News

IT for government and public sector

• December 07, 2012 07 Dec'12

  UK government jobs website exploited by hackers

  Hackers have been able to exploit security flaws in a new government jobs website to steal personal information about job applicants

• December 07, 2012 07 Dec'12

  Government IT leadership team sees major reshuffle

  The government's IT leadership team is to see a major organisational reshuffle, led by Cabinet Office chief operating officer Stephen Kelly

• December 07, 2012 07 Dec'12

  Barnet councillors challenge Capita outsourcing deal

  Barnet Council’s Labour opposition will lead a challenge to the council cabinet’s decision to sign a ten-year £320m outsourcing deal with Capita

• December 07, 2012 07 Dec'12

  UK student convicted for Anonymous cyber attacks

  A leading player in the distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks by four UK youths in the name of Anonymous in 2010 and 2011 convicted

• December 07, 2012 07 Dec'12

  Antivirus systems fail to detect unknown viruses, study shows

  Less than 5% of the top 40 antivirus systems are able to detect previously non-cataloged viruses initially, a study has revealed

• December 07, 2012 07 Dec'12

  Hackers hit UN conference debating future internet governance

  A suspected hacking attack has hit the Dubai UN meeting to discuss telecoms regulations that could alter the way the internet is governed

• December 06, 2012 06 Dec'12

  Vast majority of public sector organisations lack BYOD policies

  Some 87% of public sector organisations have no formal bring-your-own-device' (BYOD) strategy, according to Freedom of Information research

• December 06, 2012 06 Dec'12

  David Cameron confirms £50m for Tech City regeneration in Old Street

  Prime Minister David Cameron announces a regeneration project for Old Street's Tech City area to build facilities for start-ups in Shoreditch

• December 06, 2012 06 Dec'12

  MPs call for wider promotion of mutuals beyond Whitehall

  Mutuals need to be effectively promoted across the whole public sector, not just Whitehall, say MPs

• December 06, 2012 06 Dec'12

  Are ‘super-connected cities’ the best investment?

  George Osborne’s pledge of £50m to bring superfast broadband to more cities is welcomed, but is it the best use of the budget?

• December 06, 2012 06 Dec'12

  Capita to cut 70% of staff in Barnet council outsourcing deal

  Barnet Council will cut 70% of staff from the back-office functions it is outsourcing to Capita in a controversial deal to automate services

• December 06, 2012 06 Dec'12

  Court to review Apple, Samsung patent verdict

  A US court is to review a jury’s decision to award Apple $1bn in damages in its patent dispute with rival Samsung

• December 06, 2012 06 Dec'12

  EC competition authorities delay Google decision

  Google could face a multi-billion euro fine as EC competition authorities debate if it has tackled issues about abusing its dominant market position

• December 05, 2012 05 Dec'12

  HMRC admits RTI budget overrun

  HMRC has run over budget with its Real Time Information (RTI) system, the PAYE system crucial to the roll-out of Universal Credit next year

• December 05, 2012 05 Dec'12

  NHS Commissioning Board publishes plans for GPs' IT

  The provision of GP IT services are to be given to Clinical Commissioning Groups, which could see doctors’ systems outsourced

• December 03, 2012 03 Dec'12

  HMRC slammed for 'undue complacency' on RTI systems

  Report labels HMRC “unduly complacent” about the roll-out of the Real Time Information (RTI) system crucial to the Universal Credit programme

• December 03, 2012 03 Dec'12

  Open Data Institute receives first £750,000 investment

  The Open Data Institute (ODI), which opens this week, has received its first investment of $750,000

• November 30, 2012 30 Nov'12

  Leeds and Bradford to get free Wi-Fi

  Leeds and Bradford have signed a deal with Virgin Media Business to get free public Wi-Fi as part of the government’ super-connected cities scheme.

• November 30, 2012 30 Nov'12

  The Ministry of Defence signs software deal with IBM

  The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has signed a deal with IBM to provide greater insight into the management of its £22.5bn property portfolio.

• November 30, 2012 30 Nov'12

  G-Cloud success depends on champions and a change in attitude

  G-Cloud director Denise McDonagh has called for public sector champions to push forward adoption of the service.

• November 29, 2012 29 Nov'12

  Cybergeddon unlikely, say experts

  Cybergeddon, a complete takedown of the internet, is within the power of some nation states, but unlikely, say security industry experts

• November 28, 2012 28 Nov'12

  G-Cloud ramps up for next generation of government IT procurements

  The G-Cloud has a new framework and calls for it to become a blueprint for all government IT procurement, but what challenges lie ahead?

• November 28, 2012 28 Nov'12

  Capita set to win £1.7bn Staffordshire outsourcing deal

  Capita has been named preferred bidder in an educational support services joint venture with Staffordshire County Council, in a deal worth £1.7bn over 20 years.

• November 28, 2012 28 Nov'12

  Public sector leads on social media use, says KPMG

  The private sector’s failure to adapt to the demands of social media poses a threat to the bottom line and reputation

• November 27, 2012 27 Nov'12

  Wolverhampton Girls’ High School goes wireless

  Wolverhampton Girls’ High School has installed wireless technology across its campus, enabling staff and students to use mobile devices

• November 27, 2012 27 Nov'12

  Zero-day exploit for Yahoo Mail goes on sale

  Hacker sells $700 zero-day exploit for Yahoo Mail that allows attacker to use cross-site scripting vulnerability to steal cookies and hijack accounts

• November 27, 2012 27 Nov'12

  Google among firms hit in Pakistan hack

  Technology firms including Google, Apple, eBay and Yahoo were among almost 300 companies whose websites were hit by Pakistan hack attack

• November 27, 2012 27 Nov'12

  Half of companies lack cyber threat knowledge

  Half of companies worldwide lack knowledge about potential security threats they may face, a global IT risks survey has revealed.

• November 26, 2012 26 Nov'12

  Security needs to be integral part of life, says McAfee

  The world is becoming increasingly connected and security and privacy are integral to modern society, says Raj Samani, CTO of McAfee Europe

• November 26, 2012 26 Nov'12

  Cyber attack reporting will boost defence capability, says Neelie Kroes

  The European Commission is considering making it mandatory for companies to report cyber attacks, says vice-president Neelie Kroes

• November 26, 2012 26 Nov'12

  Met director of information Ailsa Beaton steps down

  Ailsa Beaton, director of information at the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), has stepped down.

• November 26, 2012 26 Nov'12

  (ISC)² information security scholarships available

  (ISC)² is inviting applications for scholarships worth a total of more than £90,000 to promote information security studies

• November 26, 2012 26 Nov'12

  Apple drags more devices into patent battle with Samsung

  The number of devices that allegedly infringe patents held by Apple and Samsung continues to grow with Apple adding six more products.

• November 23, 2012 23 Nov'12

  GCHQ aims to tackle open source security clearance problem

  UK security services have begun bridging the gap that has stopped open source software getting security clearance for use in government

• November 23, 2012 23 Nov'12

  Cyber Security Challenge announces second round competitions

  The UK national Cyber Security Challenge has announced four new face-to-face competitions for the next round of the current challenge

• November 23, 2012 23 Nov'12

  Mersey Care NHS Trust moves to cloud in £3m deal

  Mersey Care NHS Trust has signed a £3m deal for cloud services, in a move intended to deliver around £1.5m in savings

• November 23, 2012 23 Nov'12

  Ofcom publishes proposals for white space devices

  Regulator Ofcom takes steps towards enabling devices to use the gaps between spectrum bands – so-called 'white spaces' – for connectivity

• November 23, 2012 23 Nov'12

  Four UK youths charged with PayPal £3.5m Anonymous cyber attacks

  Four UK youths acting in the name of hacker group Anonymous cost PayPal £3.5m with cyber attacks carried out 2010, a court has heard

• November 23, 2012 23 Nov'12

  Capita poised to take slice of Barnet Council £1bn outsourcing contract

  Capita has been named as a preferred bidder for a back-office services contract in Barnet’s controversial One Barnet outsourcing plan

• November 23, 2012 23 Nov'12

  CIO interview: Tom Baker, head of ICT, Sunderland City Council

  Tom Baker, head of ICT at Sunderland City Council, has an office in the council’s datacentre, which provides commercial hosting, VDI and a cloud service

• November 23, 2012 23 Nov'12

  European Parliament opposed to UN control of the internet

  European MPs are latest to voice concerns that the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) could get control of the internet

• November 22, 2012 22 Nov'12

  UKtech50 2012 - The most influential people in UK IT

  Computer Weekly has announced the third UKtech50, our annual definitive list of the real movers and shakers in UK IT

• November 22, 2012 22 Nov'12

  Phil Pavitt steps down as HMRC CIO

  Phil Pavitt has stepped down as HMRC’s CIO to join insurance giant Aviva as global director of IT transformation.

• November 22, 2012 22 Nov'12

  Government funds biometric cyber security research at Southampton University

  A cyber security research centre focused on biometrics is to be launched at the University of Southampton, funded by government

• November 22, 2012 22 Nov'12

  US court orders Apple disclose HTC patent deal to Samsung

  A US judge has ordered Apple to disclose to Samsung details of its ten-year patent-sharing deal with rival HTC

• November 22, 2012 22 Nov'12

  Google joins concerns that UN is set to gain control of the internet

  Google has joined US government concerns that the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) could get control of the internet through its coming revision of telecoms rules

• November 21, 2012 21 Nov'12

  70% of IT pros have considered move to NHS

  Almost three quarters of IT pros have admitted to considering a move to NHS IT for several attractive reasons, a survey has revealed.

• November 21, 2012 21 Nov'12

  Local authorities face £1bn broadband bill

  Figures from the European Commission shows central government will be the smallest contributor to the BDUK project

• November 21, 2012 21 Nov'12

  India tops rankings of countries opposed to BYOD

  Nearly half of all Indian companies have security policies prohibiting staff using their own mobile devices for work, an ISACA survey reveals

• November 21, 2012 21 Nov'12

  First tests of EE 4G network show inconsistent coverage

  The first tests of EE's 4G network show coverage for less than half of Manchester city centre and inconsistent 4G connections

• November 20, 2012 20 Nov'12

  EU gives green light to £530m superfast broadband plans

  The government has been given the green light by the European Union to roll out £530m in broadband funding, intended to bring superfast broadband to 90% of homes, and a minimum speed of 2Mbps.

• November 20, 2012 20 Nov'12

  How Midata will affect business and consumers

  The government is pushing private companies to release customer data under its Midata initiative. But what does this mean for the digital economy and who stands to benefit?

• November 20, 2012 20 Nov'12

  EU launches European Cloud Partnership steering board

  The steering board of the European Cloud Partnership has met in Brussels to build an EU Digital Single Market for cloud computing

• November 20, 2012 20 Nov'12

  World’s oldest digital computer brought back to life

  The Harwell Dekatron, a pioneering computer built from 1949 to 1951, has been fired up after 20 years in storage and a three-year restoration

• November 19, 2012 19 Nov'12

  NHS suppliers must be forced to list prices online to slash £500m overspend

  Government urged to force NHS suppliers to list prices on a comparison website to drive out £500m of overspend caused by price variation

• November 19, 2012 19 Nov'12

  Cyber criminals target Skype, Facebook and Windows users

  Cyber criminals targeted users of Skype, Facebook and Windows using multiple Blackhole exploits in October, according to security firm GFI Software

• November 19, 2012 19 Nov'12

  NHS anticipates move to G-Cloud for secure email services

  The NHS Commissioning Board is looking to use multiple secure email providers via the government’s G-Cloud framework

• November 19, 2012 19 Nov'12

  Cisco buys cloud networking company Meraki for $1.2bn

  Network equipment firm Cisco is to acquire US cloud networking supplier Meraki in a $1.2bn deal

• November 16, 2012 16 Nov'12

  Government wants suppliers to reveal UK taxes

  Government officials are considering the viability of ordering suppliers bidding for contracts to disclose the tax they pay relative to UK sales

• November 16, 2012 16 Nov'12

  Birmingham Metropolitan College cuts IT procurement time and cost

  Birmingham Metropolitan College uses cloud-based procurement to reduce the cost and time it takes to buy IT equipment

• November 16, 2012 16 Nov'12

  Evasion threat to critical systems goes ignored, says Stonesoft

  Many organisations continue to rely on ineffective intrusion prevention systems (IPS), says security firm Stonesoft

• November 16, 2012 16 Nov'12

  Cornwall outsourcing backers accused of 'undemocratic' tactics

  Cornwall County councillors are concerned that backers of a controversial BT outsourcing deal have been using "undemocratic" tactics

• November 16, 2012 16 Nov'12

  Nasa to encrypt data after latest breach

  Nasa is to encrypt all its mobile computers after the loss of a laptop containing personal information about more than 10,000 staff

• November 15, 2012 15 Nov'12

  Vast majority of GPs use electronic medical records

  Some 97% of GPs in the UK claim to use electronic medical records, according to the 2012 Commonwealth International Health Policy survey

• November 15, 2012 15 Nov'12

  Cyber security will change ideas of the nation state, says Stonesoft

  The lack of cyber security is a major threat to the civilised world and will change how people see the nation state, says security firm Stonesoft

• November 15, 2012 15 Nov'12

  First departmental sites move to Gov.uk

  Two government departments have migrated onto the Gov.uk site, as part of the first moves to bring all departmental information under a single domain.

• November 14, 2012 14 Nov'12

  Department for Education axes IT staff among 1,000 job losses

  The Department for Education is to cut IT roles among 1,000 job losses as the DfE aims to reduce headcount by a quarter

• November 14, 2012 14 Nov'12

  NHS reiterates commitment to digitise patient records by 2015

  The Department of Health has reiterated its commitment to get all patient records online by 2015

• November 13, 2012 13 Nov'12

  DWP CIO Philip Langsdale oversees Universal Credit overhaul

  The Department for Work and Pensions CIO Philip Langsdale oversees an overhaul of the DWP’s flagship Universal Credit programme

• November 13, 2012 13 Nov'12

  G-Cloud framework the model of the future, says Liam Maxwell

  The G-Cloud should be held up as a model for how to do frameworks in government, according to deputy government CIO Liam Maxwell

• November 13, 2012 13 Nov'12

  Will the ICO’s 'big stick' approach backfire long-term?

  The ICO claims to be about helping organisations to do the right thing, yet it punishes those that report breaches. Is this really a good policy?

• November 13, 2012 13 Nov'12

  UK citizens back pre-emptive cyber strikes, poll shows

  Nearly two-thirds of UK citizens back pre-emptive cyber strikes on states that pose a credible threat to national security, a survey has revealed

• November 13, 2012 13 Nov'12

  Seven firms chosen to provide government's Identity Assurance service

  Seven firms have been chosen to provide the Identity Assurance service required for applicants to the new Universal Credit welfare scheme

• November 13, 2012 13 Nov'12

  NHS set to challenge ICO fine

  An NHS trust is to challenge a monetary penalty notice issued by the Information Commissioner's Office in a case that could set an important precedent

• November 13, 2012 13 Nov'12

  MPs quiz Google over UK tax avoidance

  The Public Accounts Select Committee asks Google northern Europe vice-president Matt Brittin to explain why Google pays so little UK tax

• November 13, 2012 13 Nov'12

  Many UK firms underestimate cost of data breaches, study finds

  Many UK organisations are still failing to understand the implications and costs of data breaches, a study has revealed

• November 13, 2012 13 Nov'12

  Windows head Steven Sinofsky leaves Microsoft

  Steven Sinofsky, the head of Microsoft's Windows division, has left – with immediate effect – only three weeks after the launch of Windows 8

• November 12, 2012 12 Nov'12

  Hacking attempts to top one billion in Q4, predicts NCC Group

  One billion hacking attempts will be made globally in the final quarter of 2012, according to information assurance firm NCC Group

• November 12, 2012 12 Nov'12

  BT wins Wiltshire and South Gloucestershire broadband contract

  Telecoms giant BT has won yet another of the BDUK contracts for rolling out superfast broadband, but it is still waiting for approval from the EU

• November 12, 2012 12 Nov'12

  Software issues risk delaying Universal Credit by one year, according to reports

  The IT underpinning the government’s flagship £2.2bn Universal Credit programme is again being called into question

• November 12, 2012 12 Nov'12

  Millions worldwide use insecure browsers, says Kaspersky

  Nearly a quarter of all internet users worldwide are running outdated browsers, creating huge gaps in online security, says Kaspersky

• November 12, 2012 12 Nov'12

  Apple and HTC bury the hatchet

  Rival smartphone makers Apple and HTC have settled all outstanding disputes over patents

• November 09, 2012 09 Nov'12

  Parliament reviews Microsoft Silverlight for Open Hansard platform

  Parliament's ICT office is concluding a two-year review of whether to purge Microsoft's Silverlight multimedia technology from its IT systems

• November 09, 2012 09 Nov'12

  BlackBerry 10 approved for US government

  RIM's yet-to-be-launched BlackBerry 10 platform has been awarded the US government’s security certification

• November 09, 2012 09 Nov'12

  Twitter apologises for unnecessary hacking warnings

  Twitter has apologised after telling members their accounts had been hacked and forcing them to reset their passwords

• November 09, 2012 09 Nov'12

  Stuxnet hit Chevron’s systems, the energy giant admits

  US energy giant Chevron has revealed that it was hit by the Stuxnet virus in 2010

• November 08, 2012 08 Nov'12

  Get involved in forming new data rules, says Information Commissioner

  Proposals for new EU data protection framework are over-engineered and need work, says Information Commissioner Christopher Graham

• November 08, 2012 08 Nov'12

  Pensions watchdog signs G-Cloud deal

  The government’s Pensions Ombudsman has signed a deal for a case management system via the G-Cloud.

• November 07, 2012 07 Nov'12

  Barnet councillors scrutinise outsourcing proposals, despite vote loss

  Councillors in Barnet will continue to scrutinise a £1bn outsourcing programme, despite the council leader surviving a confidence vote over the issue

• November 07, 2012 07 Nov'12

  Dogs to have their day in mobile security campaign

  The UK Cyber Security Challenge has announced the winner of its Can You Talk Security? competition devised by BT and Get Safe Online

• November 07, 2012 07 Nov'12

  Government departments get go-ahead to use iPhones for sensitive data

  Government departments have been given the go-ahead to use iPhones to send and receive sensitive emails

• November 07, 2012 07 Nov'12

  Microsoft to drop Windows Live Messenger for Skype

  Microsoft has announced it intends to "retire" its instant message chat tool Windows Live Messenger in favour of Skype's messaging tool

• November 07, 2012 07 Nov'12

  Police arrest man for DDoS attacks on Theresa May sites

  Police have arrested a 41-year-old man in connection with a cyber attack on websites connected to home secretary Theresa May

• November 07, 2012 07 Nov'12

  Government launches cyber incident response scheme

  The government has announced a scheme to help UK organisations respond effectively to the increase in cyber attacks

• November 06, 2012 06 Nov'12

  IT security workers must support business needs, says Ernst & Young

  IT security professionals must better support their firms' business needs, according to the Ernst & Young Global Information Security Survey 2012

• November 06, 2012 06 Nov'12

  Government seeks public-private partnerships to tackle cyber threats

  Public-private partnerships are key to the UK’s cyber security strategy, says Cabinet Office minister Chloe Smith

• November 06, 2012 06 Nov'12

  Universal Credit programme director Malcolm Whitehouse steps down

  Malcolm Whitehouse, programme director for the government's £2.2bn Universal Credit project, has stepped down

• November 06, 2012 06 Nov'12

  Government confirms digitisation plans in Digital Strategy

  The government has confirmed its plans to save billions of pounds per year by digitising transactions in the publication of its Digital Strategy

• November 05, 2012 05 Nov'12

  Security Think Tank: Essential security questions for M&As

  What is the role of IT security professionals in mergers and acquisitions?

• November 05, 2012 05 Nov'12

  Microsoft sells discount Windows 8 devices to schools

  Microsoft teams up with RM Education and Intel for the Shape the Future scheme to get Windows technology ‘in the hands of every child’