May 08, 2015 08 May'15
NSA phone metadata tracking ruled illegal

The US National Security Agency (NSA) bulk collection of mobile phone metadata revealed by whistleblower Edward Snowden in 2013 has been ruled unlawful by a federal appeal court
May 06, 2015 06 May'15
European Commission launches 16 steps to put single digital market in motion

The European Commission has outlined 16 initiatives to get the ball rolling on its plans for a single digital market in the European Union
May 05, 2015 05 May'15
Risky Scottish rural payment system runs 74% over original estimated spend

An IT system developed by the Scottish Government providing payments to farmers is branded a risk after exceeding budget by 74%
May 05, 2015 05 May'15
Alcatel-Lucent to target enterprise UC market

Alcatel-Lucent signs collaboration agreement with OTT unified comms firm Counterpath to target enterprise and operator customers
May 01, 2015 01 May'15
Public sector IT suppliers call on government to extend G-Cloud 5

After the Crown Commercial Service said G-Cloud 5 would not close on 22 May, public sector IT suppliers ask government to extend it even further
May 01, 2015 01 May'15
Memset blasts BT over PSN Protected deployment delays at Surrey datacentre

IaaS provider turns attention to closing down more public sector deals now PSN Protected network is finally in place
April 29, 2015 29 Apr'15
Met Police offers up to almost £200,000 for CIO role

The Metropolitan Police is offering up to almost £200,000 to fill its CIO position, which has been open since February 2015
April 29, 2015 29 Apr'15
Criminal Courts Review Commission set to review subpostmasters' claims of wrongful prosecution

The Criminal Courts Review Commission (CCRC) reviews subpostmasters' claims of wrongful prosecution by the Post Office due to IT problems
April 29, 2015 29 Apr'15
CIO interview: Jos Creese, CIO, Hampshire County Council

Jos Creese has been in his position at Hampshire Council for almost 14 years, but will be stepping down in May to pursue something new
April 29, 2015 29 Apr'15
Vodafone sends network in a backpack to Nepal earthquake zone

Vodafone’s charitable arm, the Vodafone Foundation, deploys instant mini networks to help restore communications in quake-hit Nepal
April 28, 2015 28 Apr'15
2014 saw step change in anti cyber attack collaboration, says UK official

Although 2014 was marked by an increase in cyber attacks, it also saw a new level in international cooperation to combat them
April 27, 2015 27 Apr'15
Accenture and Oracle embark on enterprise cloud adoption push

Accenture and Oracle are embarking on a joint push to make it easier for public sector and financial services firms to move to cloud
April 27, 2015 27 Apr'15
Data security remains top concern for public sector cloud procurement, says Socitm

Data security is still a concern for public sector organisations planning cloud services, says the Society of Information Technology Management (Socitm)
April 27, 2015 27 Apr'15
Obama’s emails accessed in White House breach, say officials

Hackers accessed confidential emails of the US president when they breached White House computer networks in late 2014
April 23, 2015 23 Apr'15
How should the next government shape the future of the IT industry?

As the election approaches and political parties are outlining plans to enhance the digital economy, the IT industry is bracing for the future
April 22, 2015 22 Apr'15
CSC staff on armed forces contract on strike

Staff at CSC working on the UK armed forces pension administration contract are on a five day strike following months of working to rule
April 22, 2015 22 Apr'15
Collaboration key to cyber security, says US homeland security chief

Collaboration between governments and with the private sector key to improving global cyber security
April 21, 2015 21 Apr'15
BT sets out ambition to become enterprise's cloud integrator of choice

BT outlines its 'Cloud of Clouds' vision to allow users to access cloud apps and services, regardless of where their systems are hosted
April 21, 2015 21 Apr'15
Huawei calls for global consensus on the future network

At its Global Analyst Summit, Huawei calls on the networking industry to collaborate to optimise the network for future demands
April 20, 2015 20 Apr'15
SNP calls for broadband service obligation in 2015 general election manifesto

The Scottish National Party (SNP) has called for a universal service obligation to cover provision of broadband across the UK
April 20, 2015 20 Apr'15
Post Office failed to investigate account shortfalls before legal action, report claims

Post Office too quick to take legal action against subpostmasters, finds independent report
April 20, 2015 20 Apr'15
UK startups facing too many challenges, say entrepreneurs

Startups need more support if London’s digital economy is to develop, according to business leaders at Westminster Policy Forum
April 16, 2015 16 Apr'15
Solihull Council's datacentre plans slammed by G-Cloud champions

Solihull Council is building a new datacentre with 10-20 years of capacity, much to the chagrin of industry watchers
April 16, 2015 16 Apr'15
Which election manifesto deserves to win the digital vote?

The three main national political parties competing for the 2015 general election have released their manifestos - but which is the most digital?
April 16, 2015 16 Apr'15
Harrow Council outsources IT to Sopra Steria

London’s Harrow Council has outsourced its IT services to Sopra Steria in a deal that will see the authority upgrade its IT
April 15, 2015 15 Apr'15
Infosec taking the strain as threats evolve and skills gap widens

Organisations are increasingly struggling to manage threats, according to (ISC)2 Global Information Security Workforce Study
April 15, 2015 15 Apr'15
Liberal Democrats promise to double innovation spend and 99.9% broadband roll-out

The Liberal Democrats’ general election manifesto promises to double innovation spending and roll out high-speed broadband to 99.9% of homes
April 14, 2015 14 Apr'15
Conservatives' election manifesto aims to build on digital progress

The Conservative Party's manifesto for the 2015 general election promises to continue key technology policies, including 'digital by default' services
April 14, 2015 14 Apr'15
Security risk potential linked to young, mobile users

A study conducted by wireless supplier Aruba Networks has identified a distinct cohort of high-risk, security-agnostic workers
April 13, 2015 13 Apr'15
Government IT over the last five years – the good, the bad and the digital

As the general election approaches, Computer Weekly looks back at the highs and lows of the last five years in government IT
April 13, 2015 13 Apr'15
Minor parties react to public concern over mass surveillance: Labour and Tories silent

Liberal Democrats, SNP, Plaid Cymru, UKIP and the Green Party support tighter controls on government surveillance after Snowden's revelations
April 13, 2015 13 Apr'15
Labour election manifesto highlights technology and digital skills

The Labour Party's 2015 election manifesto puts technology at the heart of policies for growth, education and public sector reform
April 13, 2015 13 Apr'15
Liberal Democrats call for digital bill of rights

The Liberal Democrats want to introduce a digital bill of rights to give people control over their own data and to criminalise corporate data theft
April 10, 2015 10 Apr'15
Cabinet Office embarks on £2.7bn replacement process for sourcing temporary staff

The Cabinet Office has kicked off a review to replace its controversial contract for sourcing temporary staff across government departments
April 09, 2015 09 Apr'15
Cabinet Office appoints new chief digital officer

The Cabinet Office has appointed Conall Bullock as its new chief digital officer, responsible for technology, information and digital issues
April 09, 2015 09 Apr'15
Bucks NHS Trust increases home visits after deploying mobile platform

Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust deploys Vodafone mobility platform for field staff to improve the quality of care for patients
April 08, 2015 08 Apr'15
Exit checks system for UK borders finally goes live

The Home Office launches a system for making exit checks of travellers at UK borders, following the scrapped e-Borders programme
April 08, 2015 08 Apr'15
Alleged White House hack highlights typical security failings, say experts

The alleged penetration of sensitive White House computer networks highlights typical security failings, say information security experts
April 07, 2015 07 Apr'15
BBC puts £230m network contract out to tender

BBC puts out tender for £230m, seven-year connectivity services contract
April 07, 2015 07 Apr'15
Critical infrastructure commonly hit by destructive cyber attacks, survey reveals

Critical infrastructure organisations are commonly targeted by cyber attacks aimed at manipulating equipment or destroying data, a survey reveals
April 07, 2015 07 Apr'15
Digital agenda streamlines public sector in Norway

While governments are eager to toot the horn of digitisation, real-world effects are still a few and far between, but Norway is aiming to change this
April 02, 2015 02 Apr'15
Sanctions against cyber attackers and spies may not be that easy

Barack Obama's executive order allowing sanctions against cyber attackers has been welcomed, but it remains to be seen if challenges can be overcome
April 01, 2015 01 Apr'15
Welsh council saves £1.4m through outsourcing

Denbighshire County Council expects to save £1.4m through a deal with Civica that sees business processes outsourced, but delivered locally
March 31, 2015 31 Mar'15
G20 data leak highlights threat of human error, say experts

News that personal data of 31 world leaders was accidentally leaked before the G20 summit in November 2014, highlights the threat of human error
March 31, 2015 31 Mar'15
Brecon Beacons National Park soups up staff comms with Unify

Brecon Beacons National Park Authority deploys Unify’s OpenScape voice technology to keep remote staff and home workers in touch
March 31, 2015 31 Mar'15
Microsoft adds ODF 1.2 to Office 365 to adhere to government demands

Microsoft will roll out the ability export documents in open document format (ODF) in Office 365, regardless of original file format, to adhere to government policy
March 31, 2015 31 Mar'15
Huawei not spying on UK, concludes Oversight Board report

A UK security probe into Huawei’s technology has concluded that the company has not presented any risk to national security
March 30, 2015 30 Mar'15
Rural payments service failed GDS assessment but still went live

The troubled rural payments digital service failed its most recent assessment by the Government Digital Service, but was still launched to farmers
March 30, 2015 30 Mar'15
Major software companies bamboozle local authorities with audits

Software companies are resorting to audits and complex licensing in a bid to make more money from existing public sector customers
March 30, 2015 30 Mar'15
Government smart meter project should be "halted, altered or scrapped"

The Institute of Directors has weighed in on the controversial smart meter rollout and called for the scheme to be halted, altered or scrapped in its current form
March 30, 2015 30 Mar'15
Google appeal ruling should send shivers through US tech companies

What are the implications of Google's legal defeat in London and the UK court's hardening attitude towards privacy breaches?
March 30, 2015 30 Mar'15
Europol chief joins call for legal tools to deal with encryption problem

Encryption has become one of the biggest problems for police and security services in dealing with threats from terrorism, says Europol chief
March 27, 2015 27 Mar'15
National Police ICT Company operational after four years of wrangling

The national Police ICT Company is operational and aims to save £465m a year – nearly four years after Theresa May proposed its creation
March 27, 2015 27 Mar'15
Supply chain an important part of information security, say experts

Business is increasingly recognising the importance of information security, but security within supply chains is still widely overlooked
March 27, 2015 27 Mar'15
UK government pays £150m to Raytheon to settle e-Borders dispute

UK government agrees to pay Raytheon £150m to settle dispute over the cancellation of e-Borders contract
March 27, 2015 27 Mar'15
Labour sets out digital government priorities in election campaign

The Labour Party has set out its digital government priorities, criticising the coalition for failing to meets targets for 'digital by default' services
March 27, 2015 27 Mar'15
Nordics' Glenna research cloud project underway

Researchers in the Nordics will soon enjoy a new cloud infrastructure from which to share systems and resources
March 27, 2015 27 Mar'15
Retiring MP aims to uncover truth of alleged Post Office computer system problems

Retiring MP James Arbuthnot is determined to get to the bottom of problems with the Post Office system that led to subpostmasters being blamed for account shortfalls
March 27, 2015 27 Mar'15
MPs slam Defra for making rural payments 'digital by default'

MPs have slammed the government’s decision to make rural payment claims from farmers a 'digital by default' service
March 26, 2015 26 Mar'15
Samsung targets business with Microsoft tools integration

Samsung has pre-installed Microsoft OneNote, OneDrive, and Skype on the new Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge, as it expands into business
March 26, 2015 26 Mar'15
Ovum urges service providers to get serious about cloud security

Analyst Ovum's report into enterprise cloud adoption warns service providers to stop treating customers' security as an afterthought
March 26, 2015 26 Mar'15
Capita accused of breaching government contract for temporary staff

Services giant Capita may have breached the terms of its government-approved contract for providing temporary workers to the public sector
March 25, 2015 25 Mar'15
Rural payment problems caused by slow system performance, says minister

Environment secretary Liz Truss has revealed that system performance issues forced the rural payments digital service to resort to paper forms
March 25, 2015 25 Mar'15
Government contract transparency will reveal supplier fees

The government has agreed to trial transparency of public sector contracts, which will require publication of fees paid to government suppliers
March 25, 2015 25 Mar'15
UK government adds five authentication providers to Gov.uk Verify identity management system

The Government Digital Service (GDS) adds five authentication providers to the Gov.uk Verify identity and access management scheme
March 25, 2015 25 Mar'15
Government seeks new £2bn consultancy deal despite concerns from SMEs

Cabinet Office setting up £2bn agreement for the purchase of consultancy services across government, despite SME concerns
March 25, 2015 25 Mar'15
GCHQ launches Cyber First scheme to find future cyber security experts

UK intelligence agency GCHQ launches pilot sponsorship scheme to train the UK’s next generation of cyber security experts
March 25, 2015 25 Mar'15
Failed FireControl project still costing taxpayers millions of pounds

Empty buildings rented for failed £469m FireControl project are still costing the taxpayer millions of pounds
March 24, 2015 24 Mar'15
Nordic nations dominate Europe's digital league table

The EC's Digital Economy and Society Index ranked Denmark, Sweden and Finland as first, second and fourth most digital European nation
March 24, 2015 24 Mar'15
MPs seek reassurance over Post Office mediation scheme

Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) select committee seeks reassurances over the Post Office mediation scheme
March 23, 2015 23 Mar'15
Half of English councils won’t reach BDUK coverage target

Almost half of local authorities in England don’t think they’ll reach the government’s 95% broadband coverage target in the allotted timeframe
March 23, 2015 23 Mar'15
Law enforcement and security agencies face big data challenge

Law enforcement and security agencies face the same big data challenge as business, according to Unisys