Opinion

Opinion

CW500 and IT leadership skills

• What will it take for humanity to fully understand tech?

  The failure of the coronavirus contact-tracing system, due to limits set by an old Excel format, demonstrates a failure of technology to cope with human reliance  Continue Reading

• Top 10 skills to include in your IT CV

  Find out what skills and keywords you should include on your CV to stand out as an IT professional in a competitive market  Continue Reading

• Tech executives need new skills to lead in a remote world

  After helping organisations adapt to new ways of working during the Covid-19 pandemic, IT leaders worldwide are now enjoying greater influence, according to this year’s Harvey Nash/KPMG CIO Survey  Continue Reading

• Digital leaders and the widening divide

  This year’s Harvey Nash/KPMG CIO Survey shows a widening of the digital business divide, with companies that have already adopted digital technologies more likely to accelerate those investments than those still in the planning stage  Continue Reading

• A CIO’s journey through the Covid-19 crisis

  FDM’s IT chief takes us through the challenges of responding to the coronavirus pandemic, and the future opportunities that the changes introduced now present  Continue Reading

• Gartner: Three questions CIOs must ask before updating strategy post-pandemic

  Corporate leaders are turning to IT to build a digital future for their organisations – and CIOs can use their experience of pandemic-induced changes to build a new post-Covid strategy  Continue Reading

• Let’s not get ahead of ourselves – the UK tech startup scene still needs support post-Covid

  Government and investors have shown their support for tech startups during the coronavirus pandemic, but there are still challenges ahead and it's not a time for complacency  Continue Reading

• The Covid-19 crisis: Reinventing digital transformation

  Digital transformation projects are returning as organisations realise that improvements in productivity and customer engagement are now even more important – providing that the work can be done remotely and there’s still cash to pay for it  Continue Reading

• London Data Commission: Sharing data to help support London’s response to Covid-19

  London First’s director of connectivity and competitiveness, David Lutton, talks about establishing the London Data Commission, and its contribution to coping with the coronavirus crisis  Continue Reading

• IT transformation steps pave the path to new ways to work

  The CEO of Difrent discusses how her roles in local and central government have played a role in public sector IT transformation  Continue Reading

• Unsteady state: Building collaboration, innovation and responsiveness during unprecedented change

  The coronavirus crisis is challenging business and tech leaders in new and unprecedented ways – but the skills developed by successful leaders can forge better business and government going forward  Continue Reading

• CCRC findings on subpostmaster prosecutions reveal incompetence of successive governments

  Former subpostmaster who took on the Post Office in a multimillion-pound legal battle speaks out.  Continue Reading

• What is the Post Office board doing to right the Horizon wrongs?

  Business lawyer Nick Gould compares the treatment of subpostmasters by the Post Office in the Horizon IT scandal with the huge HBOS fraud that saw £1bn stolen from small businesses  Continue Reading

• EC publishes approach to human and ethical implications of AI, but what will UK do?

  The European Commission has published a guide to the EU’s approach to the human and ethical effects that artificial intelligence might bring  Continue Reading

• Gartner: How CIOs can lead organisational culture

  In large-scale transformations, the technical implementation is often far easier than the change management needed to make IT projects a success  Continue Reading

• Making apprenticeships do more than just work

  Better use of apprentices, and further reform to the apprenticeship levy, will be key to continuing the impressive growth rate of the UK’s digital economy  Continue Reading

• There's nothing much new in tech, but it's what we do with what we have that matters

  It feels like the world of tech is full of new things, but that's not entirely true. There's not a lot of invention going on, but that's fine because it's innovation that powers growth and productivity  Continue Reading

• Learning from the Travelex cyber attack: Failing to prepare is preparing to fail

  The key lesson to take from the Travelex breach is that an effective response to a breach is a critical business function and no longer the sole province of the IT department  Continue Reading

• Why the banking industry needs an IT makeover

  UK banks face huge challenges keeping their service availability levels at 99.99%  Continue Reading

• The Post Office computer problem that destroyed the lives of pillars of the community

  The Post Office’s refusal to believe subpostmasters were suffering losses due to computer system errors was incompetent and cruel  Continue Reading

• Gartner: Top 10 strategic technology trends in 2020

  Two decades ago, at the start of the millennium, IT was deeply concerned about Y2K – and the iPhone, Twitter and Facebook didn’t exist. So what’s in store as a new decade begins?  Continue Reading

• How CI/CD helps digital organisations

  Developments in technology have transformed IT management practices. We discuss the management implications of using CI/CD to drive digitisation initiatives  Continue Reading

• The super-resilient organisation

  We need to build super-resilient organisations that can not only survive in a tempestuous world, but become energised by it  Continue Reading

• The super-resilient IT function

  IT functions don’t have to continue taking the blame for organisational failures, they can take the lead in transforming the business  Continue Reading

• General Election 2019: Digital must be at the core of the next government’s strategy

  TechUK lays out the technology priorities it wants to see from the next UK government to boost the digital economy  Continue Reading

• The super-resilient CIO

  How developing ‘super-resilience’ can help your organisation thrive on adversity  Continue Reading

• Gartner: Three Barriers to AI Adoption

  CIOs are set to include artificial intelligence in their IT strategy. Technical, legislative and cultural challenges could influence their AI ambitions  Continue Reading

• The right way to get on with building UK tech success is to get a Brexit deal now

  The UK technology sector does not want a no-deal Brexit, and recognises the damage it would cause. If we're leaving the EU, the Prime Minister needs to get a deal  Continue Reading

• Gartner: Eight ways blockchain can support governments

  Distributed ledgers are not just limited to finance and smart contracts. Gartner explores how blockchain can tackle government inefficiencies  Continue Reading

• Gartner: Five pitfalls for a new CIO to avoid

  Entering a company as the new CIO is an unpredictable experience. Here are five common issues to look out for  Continue Reading

• Opening a path into a tech career for anyone

  The technology sector needs new talent and must get better at appealing to people at all stages of their life and career  Continue Reading

• Gender diversity is failing in tech: how can we turn it around?

  Todays technology organisations need innovative thinking, communication, relationship building, influencing and listening – skills that a lot of women possess in abundance. Yet employers frequently advertise jobs in ways that unwittingly deter ...  Continue Reading

• What the UK can learn from the Nordics when it comes to digital ID

  The UK and other countries can learn from the Nordic region when it comes to digital identity  Continue Reading

• What Belarus offers the tech sector

  Belarus might not be as well known for its IT as some of its neighbours, but it is pushing its head above the parapet  Continue Reading

• Making the move to cloud work for you

  Getting the best out of a move to the cloud means getting the size right, turning off what you don’t need, smart purchasing and continuously decluttering your new environment  Continue Reading

• How to prepare for the UK’s uncertain Brexit terms

  Analyst firm Gartner looks at the main business continuity plans that need to be in place  Continue Reading

• Leading IT: Lessons from the front line

  As a CIO, whatever challenges you face in terms of budget, mandates or timetable, you may already have the right people to carry out incredible IT feats. Here are four ways to lead your organisation to unprecedented success  Continue Reading

• Resist the tech backlash before it’s too late

  An increasingly unhealthy narrative has grown up around the tech sector – some of which is justified. But industry leaders need to push back and argue for the benefits of technology, too  Continue Reading

• More effective digital transformation through the power of your own people

  The old model of escalating decisions up and down the management chain does not work any more. Business leaders need to delegate responsibility for projects to business and technology specialists and eliminate the fear of failure  Continue Reading

• The journey to turning your organisation into a platform

  Compete with digital rivals by becoming a platform organisation – how companies can start navigating the transformation journey  Continue Reading

• Introducing ‘focus and leverage’ – the value algorithm of the internet era

  Anyone pitching a business idea or designing a new service needs to understand the economics of mature internet technology  Continue Reading

• The lesson of TSB – testing, 1, 2, 3

  An organisation’s IT system might look good on the surface, but you can’t fix a problem if you don’t know it’s there  Continue Reading

• Want a 200% pay rise? If you do, let the robots do all the work

  One of the newest Nobel economists has a theory, and if it's correct we'll all be in for a huge salary increase when the robots take over  Continue Reading

• Your IT provider is being acquired – what does this mean for you and your business?

  Merger and acquisition activity is widespread in the IT sector, but what does it mean for you when one of your key tech suppliers is bought up by another firm?  Continue Reading

• Why your marketing team needs help from IT more than ever

  Some IT and marketing departments have a troubled history of working together, but better collaboration is essential to make a success of digital transformation  Continue Reading

• Why #techmatters – the challenge for everyone in the UK tech community

  The UK technology sector faces unprecedented challenges – and opportunities – but we must never lose sight of the fact that it exists to make people’s lives better  Continue Reading

• Digital transformation is just business change

  Don't always start with the technology if you're driving transformation, but always start with the business  Continue Reading

• Bridging the gender pay gap in the technology industry

  Publication of gender pay gap figures for large organisations shows the tech sector has a long way to go to back up its rhetoric about equal opportunities  Continue Reading

• Big data skills shortages – and how to work around them

  Businesses are finding it hard to recruit enough people with big data and analytics skills, but for CIOs there are alternative strategies to consider  Continue Reading

• Tier 2 visas – a challenge for the tech sector

  With staff shortages already being reported in the technology sector and Brexit potentially adding to the problem, tech departments need to get their Tier 2 visa applications right  Continue Reading

• Beware of the digital bandwagon

  The rush to become ‘digital by default’ could drive costs up and have a damaging effect on understanding customer demand, writes John Seddon  Continue Reading

• If we're measuring GDP wrong in a digital world, what does that say about the economy?

  Conventional measures of economic success such as GDP fail to account for the nature of free digital services. How different would the UK economy appear if that changed?  Continue Reading

• GDPR and the right to erasure: hiding in the shadows or welcome shade?

  The European Union's new data protection laws introduce a right to be forgotten – but what does it means for corporate IT?  Continue Reading

• After the TSB debacle, is it time for IT people to run retail banking?

  Given that high-street banks are effectively little more than a computer system processing algorithms, would they be better off run by tech experts than bankers?  Continue Reading

• The seven levers of digital transformation

  Organisations that embark on digital transformation projects often run into difficulties. Following the seven principles of digital transformation will help them reap the benefits of digital technology  Continue Reading

• Diversity matters – International Women’s Day 2018

  The tech sector has a poor reputation for workplace diversity - if we are to take advantage of the opportunities of the digital economy, this has to change  Continue Reading

• Bitcoin is a bubble, but manias can have economic benefits

  The UK's railway mania, the tulip bubble, the dot com boom and other collective economic madness – such as bitcoin – might lose people a lot of money, but they often lay down important foundations  Continue Reading

• We must avoid the Brexit risks to London's tech community

  London's chief digital officer warns of the risks to jobs, innovation and investment if the UK pursues a hard Brexit when leaving the EU  Continue Reading

• Why CryptoKitties shows the future of humanity in the robot age

  Spending millions on blockchain-based cat collectibles might seem trivial, but it explains why economists aren’t worried about robots taking all our jobs  Continue Reading

• What a year it’s been for tech in the UK

  2017 was the year technology rose to prominence in government and business agendas – and the sector needs to keep that momentum going into 2018  Continue Reading

• How to boost your personal brand as an IT professional

  Seven steps to help you build a personal brand in the workplace, articulate the value you provide and build your professional reputation  Continue Reading

• How to futureproof your career as a CIO

  Many CIOs have yet to earn the right to be on the board. How can IT leaders upgrade their business acumen, to benefit their own careers and the health of their employer?  Continue Reading

• Empowerment is the key to a connected society

  It's not just technology that will determine our digital future – the ethical, social and political decisions taken now will have an impact on all of us  Continue Reading

• Why Europe’s GDPR privacy regulation is good for business

  Organisations will need to become more sensitive about the way they handle personal information, but the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) also makes good business sense  Continue Reading

• Newspaper woes show that when technology changes, everything changes

  Traditionalists bemoan the declining finances of newspapers, but those old sources of revenue aren't coming back – technology has changed everything  Continue Reading

• GDPR for the CIO: Data protection is about more than GDPR compliance

  If you approach GDPR as if compliance is all that matters, then you're bound to fail – data protection should be at the heart of business strategy  Continue Reading

• How to make the right technology choice

  Organisations need digital technology, but how do you decide which is the best technology for you? The answer is not to make one big decision, but many small ones. Thinking about technology, behaviour and data will help you find the right answers  Continue Reading

• The digital economy is making us poorer - but that can't be right

  Use of WhatsApp as an example of productivity growth and economic measures tells us we're worse off. Are we therefore measuring the numbers wrongly?  Continue Reading

• The children of the digital revolution

  Digital professionals are emerging as the source of expertise within the agile enterprise. They understand how to use digital technologies, starting small then building big  Continue Reading

• The high price of not understanding how automation works with existing software licences

  Businesses must check their software licences before they introduce robotic process automation or they risk breaking the rules  Continue Reading

• Strategy in business and learning to map – should you take the blue pill or the red pill?

  Devising business strategy means more than gut feel or copying others – the technique of mapping offers a better way to competitive advantage  Continue Reading

• The Google memo on diversity should be a learning opportunity

  Google's knee-jerk reaction did not tackle the root cause of the controversial employee memo  Continue Reading

• Unleashing digital talent for fun and profit

  With all the talk of data as the ‘new oil’, organisations can easily forget that talent – people – are the heart of delivering digital change  Continue Reading

• How creative and innovative can technology made in China be?

  China's IT industry is becoming more Silicon Valley-like and, as a result, more attractive to the CIOs of western enterprises  Continue Reading

• Donald Trump, the iPhone, and creating value in technology manufacturing

  The US president’s desire for Apple to build iPhones in the US misses the point – in an international sector such as tech, the real value is not in manufacturing finished goods  Continue Reading

• The challenge of our era - digital transformation at Allianz

  The insurance firm wants to become "digital by default" and its CIO explains the vital role DevOps and cloud play in its change programme  Continue Reading

• The digital revolution: push or pull?

  The “digital revolution” has parallels with the 1889 Land Rush in Oklahoma. Some succeeded, some failed and others wished they had never set off on the journey  Continue Reading

• Why now is the time to appoint a chief agility officer

  Companies need to innovate and find new ways of getting products to the market more quickly. Appointing a chief agility officer to the board will help  Continue Reading

• How the iPhone shows the value of innovation in a capitalist economy

  Ten years of watching the iPhone transform markets around the world demonstrates the economic value of technology innovation  Continue Reading

• Why users don't always know what they need

  The economic concept of revealed preference can often tell IT managers more about what their users want than users themselves  Continue Reading

• Architecting the digital enterprise

  A survey of almost 4,500 IT leaders in 90 countries shows that the fastest-growing area of demand in IT this year is for enterprise architects. It is not a skills shortage, but an adoption lag  Continue Reading

• In an age of uncertainty, now is the time to rethink your outsourcing strategy

  Brexit and Trump are not only creating challenges but also opportunities in the outsourcing sector, and outsourcing deals will need to be flexible to exploit them  Continue Reading

• The growing influence of the CIO

  The role of IT leaders has changed radically over the past decade. Today, digital technology is bringing CIOs new opportunities, higher budgets and the chance to make a strategic difference  Continue Reading

• How can CIOs drive innovation?

  Three steps CIOs can take to help them take the lead in driving innovation in their organisations.  Continue Reading

• The UK’s new mayors must think digital

  The election of new mayors in devolved regions offers an opportunity to advance digital transformation of local public services  Continue Reading

• Executive upgrade required – do you have the digital skills to succeed in the 21st century?

  Business leaders cannot adequately take advantage of digital technologies unless they have the necessary digital skills themselves  Continue Reading

• Cyber defence just one of the skills next-gen IT professionals will need

  Emerging technologies, the impact of Brexit and fintech companies are creating new opportunities for the next generation of IT professionals  Continue Reading

• Winning in the 21st century – digital is not enough

  Organisations have not changed sufficiently from 20th century operating models – but successful companies have developed a new outlook  Continue Reading

• Building business value with IT4IT

  To reinvent IT, CIOs must go beyond current process-based approaches and equip their teams with the right information and tools, completely automate end-to-end workflows, and provide the business with the controls to govern IT  Continue Reading

• It’s the business model, stupid – three steps to transform UK public services

  The government urgently needs to shift from ‘pipes to platforms’ to realise the benefits of digital disruption  Continue Reading

• How CIOs trap themselves by recycling the same talent

  Research pointing to talent standing in the way of CIOs achieving their objectives suggests a lack of innovation. It’s now time to think differently  Continue Reading

• The digital opportunity for CIOs

  CIOs have a unique opportunity to lead the digital strategy in their organisations, but they have to move quickly to make sure they have the right skills and infrastructure in place  Continue Reading

• Whitehall, GDS and town halls must back a digital revolution in local public services

  About 80% of public services are delivered by local councils – but Whitehall policy, Government Digital Service strategy and devolution plans are not focusing enough on local digital needs  Continue Reading

• A global, digital Britain will only succeed with global tech talent

  Government plans for a Brexit Britain must take into account the international nature of tech talent in its approach to immigration  Continue Reading

• Gary McKinnon: Why Lauri Love should be spared the nightmare of extradition

  Computer activist Lauri Love should be spared a life sentence in a US jail, says former hacker Gary McKinnon  Continue Reading

• Local authorities must collaborate to survive

  Councils need to seek opportunities to work with their peers if they are to take advantage of digital transformation at a time when budgets are squeezed  Continue Reading

• Digital government isn’t about user needs – it’s more fundamental than that

  The government digital movement needs to come out of startup phase and deliver on the real opportunities for public engagement  Continue Reading

• A new nearshoring game is emerging

  Countries selling themselves as nearshore business services locations need to change their sales pitches to avoid becoming like all the other countries doing the same  Continue Reading

• Escaping legacy – removing a major roadblock to a digital future

  Legacy IT and legacy thinking are preventing many organisations from embracing the digital economy – but it is an obstacle that can and must be overcome  Continue Reading

• Raising IT’s game through effective business relationship management

  Business relationship managers in an organisation have a vital role to play in enabling digital transformation  Continue Reading