News

IT strategy

October 10, 2011 10 Oct'11
London 2012 Olympics opens Technology Operations Centre

The IT powering the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics has passed a major milestone with the formal opening of the Technology Operations Centre.
October 10, 2011 10 Oct'11
Symantec uses visual maps to identify e-mail-based targeted attacks

Symantec has developed a way of detecting targeted attacks through mapping e-mail patterns to identify single gang activity.
October 07, 2011 07 Oct'11
High Court finds for Halliburton drill-bit software design patent claim

The High Court has overturned a decision of the UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO), explicitly confirming that technical design methods are patentable. The ruling has a direct bearing on the IP standing of software algorithms.
October 07, 2011 07 Oct'11
Computer Weekly wins prestigious journalism award

Computer Weekly has won a prestigious award for its journalism. Freelance contributor and Computer Weekly blogger Mark Ballard won the Best Cybercrime Feature of the Year prize at this year's BT Information Security Journalism Awards. ...

October 07, 2011 07 Oct'11
85 sub-postmasters seek legal support in claims against Post Office computer system

Over 80 sub-postmasters are interested in taking legal action against the Post Office in relation to an allegedly faulty computer system.
October 06, 2011 06 Oct'11
UBS systems detected $2bn rogue trader fraud, admits CEO Sergio Ermotti

UBS interim CEO Sergio Ermotti has admitted systems in the banks IT infrastructure detected the unauthorised trading of the rogue trader who cost UBS over $2bn, but nothing was done about the warning signals.
October 06, 2011 06 Oct'11
Technology industry figures pay tribute to Apple co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs

Apple's co-founder and former CEO Steve Jobs has died, aged 56. Jobs battled with pancreatic cancer, and had liver transplant surgery in 2009. He stepped down as Apple CEO in August 2011 after his second bout of medical leave since the start of the ...
October 04, 2011 04 Oct'11
Callcentre workers steal £400k from TUI Travel

Four callcentre workers stole over £400,000 from their employer TUI Travel by paying customer refunds to themselves when processing claims.
October 04, 2011 04 Oct'11
Universal Credit deadline forced DWP to use “unproven” agile development

Tight deadlines left the Department for Work and Pensions with little choice but to use "unproven" agile methods to develop its £2bn Universal Credit (UC) system, said the Cabinet Office Major Projects Authority (MPA) in a confidential report ...
October 04, 2011 04 Oct'11
GPU cracks six-character password in four seconds

A £30 nVidia GeForce GT220 graphics card is capable of cracking strong passwords in a matter of hours.

October 04, 2011 04 Oct'11
IT supplier CSC repays £170m as NHS complains of Lorenzo record progress

IT supplier CSC has repaid £170m after the NHS said it was unhappy with the progress of CSC's Lorenzo patient care records contract. The NHS paid a £200m advanced payment to CSC for the 2011 project costs when a memorandum of understanding was ...
October 03, 2011 03 Oct'11
Identifying the business value of SAM best practice frameworks and standards

Businesses are cautious when it comes to taking up best practice frameworks and standards that could help them manage their software assets more effectively.
September 29, 2011 29 Sep'11
IBM signs £525m DWP contract to provide Universal Credit systems

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has signed a seven-year contract with IBM worth £75m per year to provide systems, which will include the delivery of its flagship Universal Credit programme.
September 29, 2011 29 Sep'11
The impact of the Olympics power drain on London-based datacentres

Power shortages and costs are becoming an increasing concern for companies with datacentres in London as the Olympics approaches.
September 29, 2011 29 Sep'11
Security firm selects Fujitsu IT services

Security company G4S has outsourced its IT infrastructure and services to Fujitsu and has agreed a £32.9m seven-year contract.
September 27, 2011 27 Sep'11
How BP made its supplier ecosystem work

Oil and gas giant BP spent 65% of its $3bn annual IT budget with 3,000 suppliers in 2008, but now it outsources to only seven and has reduced its annual IT budget by $800m as a result.
September 27, 2011 27 Sep'11
Mitchells & Butlers continues to drive down IT costs

Pub group Mitchells & Butlers (M&B) is continuing an IT cost-cutting plan to respond to pressure on its operating margins.
September 27, 2011 27 Sep'11
Cognizant acquires Zaffera

Outsourcing company Cognizant has acquired Zaffera, an SAP retail consulting and software development firm, for an undisclosed sum.
September 26, 2011 26 Sep'11
Businesses must invest in ICT to boost economy, finds research

The European economy could be boosted by billions of euros over the next decade if businesses increase investment in information and communication technology.
September 26, 2011 26 Sep'11
Boots launches mobile site to expand multichannel offering

Retailer Boots has launched a mobile version of its website to expand its multichannel portfolio.
September 23, 2011 23 Sep'11
Police IT not fit for purpose, police-led ICT company needs a lot of work, says Home Office report

A Home Office report into policing has labelled police IT as not being fit for purpose and made recommendations to shake up a mess of different IT systems across 43 forces which is hindering police attempts to fight crime.
September 23, 2011 23 Sep'11
Anti-piracy group FAST applauds government business guide to navigating UK IP law

The government has published a guide to UK intellectual property law for businesses, providing information on IP policies; procurement of goods and services; reporting IP crime; and auditing IP. The Federation Against Software Theft (FAST) said it ...
September 23, 2011 23 Sep'11
Burying the NHS National Programme for IT

The government's decision to accelerate the dismantling of the NHS National Project for IT (NPfIT) came as little surprise to those who have followed the terminally ill project since 2002. But what is the prognosis for the NHS's badly needed ...
September 22, 2011 22 Sep'11
Government pulls plug on ailing £11bn NHS IT programme

The troubled £11bn NHS National Programme for IT is to be axed, the government is expected to announce later today.
September 22, 2011 22 Sep'11
Researchers claim to have broken SSL/TLS encryption

Two security researchers claim to have found a way of breaking the SSL/TLS encryption that is widely used to guarantee the reliability and privacy of data exchanged between web browsers and servers.
September 22, 2011 22 Sep'11
BASF extends BT network contract

Chemical group BASF has signed a €200m deal with BT for networking 900 BASF sites in more than 80 countries. The contract includes the provision of IP telephony and local network services (managed LAN services) at 300 sites in North and South ...
September 22, 2011 22 Sep'11
SQL injection attacks increasing in number, sophistication and potency, researchers find

The prevalence and intensity of SQL injection attacks are increasing, according to Imperva.
September 21, 2011 21 Sep'11
Gartner: Best defence against social media threats is monitoring and education

Blocking social media in the enterprise encourages bad behaviour by employees but does not prevent access, warns Gartner.
September 21, 2011 21 Sep'11
HP webOS lay-offs could affect European employees

Hewlett-Packard could lay off European employees as part of the company's decision to discontinue its webOS hardware division, including the Touchpad tablet range.
September 21, 2011 21 Sep'11
RightMove renders property maps with Google

RightMove is the UK's biggest user of Google Maps and one of the largest users of the mapping software in the world.
September 21, 2011 21 Sep'11
Global BPO sales to reach £60bn in 2015

The world market for business process outsourcing (BPO) will be worth $93.4bn (£59.7bn) in 2015 compared with $72bn last year, according to Ovum.
September 20, 2011 20 Sep'11
Gartner: Keep encryption simple and standardised to cut cost and complexity

Businesses should consider self-encrypting drives (SEDs) for new installations that hold significant volumes of sensitive data, says Gartner.
September 19, 2011 19 Sep'11
Visa Europe opens its doors to IT trainees on Higher Apprenticeship programme

Visa Europe has recruited 14 IT apprentices through its Higher Apprenticeship programme, launched in April 2011. Most will study for a foundation degree and "level 4" diploma while working in the company's technology division.
September 19, 2011 19 Sep'11
New Look increases sales by 45% after mobile site launch

Fashion retailer New Look has increased sales by 45% three months after the launch of its mobile commerce site.
September 15, 2011 15 Sep'11
Cyber attacks are becoming lethal, warns US cyber commander

Cyber attacks are escalating from large-scale theft and disruption of computer operations to more lethal attacks that destroy systems and physical equipment, according to the head of the US Cyber Command.
September 15, 2011 15 Sep'11
Groupon to float as Facebook puts off IPO until late 2012

Online discount site Groupon is reported to be planning a flotation, while Facebook is rumoured to be delaying its IPO until the end of 2012.
September 14, 2011 14 Sep'11
IT development underpinning Universal Credits comes under fire from MPs and experts

The delivery of Universal Credits is coming under fire as observers are casting an increasingly critical eye on the IT systems underpinning the politically sensitive project.
September 14, 2011 14 Sep'11
PricewaterhouseCoopers takes 40 graduate IT interns on security and testing teams

Consultancy PricewaterhouseCoopers has selected 40 graduate interns for its IT department. The trainees will work with PwC's information security and testing teams.
September 14, 2011 14 Sep'11
Security update: Light Microsoft Patch Tuesday with low application impact plus critical Adobe fixes

Microsoft's September Patch Tuesday security update is relatively light with only five security updates.
September 13, 2011 13 Sep'11
Retailer Aurora gives iPads to shopfloor sales staff to check stock and shorten queue times

Fashion retailer Aurora is providing iPads to sales staff at London branches of Coast, Oasis, Warehouse and Karen Millen.
September 13, 2011 13 Sep'11
Sabre develops apps marketplace for travel industry

Sabre, the global distribution system for reserving hotels, airlines, cruise ships, rail tickets and car hire, has taken the concept of the app store and applied in to its own travel market.
September 13, 2011 13 Sep'11
GlobalSign web certificate authority back online after breach by hacker

Belgian web certificate authority (CA) GlobalSign is back online after investigating claims by the hacker who breached the Dutch DigiNotar CA that its systems had also been breached.
September 09, 2011 09 Sep'11
Twitter plans to expand advertising business as investment raises value to $8bn

Twitter has outlined plans to increase advertising revenue and avoid an initial public offering (IPO) after reaching more than 100 million active users.
September 09, 2011 09 Sep'11
Morrisons checks out a milestone in £310m IT transformation

Supermarket chain Morrisons has completed a major electronic point-of-sale (EPOS) roll-out as part of its ongoing £310m IT transformation programme.
September 09, 2011 09 Sep'11
Cambridge exam board outsources applications support to Cognizant

Cambridge University's examination group has outsourced applications management and support to Cognizant that will see the company replace 20-year-old bespoke applications with off-the-shelf alternatives.
September 08, 2011 08 Sep'11
Web security certificate breach widens

GlobalSign, the fifth largest digital certificate issuer, has suspended the issuing of authentication certificates for websites after the DigiNotar hacker claimed to have breached its systems
September 08, 2011 08 Sep'11
University challenge: using IT to improve services and reduce costs

Universities face a balancing act as they become increasingly expected to improve the experiences of more demanding students while making budgets go further, and IT is a critical tool in finding this balance.
September 08, 2011 08 Sep'11
Nike+ problems demonstrate the risk of social media success

The rewards for creating a customer-focused online community are huge. But success comes at a price, as recent issues encountered by Nike's Nike+ running site illustrate. Matt Scott investigates.
September 07, 2011 07 Sep'11
CIO interview: Mike Bracken, UK government director of digital

Whitehall is not exactly known for being at the bleeding edge of technological innovation. But as the newly appointed government director of digital, Mike Bracken is set to change that perception. In an exclusive interview, he discusses the ...
September 07, 2011 07 Sep'11
DigiNotar certificate authority breach: Why it matters

There has been much speculation around the identity and motive of the hacker who was able to breach DigiNotar and issue fraudulent digital certificates for hundreds of websites, but putting such speculation aside, what is the broader significance of...