News

IT for retail and logistics

June 20, 2017 20 Jun'17
Tesco customers miss out on deliveries due to tech fault

A glitch in the supermarket’s store-side systems has meant Tesco’s deliveries to customers have been delayed
June 20, 2017 20 Jun'17
Nordic CIO interview: René Engman, Viking Line

Viking Line CIO tells Computer Weekly about his strategy for meeting the upcoming EU General Data Protection Regulation
June 19, 2017 19 Jun'17
Australia’s blockchain adoption at tipping point

Although blockchain is no silver bullet, experts say Australian organisations should embrace and invest in the technology
June 16, 2017 16 Jun'17
Russia’s startups and corporations hook up at Startup Village

Annual IT event Startup Village in Russia saw blockchain take centre stage and support from the country’s government

June 15, 2017 15 Jun'17
Finnish mobile operators opt-out from free EU roaming

Finnish mobile operators have been exempted from new European Union data roaming rules for now
June 14, 2017 14 Jun'17
Cloud service maturity up in the Nordics

Nordic businesses are increasing their use of the cloud, but more work is needed to make investments support business strategies
June 14, 2017 14 Jun'17
Storage performance testing vital, says ex-Morrisons IT chief

Former Morrisons head of technology says testing and monitoring storage performance is key to avoiding outages and getting the benefits from infrastructure upgrades
June 13, 2017 13 Jun'17
UAE telco Etisalat to pilot 5G

CTO says company is committed to trials and commercial launch of 5G in the UAE and the rest of the Middle East
June 13, 2017 13 Jun'17
Nordic CIO interview: Juha Penttilä, Valio

CIO at Finnish dairy company is trying to make its IT department proactive rather than just fixing problems
June 12, 2017 12 Jun'17
London Tech Week: Brexit won’t harm London tech sector, says city’s mayor

London mayor Sadiq Khan opens London Tech Week and says Brexit will not hold back the city's growing tech sector

June 12, 2017 12 Jun'17
Wickes customers hit by ‘system-wide’ online ordering problems

Computer Weekly understands a “system-wide” issue is affecting the home improvement firm's online delivery bookings, as well as its click-and-collect services
June 12, 2017 12 Jun'17
Telematics firm on track for growth with managed SIMs and IoT

Fleet-tracking company Protrack is using a managed SIM card and internet of things services to improve its customer services posture and enter new markets
June 09, 2017 09 Jun'17
Infosec17: UK business should be working on GDPR compliance, says ICO

With less than a year to the deadline for compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation, all companies should have assessed what they need to do and should be working on that, says the Information Commissioner’s Office
June 09, 2017 09 Jun'17
Non-EU IT professionals in the UK at an all-time high

Survey shows IT business analysts, architects and systems designers, web design and development specialists are the most common skills being brought in
June 08, 2017 08 Jun'17
Smart farming, IoT only way to feed growing population, says Beecham report

A report from IoT sector analyst Beecham says the agricultural industry will need to embrace smart farming methodologies to support the growing human population
June 07, 2017 07 Jun'17
Infosec17: IoT security regulation coming, warns Bruce Schneier

A security expert urges the security industry to engage with government to ensure that regulation of IoT security is smart regulation
June 05, 2017 05 Jun'17
GE digital facility in Paris introduces its first set of startups to customers

The first five software developers to graduate in GE's Foundry are now in front of the company’s customers
June 02, 2017 02 Jun'17
GDPR about change management, says startup DPO

There are threats and risks associated with the GDPR, but one data protection officer believes organisations should focus on the business opportunities instead
June 02, 2017 02 Jun'17
Kmart cyber attack highlights PoS vulnerabilities

The cyber attack on Kmart should be a major wake up call for retailers to review the security of their point-of-sale systems, say security experts
June 01, 2017 01 Jun'17
Shopping centre giant Intu launches startup incubator programme

Intu has partnered with L Marks to launch a startup incubator programme to help advance UK retail and cater to modern consumer habits
May 31, 2017 31 May'17
UK issues record data protection fines in the past year

The UK was one of the most active regions for regulatory enforcement action in Europe last year in terms of fines and enforcement notices issued over data protection
May 31, 2017 31 May'17
WannaCry shows validity of risk-based security, says RSA head

WannaCry and other recent cyber attacks underline the importance of adopting a risk-based approach to security, says RSA president
May 31, 2017 31 May'17
Hundreds of sub-postmasters have applied to join IT-related legal action since March

The number of sub-postmasters who claim to have suffered as a result of a faulty Post Office IT system has reached 1,300
May 31, 2017 31 May'17
Norwegian bakery chain gets the taste of mobile reporting

Baker Brun, a bakery company in Norway, is modernising its business processes through the latest technologies
May 30, 2017 30 May'17
Taiwan’s OwlTing taps blockchain to improve food safety

The e-commerce company is using blockchain technology to provide consumers with greater transparency on food sources and production processes
May 25, 2017 25 May'17
UK businesses urged to prepare for GDPR

With one year to the compliance deadline, the Information Commissioner’s Office has urged UK firms to seize the business benefits of being GDPR-ready
May 25, 2017 25 May'17
Finding customer data is big hurdle to meeting GDPR right to erasure

Global organisations do not know where customer data is stored and use unreliable data removal methods to erase content, a study shows
May 24, 2017 24 May'17
US retailer Target agrees $18.5m data breach settlement

A breach settlement with 47 US states has taken the cost of the 2013 data breach at retailer Target to more than $220m
May 23, 2017 23 May'17
Three-quarters of internet of things projects are at risk of failure

At Cisco’s IoT World Forum in London, the network supplier releases statistics suggesting that most IoT projects are at risk of, or doomed to, failure
May 22, 2017 22 May'17
Middle East largely unscathed after WannaCry cyber attack

The impact of WannaCry on the Middle East was reduced due to the attack falling on a weekend, but it is a stark warning
May 18, 2017 18 May'17
Half of CIOs have no Brexit plan because of uncertainty

Uncertainty caused by the UK leaving the EU has caused a pause in activity for half of CIOs, while the others are accelerating their digital transformation
May 17, 2017 17 May'17
Smart Dubai works with United Nations on smart cities index

Dubai is becoming a world leader in smart city developments and international organisations want to tap its experience
May 17, 2017 17 May'17
CIO interview: Ibrahim Gokcen, Maersk

The first chief digital officer at Danish shipping giant Maersk tells Computer Weekly how he is taking on the digital challenge
May 17, 2017 17 May'17
London digital sector continues to grow faster than rest of UK

The gap between the number of digital tech firms in London and the rest of the UK is growing
May 17, 2017 17 May'17
Startup aims to improve web access for disabled people

Essential Accessibility is on a mission to make online services more friendly to disabled people through a mix of assistive technology and consultancy
May 16, 2017 16 May'17
Most younger shoppers want to buy goods directly through social media

Shoppers aged 20 and under are increasingly interested in buying goods directly through social media, as well through subscription-based retail services and voice-activated devices
May 16, 2017 16 May'17
Colt extends high bandwidth network into Finland

Network and datacentre provider will expand its high bandwidth IQ Network to Helsinki to offer pan-Eurasian and local connectivity
May 16, 2017 16 May'17
Financial services CISOs prioritise GDPR – but their service providers might not have

Survey shows 52% of CISOs working in the finance sector have made compliance with the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation an investment priority
May 15, 2017 15 May'17
More than half of consumers trust reviews over retailer advice

Consumers are now more trusting of other customers and product reviews than they are of advice given by retailers
May 15, 2017 15 May'17
Toys R Us introduces tablets for store staff

Toy and games retailer Toys R Us is trialling the use of tablets for store assistance to provide a better customer service experience
May 12, 2017 12 May'17
ICO reports record number of data breaches and fines

The UK privacy watchdog reports that it has dealt with more data breach reports and issued more fines in the past year than ever before
May 11, 2017 11 May'17
Tech packages to help Singapore SMEs go digital

Small and medium-sized enterprises in Singapore can now take advantage of a slew of pre-approved IT products to stay competitive
May 11, 2017 11 May'17
Made.com trialling real-time chat for customer advice

Online retailer Made.com has partnered with Hero so showroom staff can chat live with online shoppers to help with queries and shopping decisions
May 11, 2017 11 May'17
Paymentless retail could be the future, says Barclaycard VP of strategy and innovation

The ideal in-store customer experience would be for payments to be an invisible part of the shopping process, says Barclaycard’s vice-president of strategy and innovation
May 11, 2017 11 May'17
Addison Lee uses common customer transport tech to offer luxury couriering

Addison Lee is well known for being a business-focused private hire firm in and around London, but as competition has increased the firm has refocused its use of tech to provide courier services to customers and retailers
May 10, 2017 10 May'17
Trump’s ‘hire American’ rhetoric is stalling global IT services sector

The IT services sector is facing an important period as political decisions impact their business models
May 10, 2017 10 May'17
Nordic region competes for datacentre dominance

The Nordic region is an attractive region for datacentres as demand for cloud services in the area grows
May 10, 2017 10 May'17
Blockchain economy on the horizon

Blockchain technologies will enable many new and disruptive business models than the internet itself, an expert predicts
May 09, 2017 09 May'17
Highly skilled professionals at risk of being replaced by computers

Highly skilled jobs will be replaced by artificial intelligence by 2022, says Gartner
May 09, 2017 09 May'17
Large UK businesses increasingly want CEOs to have IT background

More large businesses in the UK want a CEO that has a good understanding of IT
May 08, 2017 08 May'17
IoT platform takes apartments into the cloud in Stockholm

Swedish property management company Stockrose is using IoT the Azure cloud to offer its clients 'buildings as a service."
May 05, 2017 05 May'17
Debenhams data breach underlines need for supply chain security

Data breach at retailer again highlights the importance of data protection and ensuring cyber security standards across an organisation’s entire supply chain, say security commentators
May 04, 2017 04 May'17
Combound uses AI tool to manage customer interactions

Global sales service provider Combound is using a platform with artificial intelligence to support its telephone-based sales teams
May 03, 2017 03 May'17
SAP focuses on training young Arab graduates in Middle East

SAP has a raft of initiatives planned in the Middle East which includes a strategy to equip young people and entrepreneurs with the IT skills required as the region transforms.
May 03, 2017 03 May'17
Mayor of London seeks chief digital officer

Capital’s first-ever chief digital officer will oversee the digital transformation of public services across London
May 02, 2017 02 May'17
DDoS a top security and business issue, study shows

DNS should be at the core of information security strategies as DDoS attacks increasingly form part of wider cyber attacks and continue to ramp up to unprecedented levels, warns Neustar
May 02, 2017 02 May'17
Indian IT services giant to increase US workforce

Infosys has committed to create 10,000 new jobs in the US as president Trump ratchets up pressure on businesses to hire Americans
May 02, 2017 02 May'17
IT outsourcing going strong in the Nordics

IT outsourcing is popular among companies in the Nordic region, but the market is changing
April 28, 2017 28 Apr'17
Office workers don’t appreciate the complexities facing IT staff

IT staff feel under-appreciated because office workers don't understand what they do, study shows
April 28, 2017 28 Apr'17
Debenhams appoints ex-Direct Line CIO as tech and supply chain director

Angela Morrison, the ex-CIO of Direct Line Group, has been appointed technology and supply chain director for department store retailer Debenhams
April 27, 2017 27 Apr'17
Forge ahead with GDPR, says ICO

UK organisations cannot afford to lose the public’s trust in their ability to safeguard personal data and should be working to ensure they have that capability, says the Information Commissioner’s Office
April 27, 2017 27 Apr'17
Case Study: How Swedish retailer Stayhard boosted sales online

Swedish retailer adopts cloud-based software to turn customer browsing into sales
April 27, 2017 27 Apr'17
Case study: Specsavers furthers digital transformation with single customer view

UK retailer Specsavers has been in the process of digital transformation for several years, and has now partnered with Fujitsu to eliminate disparate systems and create a single customer view
April 26, 2017 26 Apr'17
Globalisation creates Catch-22 for protectionists as India responds to threat of US visa clampdown

US government might have to negotiate with India before getting tough on its work visa regime
April 26, 2017 26 Apr'17
CIO interview: Martin Draper, technology director, Liberty

Luxury department store is using IT to support brand growth and is looking at the potential of using virtual and augmented reality in-store
April 25, 2017 25 Apr'17
City University London launches undergraduate data science course after postgraduate success

Following the success of its postgraduate data science course, London university launches undergraduate programme
April 24, 2017 24 Apr'17
SAP board member talks Middle East investment

In an interview with Computer Weekly, SAP’s chief financial officer, Luka Mucic, talks up the significance of the UAE and wider Middle East region in terms of IT transformation
April 24, 2017 24 Apr'17
Criminal Courts Review Commission appoints forensic accountants for Post Office IT system cases

Investigation into claims of miscarriages of justice in relation to a Post Office accounting system has appointed a forensic accountant firm
April 20, 2017 20 Apr'17
Dunkin' Donuts and Here Technologies join AWS cloud customer roll call

Companies have separately declared AWS to be their preferred infrastructure partner, as the cloud giant continues to make significant in-roads into the enterprise
April 19, 2017 19 Apr'17
Trump’s clampdown on use of immigrant IT workers may have little impact

US president's latest executive order aims to reduce the number of immigrant IT workers in the country
April 19, 2017 19 Apr'17
Robotic automation takes off in the Nordics

Software robots are rapidly automating traditionally manual tasks at enterprises across the Nordic region
April 18, 2017 18 Apr'17
How to attract more women into the Gulf tech sector

Organisations in the Middle East need to increase the number of women in their IT workforces
April 18, 2017 18 Apr'17
Kone brings elevator maintenance online with IBM Watson and Salesforce

Lift manufacturer is using sensors and artificial intelligence to support its maintenance staff
April 18, 2017 18 Apr'17
Almost 100% of retailers think IT is critical to store branches

Retailers are beginning to realise the role technology plays in the online and offline space, with a majority of retailers saying IT is essential to stores
April 11, 2017 11 Apr'17
‘Can do’ attitude of DevOps teams is driving cloud-first strategies

The cloud-first strategies of businesses across sectors are maturing, with DevOps teams playing a leading role
April 10, 2017 10 Apr'17
IAM a core building block for GDPR compliance

Identity and access management is key to enabling organisations to become compliant with the GDPR, increase security and improve customer relationships, according to a senior analyst at KuppingerCole
April 10, 2017 10 Apr'17
The Graze journey: from pureplay to multi-channel

Health food retailer Graze began as an online subscription platform, but has used customer data to successfully cross the boundary into the physical retail space, says CEO Anthony Fletcher
April 10, 2017 10 Apr'17
Customer expectation is biggest problem for retail, says panel

As retailers increasingly try to serve consumers across online, in-store and mobile, the main challenge they face is consumer expectation, according to a panel of experts
April 07, 2017 07 Apr'17
Most UK companies not prepared for service provider failures

UK businesses are ill-prepared for the impact on their business resulting from the failure of an IT of business process supplier
April 07, 2017 07 Apr'17
How Game used data to transform store experience and drive personalisation

Group insight director at video games retailer explains how customer interaction data has been used to create a personalised experience in-store
April 06, 2017 06 Apr'17
Telenor launches IoT pilot in Norway

Telenor is opening up its IoT infrastructure in Norway to encourage students and entrepreneurs to develop IoT products and services
April 06, 2017 06 Apr'17
Interview: F-Secure’s Mikko Hyppönen on the Nordics, Russia and the internet of insecure things

Computer Weekly sat down with Finnish cyber security expert Mikko Hyppönen to talk about security in the Nordics, Russia and the trouble with connected devices
April 04, 2017 04 Apr'17
Chinese hacking group targeted firms through IT MSPs

Security researchers have uncovered a China-based cyber espionage campaign that targeted IT services firms and their customers, underlining the need for supply chain security
April 04, 2017 04 Apr'17
IT services 'mega-child' DXC takes first steps

The merger of CSC and HPE Services is complete and the new company will focus on digital transformation
April 04, 2017 04 Apr'17
Workers at least mentally prepared for robots to take over some of their work

One-fifth of workers are mentally prepared for technology to take over some of their roles, but employers must do more to support them
April 03, 2017 03 Apr'17
Less than 8% of retailers respond to customer queries across all channels

The omni-channel environment of the retail industry is raising customer service expectations, but very few retailers are responding to consumers on all of the channels they offer
March 31, 2017 31 Mar'17
UK leading in using red team cyber security testing

Red teaming is set to become a key approach to ensuring cyber security controls and processes are fit for purpose and compliant with regulations, and the UK is leading the way
March 29, 2017 29 Mar'17
Are ethical questions holding back AI in France?

France has been slow to create a strategy around the use of artificial intelligence, partly due to questions around ethics
March 28, 2017 28 Mar'17
Threats grow in Saudi Arabia’s cyber sector

Saudi Arabia's wealth makes it an attractive target for cyber criminals, but what have been the recent trends in cyber crime?
March 27, 2017 27 Mar'17
Consumers want to use retailer apps in-store

Consumers want retailers to implement applications that can be used in-store to offer personalisation and convenience
March 24, 2017 24 Mar'17
UK labour costs are cheap but automation will erode jobs market

PwC has estimated that millions of people may be affected by robots and artificial intelligence replacing their jobs
March 23, 2017 23 Mar'17
Almost 45% of men want a robot-led shopping experience in the future

Research reveals differences between what male and female, and older and younger consumers want from their shopping experience
March 22, 2017 22 Mar'17
PostNord cutting up to 4,000 Danish jobs in response to digitisation

Logistics firm PostNord is set to cut jobs in Denmark due to falling mail volumes in the country, with a new production model set to be introduced
March 21, 2017 21 Mar'17
Co-operative Group overhauls retail store networks

The Co-operative Group has brought in BT to revitalise and upgrade legacy networking infrastructure at its food retail business
March 20, 2017 20 Mar'17
Netherlands aims to benefit from Brexit in IT talent search

The Netherlands is positioning itself as the ideal home for ambitious IT professionals from across the world
March 20, 2017 20 Mar'17
Seven in 10 APAC retailers to invest in IoT

Besides riding on the internet of things bandwagon, retailers are also looking to provide seamless customer experiences across physical and online channels
March 19, 2017 19 Mar'17
SAP to invest $200m in United Arab Emirates

European software maker plans investment to get near customers in the Middle East
March 17, 2017 17 Mar'17
IT contractors prosper from Brexit uncertainty

Since the Brexit vote, IT contractors have seen higher pay rates and longer contracts, which indicates businesses’ caution over permanent recruitment
March 15, 2017 15 Mar'17
Tablets on the decline in Middle East as big smartphones take over

A total of 13.8 million tablets were sold in the region in 2016 – 14.7% less than in 2015
March 15, 2017 15 Mar'17
Digital commerce makes up less than 1% of GDP in Middle East

Region sees double-digit growth in consumer use of digital channels, but businesses seem reluctant to get involved