News

IT for retail and logistics

January 28, 2019 28 Jan'19
UK IT spending worth £27bn held back due to Brexit uncertainty

UK businesses are putting billions of pounds of IT investments on hold until they know the terms that the UK will leave the EU
January 23, 2019 23 Jan'19
Time to deploy strong authentication, says Fido

The time has come for organisations to deploy cryptographically backed strong authentication, according to the Fido Alliance, which seeks to eliminate the world’s dependence on password-based security
January 23, 2019 23 Jan'19
AWS vs Google vs Microsoft: Competition concerns fuel retail war between the big cloud three

The retail market is no slouch when it comes to adopting cloud technologies, but competitive concerns appear to be influencing the cloud-buying decisions of some
January 22, 2019 22 Jan'19
BigCommerce migrates 60,000 merchants from IBM and AWS to Google Cloud Platform

E-commerce platform provider BigCommerce has swapped out IBM and AWS for the Google Cloud Platform to help its users give their customers a faster, more responsive online shopping experience

January 22, 2019 22 Jan'19
Young Dutch cyber criminals get re-education rather than jail time

Young hackers in the Netherlands are being rehabilitated through punishments that educate rather than incarcerate
January 22, 2019 22 Jan'19
Marks & Spencer introduces photo search for online shopping

British retail brand Marks and Spencer has introduced a photo searching capability to its mobile site to help people find products they like using other images
January 22, 2019 22 Jan'19
Mastercard fined over half a billion euros for unfair payment fees

Mastercard has been heavily fined for having rules on interchange fees which distorted the EU single market
January 17, 2019 17 Jan'19
Vodafone and IBM prep user clouds for future network tech

Companies expand existing collaboration to enable enterprise customers to prepare for the impact of advanced networking technologies
January 17, 2019 17 Jan'19
Swedish state and industry back autonomous vehicle testing facility

AstaZero facility will “road-test” next-generation 5G and digital innovations to support the development of self-driving cars and other vehicles
January 17, 2019 17 Jan'19
UK tech firms favour second referendum as next move in Brexit stalemate

UK tech firms want to remain as close to the EU as possible and believe a second referendum on membership of the trading bloc would be the best way out of the current political stalemate

January 16, 2019 16 Jan'19
Researchers discover new Magecart group

Security researchers have uncovered a sub-group of the Magecart hacking group, highlighting the wider risks of web-based supply chain attacks
January 15, 2019 15 Jan'19
Thousands of known errors on controversial Post Office computer system to be revealed

Known errors log concerning Horizon IT system set to be announced during second High Court trial in subpostmasters’ long-running dispute with Post Office over financial losses
January 11, 2019 11 Jan'19
Microsoft takes community approach to artificial intelligence in Sweden

Microsoft is making increasing use of artificial intelligence in Sweden as it shares experiences with the development community
January 10, 2019 10 Jan'19
UK firms say £6.6bn annual security testing cost too high

Avord launches platform to reduce the multibillion-pound annual cyber security testing cost that most UK firms say is too high
January 10, 2019 10 Jan'19
More than half of customers will shop for food online by 2021

Just over 40% of customers currently do their grocery shopping online, but with that number expected to rise to more than half by 2021, are retailers doing enough to meet customer expectations?
January 10, 2019 10 Jan'19
Enterprises are increasing the human workforce while deploying AI

Artificial intelligence is creating more jobs than it replaces, according to a study of businesses using the technology
January 08, 2019 08 Jan'19
Downtime deterrent: Trustpilot SRE on using infrastructure as code to prevent site outages

Online reviews site Trustpilot has a huge global readership, and here its site reliability engineering manager shares details of how his team help to ensure its services are always on when its users need them
January 07, 2019 07 Jan'19
UK contactless card fraud surges

Fraudsters stole £1.18m from contactless users in 2018, with the average theft size also increasing
January 03, 2019 03 Jan'19
M&A in action: How Majestic Wine paired with Naked Wines to fuel cloud-led digital transformation

Find out how the acquisition of online-only wine retailer Naked Wines in 2015 has shaped the digital transformation plans of its parent company Majestic Wine
January 02, 2019 02 Jan'19
Guide dogs not fazed by self-driving robots

Robotics startup Starship Technologies and charity Guide Dogs are collaborating on a series of tests exploring how service animals interact with robots
January 02, 2019 02 Jan'19
Nordic digital transformation driven by traditional businesses

More traditional Nordic businesses are fuelling the region's digital transformation, finds report
January 02, 2019 02 Jan'19
Subpostmasters suing Post Office over IT failures stunned by CEO’s honour

Subpostmasters’ campaign group attacks Post Office CEO Paula Vennells’ New Year honour amid ongoing court case
December 28, 2018 28 Dec'18
Top 10 HR technology stories of 2018

Companies are turning to artificial intelligence, robotic automation and chatbots to take the drudgery out of human resource management
December 27, 2018 27 Dec'18
Top 10 CIO interviews of 2018

IT leaders from across the UK and Europe shared their plans, strategies and best practice advice with Computer Weekly in 2018
December 27, 2018 27 Dec'18
Top 10 Middle East stories of 2018

Here are Computer Weekly’s top 10 Middle East enterprise IT stories of 2018
December 27, 2018 27 Dec'18
Top 10 retail tech stories of 2018

Computer Weekly looks at what 2018 had in store for the retail industry – what technologies were retailers rushing to adopt and which brands fell behind?
December 21, 2018 21 Dec'18
Top 10 cyber crime stories of 2018

Here are Computer Weekly’s top 10 cyber crime stories of 2018
December 20, 2018 20 Dec'18
CIO interview: Amitabh Apte, global director of digital integration, Mars

The consumer goods giant’s global director of integration talks about developing an API strategy, consistency and increasing customer focus
December 18, 2018 18 Dec'18
Vodafone spreads Christmas cheer with a 4G drone

Vodafone has conducted a test flight of the UK’s first drone delivery controlled over its 4G network
December 14, 2018 14 Dec'18
Australia passes controversial encryption law

Arguments continue over law that requires companies to work with government agencies to ensure that encrypted communications can be read if a crime is suspected
December 13, 2018 13 Dec'18
Most UK retailers plan to up cyber security

The majority of UK retailers are planning to increase cyber security measures during the Christmas season, a survey reveals
December 12, 2018 12 Dec'18
UKtech50 2018 – the most influential people in UK IT

Computer Weekly has announced the ninth annual UKtech50 – our definitive list of the movers and shakers in the UK IT sector
December 07, 2018 07 Dec'18
Quarter of all UK shopping now happens on mobile devices

UK’s high-street spend is the lowest across Europe as mobile devices account for a growing portion of online shopping
December 07, 2018 07 Dec'18
Finnish government announces research and development ecosystem

Finland has launched an innovation ecosystem that will support IoT and AI developers amongst others
December 07, 2018 07 Dec'18
Court orders Post Office to explain inability to access encrypted file

Post Office unable to open encrypted recording of an interview that forms part of its evidence in High Court case
December 07, 2018 07 Dec'18
Complex Post Office Horizon case set to continue into 2020

Court case where subpostmasters are suing the Post Office set to span at least four trials and extend into 2020
December 06, 2018 06 Dec'18
Software failure paralyses O2’s 4G network

O2 is racing to fix a major outage on its 4G network that has left millions of mobile subscribers without access to data services
December 05, 2018 05 Dec'18
Australia races towards commercial quantum computing

Universities make headway in the challenge of commercialising quantum computing
December 05, 2018 05 Dec'18
UK consumers threaten data breach backlash

Most UK and global consumers are willing to walk away from businesses that fail to look after personal data, with retailers most at risk, research shows
November 30, 2018 30 Nov'18
CCRC may hold off subpostmaster decision until after Post Office Horizon trial

The Criminal Courts Review Commission is deciding whether to delay its decision on subpostmasters’ claims of wrongful prosecution until after a related court case
November 30, 2018 30 Nov'18
E-commerce sites warned of heightened DDoS threat

E-commerce sites are being urged to ensure that they have adequate DDoS protection ahead of the vital holiday trading season after attacks ramped up on Black Friday and Cyber Monday
November 28, 2018 28 Nov'18
Amazon sets about speeding up space data processing in the cloud with AWS Ground Station

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is aiming to take the cost and complexity out of processing space data to make it more readily accessible by colocating managed ground station antennas with its cloud datacentres
November 27, 2018 27 Nov'18
Businesses failing to win consumer trust

Businesses are still largely failing to win the trust of consumers to keep their personal data safe as data breaches continue to make headlines
November 23, 2018 23 Nov'18
ASOS launches digital assistant to help customers find right size

Online fashion retailer ASOS has launched an artificially intelligent assistant to help consumers find the right size of clothing before they place an order
November 22, 2018 22 Nov'18
IKEA to focus on digitisation and convenience shopping

Swedish furniture brand IKEA will be cutting jobs and focusing on smaller stores and its digital pipeline in a bid to usher in a new era of business transformation
November 21, 2018 21 Nov'18
Interview: Comms sector ripe for disruption as climate change takes hold

Humanity has just 12 years left to keep global warming to a maximum of 1.5⁰C and prevent climate meltdown. Paul Dickinson from the Carbon Disclosure Project discusses how CIOs can help take steps to avert disaster by changing their attitude to ...
November 21, 2018 21 Nov'18
Post Office held back information about Horizon IT system errors

Post Office director admits to Horizon errors and not sharing details with subpostmaster network
November 16, 2018 16 Nov'18
Post Office executives cross-examined in Horizon IT system trial

A High Court trial, where subpostmasters are suing the Post Office for damages caused by an allegedly faulty IT system, ended its second week.
November 16, 2018 16 Nov'18
Many firms still stuck in GDPR prep phase six months after its initiation

Six months after the GDPR compliance deadline, many companies are struggling to make data protection principles part of everyday business, says PwC’s GDPR and data protection lead
November 14, 2018 14 Nov'18
Defra still to test six ‘critical’ IT systems before Brexit

MPs have raised concerns around Defra’s Brexit readiness as it hasn’t yet begun testing six critical IT systems needed to replace EU systems, but the department remains confident
November 14, 2018 14 Nov'18
PwC provides retail data insights for London’s West End

New West End Company hopes data on consumer behaviour will help retailers to increase spending in the area by one-third to £12bn over the next few years
November 13, 2018 13 Nov'18
5G will unleash digital transformation for UK enterprises

Mobile operator EE is working hand-in-hand with its largest enterprise customers to realise the potential of its future 5G mobile network
November 13, 2018 13 Nov'18
Post Office trial throws up known problem with Horizon system

High Court case in which subpostmasters are suing the Post Office has revealed a known problem with the computer system at the core of the dispute
November 09, 2018 09 Nov'18
High court Post Office trial puts subpostmasters’ contract under microscope

Case against Post Office in relation to allegedly faulty computer system begins in High Court
November 08, 2018 08 Nov'18
M&S admits online remit “well behind” competitors

Food and clothing retailer Marks and Spencer has admitted its website and online fulfillment capabilities are behind that of its competitors, but it is seeing progress since implementing changes
November 08, 2018 08 Nov'18
Increasing value of personal data a 21st century challenge

The increasing value of personal data presents the challenge of managing a personal data economy, says identity and security expert
November 08, 2018 08 Nov'18
Singapore’s SunMoon uses blockchain to trace apples

Fruit and vegetable distributor has implemented a blockchain platform that enables consumers and suppliers to trace the origin of Fuji apples – with other fruits to follow
November 06, 2018 06 Nov'18
Smart Dubai platform is the backbone of the city's transformation

Aisha bin Bishr, director general at Smart Dubai Office, talks about the Smart Data platform and soon-to-be-unveiled UAE Pass, a digital ID and signature which is being touted as one of the foundations a city needs to transform
November 06, 2018 06 Nov'18
Automation and CSR are driving reskilling process for UK plc, says Cisco

UK business leaders are planning to make dramatic changes to their organisations between now and 2020, according to a new report from Cisco
November 05, 2018 05 Nov'18
How Birchbox uses social media for personalisation and discovery

The UK marketing director of subscription service Birchbox told the Retail Week Tech conference about the retailer’s use of social media and data to offer customers a personalised service
November 05, 2018 05 Nov'18
Banking sector leading CIAM innovation, say Big Four

Maturity in consumer identity and access management (CIAM) differs from sector to sector, with the banking sector taking the lead in terms of innovation, according to the Big Four accounting firms
November 02, 2018 02 Nov'18
Jlab 2019 to focus on experiential shopping

Each year, John Lewis hosts a number of retail startups intent on using technology to transform the industry. Next year they will be aiming to change the customer experience in-store
November 01, 2018 01 Nov'18
Key elements to success in consumer identity management

Success in consumer identity management is not just about getting the technology right, it is also about keeping in mind the consumer needs, preferences and concerns, says KuppingerCole
November 01, 2018 01 Nov'18
Robotic delivery service hits the streets of Milton Keynes

Following extensive testing and a limited commercial roll-out in campus enterprise environments, Estonian robotics firm Starship Technologies is launching a direct-to-consumer robot delivery service in Milton Keynes
October 30, 2018 30 Oct'18
Aim for long-term customer identity relationship

Consumer identity management can deliver competitive advantage, but only if businesses follow some golden rules, says KuppingerCole
October 29, 2018 29 Oct'18
Retail tech spending will grow 3.6% globally in 2019, predicts Gartner

Global spending on technology in the retail sector is set to grow by 3.6% in 2019, according to predictions by Gartner analysts
October 29, 2018 29 Oct'18
Why subpostmasters and Post Office are battling it out in the High Court

After over a decade of controversy, next week marks the beginning of a court battle between subpostmasters and the Post Office over allegations of faults in an accounting system leading to unfair prosecutions
October 25, 2018 25 Oct'18
Firms will use AI to automate HR processes within two years

Companies are gearing up to automate HR processes with artificial intelligence and machine learning, while at the same time battling with outdated IT systems
October 24, 2018 24 Oct'18
Choose security tools wisely to gain upper hand

The cyber threat landscape is continually changing, but staying abreast of attacker and defender innovation can help business leaders gain the upper hand, says KuppingerCole
October 24, 2018 24 Oct'18
SMEs use fintech in fight against online giants, but fears remain

Online SMEs are turning to financial technology to help them make payment processes easy for customers as they try to compete with online giants
October 23, 2018 23 Oct'18
Morrisons loses appeal against data breach liability ruling

Supermarket chain has lost its appeal against a High Court ruling that found it liable for a data leak by a former employee, underlining the importance of managing insider threats
October 22, 2018 22 Oct'18
Centralised identity risky and not web 3.0 friendly, says entrepreneur

User controlled identity is less risky than centralised identity and essential for the next evolution of the web, according to an entrepreneur and evangelist of self-sovereign identity and blockchain technologies
October 22, 2018 22 Oct'18
Retail focus is key to Alibaba’s new London datacentre

China’s e-commerce giant has been slowly expanding into Europe and is now heading for a clash of the titans against AWS and Azure
October 19, 2018 19 Oct'18
Zeppelin uses Splunk for pre-emptive maintenance

German construction equipment rental firm Zeppelin has been using Splunk to predict when its machinery will need maintenance before it breaks down
October 19, 2018 19 Oct'18
Postal delivery robots trialled in Norway

The Norwegian postal service is testing out the value and viability of robots delivering mail to homes and businesses
October 18, 2018 18 Oct'18
Amazon to open Manchester R&D centre and create 1,000 skilled jobs

Online retail giant will open a new office in Manchester and expand others to house 1,000 new skilled research and development employees in the UK
October 18, 2018 18 Oct'18
Middle East gears up for 5G

The race for 5G is well and truly under way, and the UAE and Saudi Arabia are well positioned to be among the first countries in the world to deliver the benefits of this new telecoms protocol
October 17, 2018 17 Oct'18
Contactless payments surpass Chip and PIN in UK shops

Contactless card payments now account for more spending in UK stores than Chip and PIN
October 16, 2018 16 Oct'18
Carrefour kicks off blockchain food traceability drive

Using blockchain to capture data, shoppers will be able to use their smartphones to see exactly where a product on the supermarket shelf came from
October 15, 2018 15 Oct'18
Good data governance is good business

Organisations are failing to understand the importance of getting their data relationship with customers right and seeing the business opportunities that it enables, an industry analyst warns
October 12, 2018 12 Oct'18
Moonpig to open technology hub and create 50 new roles

Greeting card company chooses Manchester for its first tech hub because of the city’s thriving tech scene and “exceptional” pool of talent
October 12, 2018 12 Oct'18
ASOS launches voice shopping on Google Assistant

Online fashion brand introduces voice shopping service to help customers navigate its thousands of products more easily
October 11, 2018 11 Oct'18
Robots in the workplace supported by 81% of business chiefs

Robotic process automation continues to be taken up by more organisations – but despite proven benefits, those that already use it are struggling to scale it up
October 10, 2018 10 Oct'18
Volkswagen truck group’s journey to a subscription-based business model

VW’s truck business adopted a startup mentality to open a subscription-based business aimed at owners of truck fleets
October 10, 2018 10 Oct'18
Huawei Connect 2018: Huawei tackles barriers to effective AI

At its annual customer and technology event, Huawei chairman Eric Xu set out 10 key challenges facing AI, and revealed how the networking supplier’s strategy will help to address these
October 09, 2018 09 Oct'18
Blockchain adoption hotting up in Australia

The emerging technology is being tested in several industries in a country aspiring to be a global leader in blockchain development
October 09, 2018 09 Oct'18
Tech takes centre stage in CBI’s pre-Budget wish list

Industry calls on government to set the tone for a tech-friendly business environment after the UK leaves the EU
October 05, 2018 05 Oct'18
GDPR case work swamps Denmark’s data protection agency

The agency investigating alleged breaches of GDPR in Denmark is recruiting additional resources to cope with the increase in work
October 04, 2018 04 Oct'18
How Starbucks is using Splunk to automate mundane security tasks

Coffee giant Starbucks is using Splunk to automate some of its more tedious security tasks to reduce the workload for its cyber staff
October 03, 2018 03 Oct'18
AI full of possibilities with the right tools and understanding

Artificial intelligence has the potential to assist in the analysis of data in a range of topics, but businesses need to understand its limitations and have the right tools to get the most benefit, says a Swiss entrepreneur
October 01, 2018 01 Oct'18
UK will unilaterally tax web giants, says Hammond

Chancellor threatens to go it alone on tax reform for digital services businesses if an international agreement cannot be reached
October 01, 2018 01 Oct'18
UK firms’ password security score ‘average’

While businesses are making strides in strengthening password security, there is more work to be done, with the UK password score lagging behind the frontrunners, a survey shows
October 01, 2018 01 Oct'18
Mobile will be more disruptive for retail than online, says Facebook representative

Facebook’s retail industry head says mobile technology is likely to cause a bigger shift in retail than online shopping did
September 28, 2018 28 Sep'18
EU sees eIDAS regulation come into full force

A regulation aimed at cutting red tape to enable a digital single market in Europe will soon be in full force, but it could present some challenges to the UK after Brexit
September 28, 2018 28 Sep'18
Finland’s e-retail sector driven by international growth

Finland has a fast-growing e-retail industry as a positive consequence of the huge job cuts at Nokia
September 27, 2018 27 Sep'18
Explosion in fake data-stealing shopping sites

Cyber attackers are ramping up efforts to steal personal data by setting up look-alike domains that pose a phishing risk to online shoppers, researchers warn
September 27, 2018 27 Sep'18
Best supply chain firms are masters of data and automation

Europe’s best supply chains are making the most out of e-commerce, customer insights and robotic process automation, according to Gartner
September 26, 2018 26 Sep'18
Indian IT giant TCS sees IBM and Accenture as nearest rivals

Rapidly-growing Tata Consultancy Services has its eyes on the US IT giants, with customer service key if it is to overtake them
September 25, 2018 25 Sep'18
PCI DSS compliance falls despite security benefit

Despite the benefits of the payment card industry security standard, there is a concerning downward trend in compliance, a report reveals
September 24, 2018 24 Sep'18
InfoWatch opens training centre to help address Middle East skills shortage

Security supplier offers Middle East customers cyber security and digital training facility as organisations in the region struggle to equip staff with latest skills