News

Information technology in the Nordics

• October 28, 2016 28 Oct'16

  Interview: How Swedish bank prepared robot for customer services

  SEB bank is currently integrating artificial intelligence into its customer services channels, following an internal trial of the technology

• October 25, 2016 25 Oct'16

  CIO interview: Björn Ekstedt, PostNord

  For PostNord, one of the Nordic’s largest logistics companies, the rise of e-commerce means the continual digital rehaul of its business models

• October 20, 2016 20 Oct'16

  Best of VMworld Europe User Awards 2016: The winners

  Find out who won what, including the best of show prize, at the 2016 VMworld Europe User Awards in Barcelona

• October 18, 2016 18 Oct'16

  Saving Lauri Love: activists plan their next move

  An eclectic bunch of activists, charity workers and reformed hackers spent a rainy Sunday afternoon plotting their next move in a campaign to save Lauri Love from extradition to the US on hacking charges

• October 18, 2016 18 Oct'16

  IBM Q3 results suggest firm’s big cloud bets are paying off

  IBM posted flat revenue figures for third quarter overall, despite solid growth generated by its big data, cloud and artificial intelligence activities

• October 14, 2016 14 Oct'16

  Three-quarters of Brits use mobile banking

  Europeans are rapidly taking up mobile banking which, combined with the adoption of contactless cards, is driving the digital payments sector

• October 14, 2016 14 Oct'16

  Nordea bank joins rival’s mobile payment platform

  Nordea signs up to the mobile payments platform from Danske bank for its customers in Denmark and Norway

• October 13, 2016 13 Oct'16

  Case study: Denmark’s Bang & Olufsen takes control of sales data

  Denmark based audio-visual equipment maker uses cloud-based channel management software to give it the sales insight it needs to make better decisions

• October 13, 2016 13 Oct'16

  CIO interview: Mia Forsäng, Swedish municipality Vara

  Despite moving on to pastures new, the former CIO at Swedish municipality Vara tells Computer Weekly how she used her people skills to transform the IT department

• October 07, 2016 07 Oct'16

  Engineering company uses HR technology to cut staff leaving rates

  Aveva has seen its employee attrition rate fall by 5% a year, partly as a result of its investment in HR technology

• October 06, 2016 06 Oct'16

  Swedish bank uses Amelia the robot for customer services

  SEB is using AI software from IPsoft for customer service after a successful internal project

• October 05, 2016 05 Oct'16

  Flytoget’s digital transformation accelerates express train service

  Flytoget implements a development platform to enable it to respond quickly to the demands of digital-minded customers

• October 04, 2016 04 Oct'16

  Best of VMworld Europe User Awards 2016: Shortlist announced

  Find out who made the shortlist for this year's Best of VMworld Europe User Awards, which is set to take place on Wednesday 19 October 2016 at VMworld, Barcelona

• September 21, 2016 21 Sep'16

  Brussels proposes new rules to stop abuse of roaming charge rules

  The European College of Commissioners has proposed new rules to help prevent abuse of the end of mobile roaming charges across the EU

• September 21, 2016 21 Sep'16

  Finland’s OP Financial Group outlines digital ambitions

  Chief digital officer at financial services group describes how new technology is fundamentally changing the business

• September 21, 2016 21 Sep'16

  IBM opens first Nordic cloud datacentre

  Oslo datacentre is IBM’s 12th in Europe and 48th globally and will target large and small enterprises and startups to offer services

• September 21, 2016 21 Sep'16

  Best of VMworld Europe User Awards 2016 open for entries until 30 September

  The Best of VMworld Europe User Awards 2016 are now open for entries until 30 September. Read the criteria and find out how to submit your nomination here

• September 16, 2016 16 Sep'16

  EC overhauls telecoms rules to bolster broadband, 5G

  The European Commission is set to make a number of changes to European Union telecoms rules to support ultrafast network connectivity

• September 13, 2016 13 Sep'16

  DNB and Nordea to merge IT operations for Baltic super bank

  Two of the Nordic region’s banks will use joint operations, including IT, to help them grow in the Baltic area

• September 09, 2016 09 Sep'16

  Nordic CIO Interview: Mattias Forsberg, Scandinavian Airlines

  The CIO of Nordic airline SAS talks to Computer Weekly about how digital technologies are changing customer experiences as well as the business itself

• September 08, 2016 08 Sep'16

  Bank IT spending to hit $241bn across four major global regions

  IT spending across four major economic regions will increase by around 4% in 2016, but Europe is the least certain

• September 01, 2016 01 Sep'16

  Nordic CIO interview: Mattias Wedar, Eniro

  Computer Weekly talks with Mattias Wedar, head of user and customer experience at Eniro, about how the Swedish directory company is tackling change with closer integration of IT and product development

• August 23, 2016 23 Aug'16

  There is life in Finland’s IT sector despite Nokia and Microsoft layoffs

  Regional development organisations in Finland describe how despite massive job cuts Nokia and Microsoft have provided the foundations for IT industry development

• August 10, 2016 10 Aug'16

  Nordic CIO interview: Johan Tömmervik, SKF

  Johan Tömmervik, CIO of Swedish-founded bearing and seal manufacturer SKF, tells Computer Weekly about the challenge of creating services for a diverse customer base

• August 09, 2016 09 Aug'16

  Finland brings e-patient records and 5G into health tech testing

  Oulu University Hospital in Finland is using replica electronic patient records to support technology testing

• August 02, 2016 02 Aug'16

  Swedish fuel supplier replaces multiple systems with single ERP application to free up IT

  Preem is in the middle of a project that will see it replace about 40 business systems with off-the-shelf ERP

• August 02, 2016 02 Aug'16

  Nordic CIO interview: Liv Fiksdahl, DNB

  CIO of Norwegian bank tells Computer Weekly how Indian outsourcing partners help her keep costs down and digitise the business

• July 29, 2016 29 Jul'16

  German digital bank Fidor acquired by French banking giant

  Fidor CEO says merger with BPCE will allow challenger to continue its international expansion

• July 28, 2016 28 Jul'16

  Nordic CIO interview: Vesa Erolainen, Pöyry

  Doubts were raised when Vesa Erolainen, CIO at Finnish engineering and consulting company Pöyry, outlined his IT transformation plan, but he ended up winning an award for it

• July 26, 2016 26 Jul'16

  Date set for landmark hearing into EU-US data transfers

  Irish court hearing triggered by Austrian law student Max Schrems could have huge implications for EU-US trade and the data privacy rights of millions of EU citizens

• July 21, 2016 21 Jul'16

  IT outsourcing falls steeply in second quarter but IT as a service sees strong growth

  Sales of IT as a service growth in Europe helped offset a huge fall in the total value of traditional IT and business process outsourcing contracts

• July 20, 2016 20 Jul'16

  Mobile data freebies spark controversy in Sweden

  Telia’s offer of data freebies to customers has brought criticism from some that believe it breaches net neutrality rules

• July 19, 2016 19 Jul'16

  US government joins legal challenge of EU-US data transfers

  Helen Dixon, Ireland’s data protection commissioner, is asking the European Court of Justice to rule on the legality of EU-US data transfers, post-Safe Harbour, in a landmark legal challenge

• July 19, 2016 19 Jul'16

  Private data should only be kept for ‘serious crime’, says European Court

  European Court of Justice lays down the limits of data retention following legal challenge by two UK MPs, and David Davis withdraws his name from legal action after assuming a post in Theresa May’s cabinet

• July 14, 2016 14 Jul'16

  Nordic CIO interview: Roland Grunéus, Intrum Justitia

  Roland Grunéus, the CIO of Swedish-founded Intrum Justitia, reveals the credit management services group’s efforts to make better use of data

• July 08, 2016 08 Jul'16

  EU-US Privacy Shield wins EU backing to proceed

  The US data-transfer agreement wins the backing of the European Union, paving the way for it to come into force

• July 06, 2016 06 Jul'16

  Iceland tops list of low-risk datacentre locations

  Europe nabs six out of the top 10 spots in Cushman & Wakefield's list of low-risk locations to build or buy up datacentre capacity

• July 05, 2016 05 Jul'16

  Nordic CIO interview: Tore Burheim, University of Bergen

  IT director of Norwegian university tells Computer Weekly about digitising education and creating co-operative clusters

• July 04, 2016 04 Jul'16

  Facilities firm ISS picks IBM Watson IoT to manage client sites

  Danish outsourcing and services firm signs new deal with IBM to use Watson’s internet of things capabilities to better manage its clients’ properties

• June 30, 2016 30 Jun'16

  Brexit: Cloud community mulls over implications for data protection regulation reform

  TechUK fears Brexit could see the UK lose its power to influence cloud regulations, while others say it could free the market from having to toe the EU line so closely

• June 29, 2016 29 Jun'16

  Brexit: Datacentre investments set to slow as economic stability concerns hit CIOs

  As the economic uncertainty around Brexit continues, CIOs may put new datacentre investments on hiatus, warns analyst

• June 29, 2016 29 Jun'16

  IT services sector faces freeze amid Brexit wrangling

  The IT services sector across the globe will be hit by the uncertainty around the UK's future relationship with the EU, but a spending freeze will eventually thaw

• June 29, 2016 29 Jun'16

  US government may ask for travellers’ social media details

  The US government is seeking permission to request details of travellers’ social media presence

• June 29, 2016 29 Jun'16

  Vodafone may pull jobs out of UK after Brexit

  Vodafone says it may pull its headquarters out of the UK after the country voted for Brexit

• June 28, 2016 28 Jun'16

  Finland’s prisons move to a cashless world

  Inmates in Finland’s prisons will no longer need to use cash as a pre-paid card system is rolled out

• June 27, 2016 27 Jun'16

  Banking IT community faces uncertain Brexit future

  The financial services IT community faces a period of uncertainty as finance firms reassess plans following the EU referendum result

• June 23, 2016 23 Jun'16

  Nordic CIO interview: Martin Althén, Husqvarna

  The CIO at power tool maker Husqvarna tells Computer Weekly how he is repositioning the company through digitalisation

• June 20, 2016 20 Jun'16

  Nets and Coinify launch blockchain development lab in Denmark

  Nordic payments technology firms work together on blockchain proof-of-concept developments

• June 16, 2016 16 Jun'16

  Why leaving EU would be disastrous for UK digital scene

  Startups and government minister discuss the risks that leaving the EU would bring to the UK IT industry

• June 15, 2016 15 Jun'16

  Nordic CIO interview: Magnus Åkerlind, Loomis

  Director of global IT co-ordination at Swedish cash-handling company Loomis tells Computer Weekly about harmonising IT globally while protecting local independence

• June 13, 2016 13 Jun'16

  Nordic CIO interview: Johnny Bröms, Swedish fast-food chain Max Burger

  The CIO of Swedish fast-food chain tells Computer Weekly how digital technology is increasing sales and supporting expansion

• June 08, 2016 08 Jun'16

  Icelandic airport uses Wi-Fi to improve services and efficiency

  The swiftly expanding Keflavik Airport in Reykjavík is using a combination of sensors and Wi-Fi to monitor passenger movement and improve airport efficiency

• June 07, 2016 07 Jun'16

  Swedish bank Sparbanken Syd expands IT outsourcing to trading

  Swedish bank Sparbanken Syd outsources the IT that runs its trading business to Finland's Tieto supplier, to cut costs and improve the quality of its services

• June 02, 2016 02 Jun'16

  Finland to deploy national Sigfox IoT network

  Internet of things service provider Sigfox has announced plans to extend its global network across Finland by 2017

• June 02, 2016 02 Jun'16

  Nordic CIO interview: Claes-Håkan Johansson, Preem

  CIO of Swedish fuel company tells Computer Weekly about the firm’s digital journey and how IT has made sure it is part of the business

• May 26, 2016 26 May'16

  Nordic CIO interview: Petteri Naulapää, Stockmann

  CIO of Finnish-listed international retailer tells Computer Weekly about the department store’s journey towards omnichannel

• May 25, 2016 25 May'16

  Microsoft confirms job cuts at Nokia smartphone business

  Big job losses in Finland as Nadella has a rethink on Windows phones

• May 20, 2016 20 May'16

  Copenhagen creates marketplace for trading data

  Organisations in Copenhagen can buy and sell previously unavailable data on a data marketplace set up by the city government

• May 20, 2016 20 May'16

  CIO Interview: Esa Viitamäki, Posti Group

  IT demands and a changing market prompted Finland’s state-owned postal provider to transform itself

• May 20, 2016 20 May'16

  CIO interview: Antti Ylä-Jarkko, city of Vantaa, Finland

  The CIO of Finnish city Vantaa tells Computer Weekly why the Nordic public sector can lead the way in the use of digital

• May 17, 2016 17 May'16

  Equinix sells eight European datacentres to rival Digital Realty for $874m

  As Equinix sells off eight European datacentres to rival Digital Realty, analyst Steve Wallage predicts what the fallout from the deal might be

• May 10, 2016 10 May'16

  Nordea Bank launches crowdfunding platform in Finland

  The Nordic financial services group offers a technology bringing together investors and startup businesses

• May 10, 2016 10 May'16

  Nokia plunges to €513m loss after Alcatel-Lucent acquisition

  Costs mount up at network equipment supplier Nokia following its acquisition of Alcatel-Lucent

• May 10, 2016 10 May'16

  Eurovision Song Contest launches contactless payments in Stockholm

  Eurovision Song Contest sponsor Visa Europe equips visitors with contactless payment wristbands backed by Gemalto’s Allynis events platform

• May 09, 2016 09 May'16

  CIO interview: Stefan Stigendal, Samhall

  The CIO of Swedish company Samhall has the task of digitising its business while ensuring its staff, many of whom are disabled, get used to using IT

• May 06, 2016 06 May'16

  Swedbank boosts customer service with a virtual assistant

  Nuance Nina will offer basic frontline support for online customers

• May 06, 2016 06 May'16

  CIO interview: Henrik Iversen, Monjasa

  The head of IT at Danish oil and shipping company Monjasa tells Computer Weekly about making IT part of the decision-making process and managing personal development

• May 05, 2016 05 May'16

  CIO Interview: Vesa Pirinen, YIT Group

  When Vesa Pirinen became CIO at Finnish construction firm YIT Group, he set out to question the norm

• May 03, 2016 03 May'16

  ViaSat connects satellite development programme for European Space Agency

  ESA initiative aims to kick-start the development process for high-capacity satellite products, apps and services

• April 28, 2016 28 Apr'16

  Disrupting IT in the Nordics, from banks to taxis

  IT is dramatically changing traditional industry sectors in the Nordic region. Computer Weekly examines the transformation

• April 27, 2016 27 Apr'16

  IT outsourcing starts year with a bang

  The IT outsourcing sector got off to a strong start in 2016, with sales volumes and values up

• April 27, 2016 27 Apr'16

  Volvo tests self-driving cars in London

  Swedish auto manufacturer Volvo is to begin trials of autonomous driving on the streets of London in 2017, using 100 family vehicles in real-life situations

• April 26, 2016 26 Apr'16

  Vodafone and Huawei open narrowband IoT lab

  Mobile operator Vodafone supplies connectivity to an internet of things (IoT) joint venture development centre with Huawei in Newbury

• April 25, 2016 25 Apr'16

  CIO interview: Ulrica Holmgren, Telenor Sweden

  The Swedish CIO of telecoms provider Telenor tells Computer Weekly about the company’s agility, pilot projects and the digital journey

• April 22, 2016 22 Apr'16

  Nordic corporations open their doors to tech startups

  Traditional Nordic corporations are starting to take advantage of the vibrant startup community in the region, and they are changing the way they think

• April 20, 2016 20 Apr'16

  European Commission ready to splash €50bn on transformational digitisation plan

  A cloud initiative for scientists and technologists among the developments as digital single market moves intensify

• April 19, 2016 19 Apr'16

  European Commission to create €6.7bn continent-wide cloud for scientists

  The European Commission hopes initiative will pave the way for greater collaboration between European research teams

• April 18, 2016 18 Apr'16

  The secrets of Nordic fintech boost

  London has become the undisputed European capital for financial technology, but the Nordic countries have strong ambitions to challenge for the number one spot

• April 15, 2016 15 Apr'16

  Stockholm’s public sector boosts productivity with a move towards mobility

  The city has a mobile strategy that’s been embraced by staff and citizens

• April 14, 2016 14 Apr'16

  Data protection law sails through European Parliament

  The European Union’s new General Data Protection Regulation has successfully passed through the European Parliament

• April 14, 2016 14 Apr'16

  Government surveillance under fire across Europe

  UK and US government surveillance programmes are facing criticism from the courts, MPs and data protection regulators

• April 12, 2016 12 Apr'16

  Banks see video banking as key to customer satisfaction

  Video banking is set to take off over the next few years to improve the personal connection between banks and customers, according to research

• April 07, 2016 07 Apr'16

  Cargotec saves €2m by moving HR systems to the cloud

  Cargo handling equipment manufacturer Cargotech reduces the cost of managing its 11,000 employees by moving HR systems to the cloud

• April 07, 2016 07 Apr'16

  Nokia slashes jobs after Alcatel-Lucent acquisition

  Nokia embarks on a round of job cuts as part of its post-merger restructuring

• April 06, 2016 06 Apr'16

  Finnish contest looks for real-world 5G applications

  Finnish city Oulu is running a competition to unearth apps that can utilise 5G networks

• April 04, 2016 04 Apr'16

  Digital Single Market: European Commission warned not to over-regulate online platforms

  Ministers from 11 EU member states warn European Commission off over-regulating use of online platforms during the creation of the Digital Single Market

• April 04, 2016 04 Apr'16

  Enterprise IT conference comes to the Nordics

  IP Expo is holding an event focused on the Nordic region for the first time as countries such as Sweden and Finland become leaders in enterprise IT

• March 29, 2016 29 Mar'16

  Sweden’s central bank puts brake on cash-free society

  Sweden has been on a fast track to become the world’s first cashless society, but now its central bank is stamping on the brakes

• March 29, 2016 29 Mar'16

  DNB to close 59 branches in Norway as online banking dominates

  Norwegian bank DNB is closing branches and cutting jobs as more customers move to digital channels

• March 24, 2016 24 Mar'16

  BMW Group signs HPC and hosting deal with hydro-powered Swedish datacentre operator

  BMW Group inks deal with green datacentre operator in Sweden

• March 24, 2016 24 Mar'16

  CIO interview: Martin Uudelepp, Fonus Group

  The interim CIO of Swedish family law and funeral group Fonus tells Computer Weekly about his role as a “chaos pilot”

• March 24, 2016 24 Mar'16

  Dutch creativity and pragmatism attracts IT companies to Amsterdam

  An appealing lifestyle and the largest internet exchange in the world combine to make Amsterdam a great place to set up an IT company

• March 23, 2016 23 Mar'16

  Danish utility NRGi goes offshore for IT platform transformation

  Danish utilty NRGi has outsourced its IT to Indian services supplier Wipro as it attempts to transform its operations amid increased competition

• March 22, 2016 22 Mar'16

  Akamai report raises questions over UK broadband stats

  Akamai’s latest 'State of the internet' report claims UK average broadband speeds may not be rising as fast as hoped or claimed

• March 21, 2016 21 Mar'16

  Norway’s Storebrand chooses Cognizant for digital transformation

  Norwegian financial services firm becomes the latest Nordic-based organisation to sign a major IT outsourcing deal with an India-based supplier

• March 21, 2016 21 Mar'16

  Britain to pay billions for monster internet surveillance network

  New questions raised about Britain’s snoopers’ charter after Denmark abandons its own UK-style surveillance programme for a second time

• March 18, 2016 18 Mar'16

  What does the IT sector think of the UK potentially leaving the EU?

  The referendum on the UK’s membership of the European Union is fast approaching and the country’s IT sector is taking sides

• March 18, 2016 18 Mar'16

  Danish taxi drivers protest against Uber at startup event

  Taxi drivers in Denmark protest about the inclusion of Uber at Nordic Startup Conference in Copenhagen

• March 17, 2016 17 Mar'16

  CIO interview: Charlotta Nyström, Kemira

  Finnish chemical industry group CIO sees networking with other CIOs as an essential part of her job

• March 17, 2016 17 Mar'16

  CIO interview: Mogens Kristensen, Sydbank

  Danish bank’s IT head explains the advantages of sharing some IT systems with other banks