News

Managing IT and business issues

August 30, 2018 30 Aug'18
Blockchain gains foothold in Australia

A number of blockchain projects are under way in Australia, but questions remain about whether the technology is wanted
August 29, 2018 29 Aug'18
IBM brings AI-powered highlights tool to US Open tennis players

IBM is bringing its AI-powered Watson platform to the US Open tennis players to provide them with insight into their past performances
August 29, 2018 29 Aug'18
IT leaders at a crossroads as they grapple with digital technology

CIOs have the opportunity to influence their company strategy as digital technology reshapes business. A survey of CIOs across 70 countries charts a path for IT leaders through emerging technologies
August 28, 2018 28 Aug'18
Finland government to review public procurement laws

Finland's government is putting its procurement laws under the spotlight after a major IT fraud

August 28, 2018 28 Aug'18
Taking stock of Dell EMC’s growth in Asia

Tech supplier Dell EMC is riding on growing demand for servers and hyper-converged infrastructure, and investing in more technical resources to support enterprises in digital transformation efforts
August 24, 2018 24 Aug'18
Dubai Health Authority launches artificial intelligence strategy

Healthcare organisation is rolling out next-generation technology in its health facilities to improve patient care
August 24, 2018 24 Aug'18
Google Cloud Platform enables faster mobile notifications for World Cup fans

Onefootball exclusively used the Boost platform, which has now been officially launched, to offer faster mobile notifications for World Cup viewers
August 23, 2018 23 Aug'18
No Deal Brexit papers warn of stark future for UK tech

The government has published the first of its No Deal Brexit contingency planning notices, containing sobering messages for the UK technology industry
August 21, 2018 21 Aug'18
Estonia targets UK tech talent

Estonian businesses are trying to close the country’s IT skills gap by targeting UK IT professionals as part of a recruitment campaign
August 20, 2018 20 Aug'18
Swedish government and industry address IT skills shortage

Sweden faces major challenges in resourcing its growing IT sector with the right talent

August 17, 2018 17 Aug'18
Alan Turing Institute provides AI startups with opportunity to collaborate with researchers

Alan Turing Institute and Digital Catapult will enable science and AI startups to work with researchers in the Data Study Groups
August 17, 2018 17 Aug'18
ASEAN firms need to overcome DevOps hurdles

Southeast Asia has had pockets of success with DevOps, but most organisations across the region will need to overcome cultural and legacy challenges to succeed
August 17, 2018 17 Aug'18
CIOs being welcomed back to marketing

The role of CIOs in shaping the technology buying decisions of marketers is being reinstated as more marketers realise the importance of integrating their services with IT systems
August 15, 2018 15 Aug'18
Australian enterprises warming up to DevOps

The burgeoning DevOps culture in Australia has attracted new market players and led major banks and telcos to embrace the movement to get development and operations teams working in unison
August 15, 2018 15 Aug'18
IR35 tech compliance will take private sector 'over a year' to achieve, warns accounting trade body

The Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) cautions HM Revenue & Customs against rushing out IR35 reforms to the private sector, claiming it will take most businesses at least one tax year to ready their software systems for the move
August 15, 2018 15 Aug'18
AI provides immediate diagnosis for serious eye conditions, research finds

Artificial intelligence could diagnose eye conditions within seconds, and with the same accuracy as human experts, research finds
August 14, 2018 14 Aug'18
Consumers accept fraud danger as online shopping increases, research finds

The majority of UK consumers see the threat of online fraud as “inevitable” as e-commerce popularity rises
August 09, 2018 09 Aug'18
Ex-HMRC tax inspector sounds alarm over suitability of IR35 online status checker tool

As the private sector consultation on IR35 draws to a close, a former HM Revenue & Customs inspector calls into further question the suitability of the government's online tool for assessing contractors’ tax status
August 08, 2018 08 Aug'18
Dutch healthcare institutions need to think like tech sector

The healthcare industry needs to approach technological innovation in a different way if it is to maximise the benefits for staff and patients
August 08, 2018 08 Aug'18
Nordic fintech becomes a significant global player

The Nordic region accounted for three of the 10 biggest financial technology deals in the first half of 2018
August 07, 2018 07 Aug'18
A quarter of Brits expect their jobs to be replaced by tech

A quarter of UK workers are worried their jobs will disappear because of automation and a third expect the technology to change their jobs for the worse
August 03, 2018 03 Aug'18
CIO interview: Alex von Schirmeister, CDTIO, RS Components

The electronics distributor’s chief digital, technology and innovation officer (CDTIO) on putting in place a new IT infrastructure, creating a digital business and accepting risk
August 01, 2018 01 Aug'18
Public sector increases outsourcing in first half of 2018

IT and business processing outsourcing in UK central government accelerates in the first half this year, almost matching the total spend by financial services firms
July 31, 2018 31 Jul'18
Inner-city colocation space in demand as firms want better latency, says Interxion managing director

Previous predictions that rural datacentres would be more common are being changed as enterprises aim to bring better latency to customers, says Interxion managing director Andrew Fray
July 31, 2018 31 Jul'18
Cynozure lets you hire a chief digital officer on demand

Why pay for a full-time chief digital officer? Cynozure has a new service to enable smaller businesses to swap them out, as and when they need a change
July 31, 2018 31 Jul'18
Intelligent automation spending to hit $232bn by 2025

Technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotic process automation and machine learning could help traditional enterprises gain ground on digital-first giants
July 31, 2018 31 Jul'18
Utilita Energy supplier uses cloud to rapidly scale IT service desk

Energy provider Utilita Energy puts its IT service management in the cloud to support its rapid growth
July 27, 2018 27 Jul'18
AWS’s sales up almost 50% year-on-year in second quarter

Cloud giant’s quarterly sales hit $6.1bn in third consecutive year-on-year rise as Ryanair, Major League Baseball and 21st Century Fox join its list of customers
July 26, 2018 26 Jul'18
Large organisations less confident over cloud security compared to smaller businesses

A study has found larger enterprises are not as confident as smaller businesses about the security of their data in the public cloud
July 25, 2018 25 Jul'18
Government outsourcing at a crossroads, says PAC report

The government needs to change the market that supplies it with services through better contracting practices if it is to achieve anything beyond lowest price, according to a PAC report
July 25, 2018 25 Jul'18
Australian energy sector caught in security catch-22

With regulators unwilling to accept security investments that would lead to higher tariffs, there is a chance that Australia’s National Energy Market could face increased cyber risks
July 24, 2018 24 Jul'18
Nordnet drops AI assistant while SEB deepens collaboration

One Nordic bank decides to stop using cognitive agent Amelia to focus on other AI technologies, but another widens the use of the software
July 23, 2018 23 Jul'18
Marks and Spencer to invest in startups as part of retail partnership with Founders Factory

Marks and Spencer is continuing its efforts to digitally transform its business by starting an investment partnership for startups
July 23, 2018 23 Jul'18
Commerzbank creates Hadoop-based platform for business-critical insights

German bank creates an entire new department to build and support a platform to provide business-critical insights
July 20, 2018 20 Jul'18
Cambridge students offered chance to win £10,000 to develop innovative tech ideas at Trinity College

Cambridge University under and postgraduates are now able to apply for a competition to win £10,000 and the chance to develop their tech ideas at the Bradfield Centre
July 20, 2018 20 Jul'18
Matt Hancock to promise £487m for NHS tech

In his first speech as health secretary, Matt Hancock will continue to fly the flag for digital
July 19, 2018 19 Jul'18
Heathrow flights grounded by IT failure

Aircraft unable to take off at airport following failure of an IT system at one of BA's suppliers, that even led to the temporary closure of the control tower
July 18, 2018 18 Jul'18
Global trading infrastructure firm opens office in Ireland because of Brexit

Financial services firms are attracted to Ireland as the UK prepares to leave the EU, leading to the creation of IT jobs in the Emerald Isle
July 13, 2018 13 Jul'18
Microsoft warns if an email is being sent out of office hours

When Blackberry introduced mobile email, it made everyone permanently connected to work. Now, Microsoft wants to curb this
July 13, 2018 13 Jul'18
How Singapore’s MyRepublic hones its IT chops

MyRepublic’s CIO shares how the company’s IT strategy has enabled the internet service provider to spread its wings into new markets
July 10, 2018 10 Jul'18
UK falling behind European competition in efforts to produce powerhouse tech companies

Several European-based tech companies are on the way to competing with major US and Chinese counterparts, although the UK is falling behind in this race
July 06, 2018 06 Jul'18
Public looks to push innovative technologies in public sector with accelerator programme

Public is aiming to drive innovative services in the public sector by selecting its next startup accelerator cohort
July 05, 2018 05 Jul'18
UK labour market could be harmed by private sector roll-out of IR35 reforms, consultancy warns

As the government continues to consult on extending the IR35 reforms to the private sector, research suggests contractors will not take kindly to the move
July 05, 2018 05 Jul'18
UK leads Europe’s tech startup scene over five years, research shows

Tech leads the way as UK shows 5% growth in startups across all industries
July 04, 2018 04 Jul'18
Alibaba Cloud looks to drive its technology ecosystem with startup innovation contest

Alibaba Cloud is hosting its next Create@Alibaba contest as it looks for innovative products from startups
July 03, 2018 03 Jul'18
New thinking from tech startups could help solve construction project issues

Three startups shortlisted to join ConstrucTech accelerator to work on innovative technologies to reduce project delays and overspend
July 02, 2018 02 Jul'18
Case study: Logistics firm GWC moves from paper to digital HR in three months

Qatar-based logistics firm Gulf Warehousing Company introduced smart appraisals for employees, cut the time it takes to recruit, and gave staff and managers access to accurate HR data by replacing paper systems with human resources software
July 01, 2018 01 Jul'18
Australian government grappling with digital transformation woes

Digital transformation in Australia’s public sector has been beset by soaring rhetoric and vague aspirations by government, a new report reveals
June 28, 2018 28 Jun'18
Supercomputing Wales partners with Atos and Dell to bring HPC to universities

Deal will bring high-performance computing to four universities to drive research across various sectors
June 27, 2018 27 Jun'18
Technology key to keeping staff happy

Giving employees access to the latest technologies will improve their satisfaction and increase productivity, survey shows
June 26, 2018 26 Jun'18
GDS is trying to democratise digital, says Cunnington

GDS boss Kevin Cunnington offers departments help with Brexit and says GDS is working to solve the “hardest problems”, as well as mapping innovation across government
June 26, 2018 26 Jun'18
Volkswagen Financial Services UK aims to accelerate innovation with tech startup programme

Automobile manufacturer Volkswagen is running its next Startup Battlefield programme, building on the success of its 2017 Portuguese accelerator
June 22, 2018 22 Jun'18
BEIS and DfE not addressing Brexit impact on Stem skills, says PAC

A Public Accounts Committee report has raised concerns that government departments are not doing enough, quickly enough, to understand how Brexit will affect the supply of science, technology, engineering and maths skills in the UK
June 22, 2018 22 Jun'18
Surge in number of women in IT contracting roles

The number of women taking IT contractor roles has increased by nearly a quarter in the past year
June 22, 2018 22 Jun'18
Brexit-induced immigration law shake-up ‘could spur tech startup growth’

By rebuilding immigration laws after it leaves the EU, the UK could make it easier for foreign workers to get visas and join startups, House of Lords committee hears
June 21, 2018 21 Jun'18
HR projects are leading company moves to digital tech, say business leaders

Business leaders say their human resource IT programmes are leading the way to the wider deployment of digital and cloud technology across their organisations
June 20, 2018 20 Jun'18
CIO interview: Mike Young, Centrica

We speak to the CIO whose CEO recently met with the head of Microsoft to talk about strategy
June 20, 2018 20 Jun'18
Nine out of 10 enterprises will use robotic process automation by 2020

Robotic process automation take-up expected to reach 92% of European enterprises within two years, finds ISG survey
June 19, 2018 19 Jun'18
Debit card payments surpassed cash for first time in 2017

For the first time, UK customers used debit cards to make more payments than cash in 2017, a change which has come a year earlier than expected.
June 18, 2018 18 Jun'18
London Tech Week experts advise startups to research investors’ background before pitching

Experts have used the TechXLR8 conference at London Tech Week to offer advice to startup workers about pitching to investors, joining accelerators and building teams
June 15, 2018 15 Jun'18
Universal Credit value for money ‘unproven’, says NAO

National Audit Office is uncertain DWP’s flagship benefits reform programme will ever achieve value for money, but says it’s too late to turn back
June 14, 2018 14 Jun'18
Take-up of Transport for London’s BYOD scheme leapt last year

TfL staff are increasingly using their own mobile devices in the workplace, figures reveal
June 11, 2018 11 Jun'18
Artificial intelligence names London as UK’s top innovation hub

An AI tool from Data City and the Open Data Institute has ranked the best clusters of cities for innovation across various technologies
June 07, 2018 07 Jun'18
DWP finally publishes Universal Credit business case

Published eight years after the programme began, the business case states that Universal Credit will generate £8bn a year in “economic value” once it is in a “steady state”
June 06, 2018 06 Jun'18
HMRC puts numerous IT projects on hold to focus on Brexit

Nearly 40 technology projects and changes are being put on the backburner because of Brexit priorities, including improving HM Revenue and Customs’ data-sharing capabilities and parts of the Maxing Tax Digital programme
June 06, 2018 06 Jun'18
Singapore government to form AI advisory council

New council will develop standards and guidelines to address ethical issues arising from the growing use of artificial intelligence
June 05, 2018 05 Jun'18
Australia’s chief scientist calls for AI regulations

The proposal would require companies to apply for a trustmark so they know from the outset how their AI is expected to behave
June 05, 2018 05 Jun'18
HMRC on track for August roll-out of customs IT system

The government will have a “fully functioning” customs declaration service by January 2019, HMRC CEO Jon Thompson told MPs
June 05, 2018 05 Jun'18
Interview: How a tech apprenticeship changed one man’s life

Past Microsoft apprentice Joshua Uwadiae explains how in hindsight, he realises his apprenticeship was a life-defining moment in the lead-up to his tech career
June 04, 2018 04 Jun'18
Subpostmasters told to expect decision on alleged unfair prosecutions in August

The Criminal Courts Review Commission is expected to announce the findings of an investigation into alleged unfair subpostmaster prosecutions in August
June 01, 2018 01 Jun'18
Huge rise in TSB-themed mobile phishing attacks after IT meltdown

Scammers have used bank’s IT problems as an opportunity to target its customers with mobile phishing attacks
May 31, 2018 31 May'18
Artificial intelligence identifies skin cancer in lab test more effectively than doctors

Artificial intelligence has outperformed experienced dermatologists in identifying skin cancer samples, further highlighting the potential of the technology in healthcare
May 29, 2018 29 May'18
Firms step up spending on digital tech, but struggle with strategy

Businesses and the public sector are stepping up their spending on digital technology, but many business leaders are struggling to keep pace with what it means for their business
May 29, 2018 29 May'18
Drone industry set to contribute £42bn to UK economy by 2030

PwC research has predicted drones could add £42bn to the economy and create 68,000 jobs by 2030
May 29, 2018 29 May'18
Salary is the biggest motivator for software developers

A survey finds that benefits such as free food and drink or a modern office space are not the main motivator for most developers, with the majority prioritising a higher salary
May 23, 2018 23 May'18
Blockchain tourism being replaced by its application to business challenges

Deloitte reveals the next 12 months could see businesses move from exploring blockchain to applying it to business challenges
May 17, 2018 17 May'18
Blockchain technology lacks enough use cases to be disruptive, says Worldpay

Worldpay's Jason Scott-Taggart says although the company is looking at blockchain, there are too few strong use cases for the technology at present
May 16, 2018 16 May'18
AI is more than just doing things cheaper and faster

Choose the parts of AI to deploy to demonstrate return-on-investment and differentiate your brand, says Volkswagen Australia’s chief customer officer
May 16, 2018 16 May'18
Companies need to adapt to new communication demands from millennials

TechSmith has warned businesses younger generations have new multimedia-based communication demands
May 15, 2018 15 May'18
TSB refused help from Lloyds as IT meltdown began

TSB turned down an offer of help from Lloyds Banking Group as the migration of customers accounts to its new banking system went wrong
May 15, 2018 15 May'18
Santander latest traditional player to open digital bank

Santander is the latest traditional bank to follow an industry trend and develop a digital banking unit
May 14, 2018 14 May'18
HSBC blockchain trial proves trade finance utility model

HSBC and ING used blockchain to successfully complete a real-world trade financing transaction as part of a pilot
May 11, 2018 11 May'18
Police Scotland did not inform public of mobile phone searches

Members of the Scottish Parliament heard that Police Scotland did not conduct impact assessments or give explanations to the public when they were accessing private data on their mobile phones
May 11, 2018 11 May'18
GDS wants to take 'hands off control' on digital identity, says Gov.uk Verify boss

Gov.uk Verify boss Nic Harrison says GDS wants to take its “hands off the controls” of identity, as he confirms target of 25 million Verify user accounts “won’t all be created by government”
May 10, 2018 10 May'18
Government must support SMEs, says Oliver Dowden

The minister for implementation, Oliver Dowden, provides further details on the GovTech competition and talks about GDS’s role as an “innovation incubator”, losing data policy to DCMS and the importance of SMEs
May 10, 2018 10 May'18
Barclays to set up biggest office outside UK in India

Bank is expanding its presence in India with plans for an office for 8,000 staff in Pune
May 10, 2018 10 May'18
BT to shut London HQ and cut 13,000 jobs

Another round of cuts comes as BT struggles to reposition itself for sustainable long-term growth
May 10, 2018 10 May'18
UK railways to save billions of pounds through digital signalling

Network Rail hails digital transformation plans as “a turning point in the history of our railways”
May 09, 2018 09 May'18
How enterprises can cope with digital disruption

Red Hat CEO Jim Whitehurst says enterprises can take a leaf from DevOps and build modularity into their technology infrastructure to prepare for the forces of digital disruption
May 08, 2018 08 May'18
TSB offers interest rate sweetener as IT issues continue at the bank

TSB is offering customers higher interest rate to go towards making up for the problems its core banking system migration caused customers
May 04, 2018 04 May'18
Britons used contactless for 42% of card payments in 2017

Paymentsense survey confirms rapid growth of contactless payments, but £30 limit is preventing further dominance
May 04, 2018 04 May'18
Most CIOs not interested in “massively hyped” blockchain, finds Gartner

Despite the noise surrounding blockchain technology, not many CIOs are using it or planning to do so in the near future, finds Gartner
May 03, 2018 03 May'18
City Police use Lego simulation to teach businesses cyber security

City of London Police are offering to train business leaders and IT security in cyber security using a Lego simulation that is surprisingly close to real life
May 02, 2018 02 May'18
Enterprise readiness for multi-cloud adoption is low across Europe, suggests IDC research

IDC suggests multi-cloud adoption will become the norm across European enterprises, but there is much work to be done before this becomes a reality
May 02, 2018 02 May'18
GDPR is key to driving other transformational strategies in business

With GDPR compliance in place, there are several technologies organisations can use to transform their data analytics
May 02, 2018 02 May'18
Fresh blow for Facebook as court refuses stay in Max Schrems legal action

Facebook has lost a legal attempt to delay the Irish High Court from seeking answers from the European Court of Justice over the legality of EU-US data transfers
May 02, 2018 02 May'18
Up to 270 women may have died due to breast cancer screening IT failure, says health secretary

Computer algorithm failure caused 450,000 women to miss their breast cancer screenings – some of whom will have "had their lives shortened" by the error, Jeremy Hunt has admitted
May 02, 2018 02 May'18
Cabinet Office updates spend controls

Revamped spend controls policy aims to give departments more flexibility, but requires them to keep a 15-month pipeline plan of any current and intended technology spend above £5m
May 02, 2018 02 May'18
Finnish government launches regional digitisation plan

Finland’s government allocates €400m to support digital projects run by the country’s local authorities
May 02, 2018 02 May'18
RBS closes branches after axing challenger bank project

Royal Bank of Scotland to close 162 branches and shed 800 jobs after deciding not to create a challenger bank – but a new digital bank may be on the way