Opinion

Opinion

Healthcare and NHS IT

• Ransomware: Is there hope beyond the overhyped?

  Up-and-coming cyber concepts attack surface management and security mesh architectures seem to hold some promise in tackling ransomware, but they are a little way off maturity  Continue Reading

• Think technology, process, human risk to manage ransomware

  Effective ransomware handling boils down to three core areas – technology, process and human risk  Continue Reading

• Your staff are the frontline in your ransomware fight

  As part of a solid cyber defence plan, the CISO must make sure that the frontline within the organisation is prepared for an attack, says Theodore Wiggins of Airbus Protect  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Let’s be transparent about ransomware

  Greater transparency regarding ransomware attacks, including details about attack methods used and what kinds of assets were compromised, would likely help the community prevent future attacks  Continue Reading

• Cyber insurance: The good, the bad and the ugly

  Most cyber insurance contracts are innately flawed because they exclude losses arising from state-backed cyber attacks, and this will make proper attribution even more important in the future, says Cisco Talos’ Martin Lee  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: To stop ransomware, preparation is the best medicine

  You can’t ‘stop’ ransomware, but you can do a lot to keep yourself from becoming ensnared when it strikes  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Anti-ransomware strategies should be as easy as ABC

  When developing and implementing ransomware protection strategies, the importance of paying thorough attention to security measures you might consider elementary cannot be understated  Continue Reading

• How government can capitalise on a revolution in data sharing

  Alison Pritchard, deputy national statistician at the Office for National Statistics, says the new government Integrated Data Service enables tackling questions that we don’t yet know we need to answer  Continue Reading

• Data-driven decision making will fail – and here is why

  Marc Warner, CEO at Faculty, contends that corporate organisations need to go through a cycle similar to the development of scientific thought – from divination, via data deluge to theoretical understanding  Continue Reading

• To fight ransomware, we must treat digital infrastructure as critical

  Ransomware defence is failing because we don’t view our digital infrastructure in the same way as our physical infrastructure, argues Elastic’s Mandy Andress  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Ransomware and CISOs’ balancing act

  Ransomware has the potential to cause irreversible business damage, so CISOs should consider not only protection but also response and recovery  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Know your networks, know your suppliers

  To combat the ransomware scourge, we must work harder to monitor and learn from the increasingly complex threat environment, keep a closer eye on supply chains, and share our insights  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Container security: why so different?

  Done well, container security can be a model for securing the enterprise, and businesses that focus their teams on solving it can help accelerate positive change in other areas  Continue Reading

• How has container security changed since 2020, and have we taken it too far?

  While containers are now one of the most popular ways to deploy applications, it is fair to say that the adoption and implementation of security best practice to govern their use has not kept up  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Effective DevSecOps requires collaboration

  Application security and effective DevSecOps can only be achieved through collaboration with the business – the ultimate goal is to make it safer to do business, which requires considering integrated risk management and identity and access ...  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Don’t rely on insurance alone

  Cyber insurance is a useful addition to the cyber protection toolbox. However, it cannot be regarded as a replacement for the controls that should be in operation, says Turnkey Consulting’s Tom Venables  Continue Reading

• Cyber insurance: An effective use of your scant security budget?

  The ISF’s Paul Watts asks if cyber insurance is a must-have item, an expensive luxury, or the emperor’s new clothes  Continue Reading

• Lots to consider when buying cyber insurance, so do your homework

  When considering implementing a cyber insurance policy, due diligence should be your watchword, says Paddy Francis of Airbus CyberSecurity  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Cyber insurance – A nice safety blanket, but don’t count on it

  In the second instalment of this month’s Security Think Tank, Mike Gillespie argues that cyber insurance should be thought of like car insurance – you don’t start driving recklessly because you’re covered  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Now is the time to think about cyber insurance

  Many IT leaders shy away from cyber insurance, but new, innovative developments in the market can help organisations take an approach that suits their needs  Continue Reading

• Assessment and knowledge: Your key tools to secure suppliers

  There is no silver bullet that will resolve all the issues arising from today’s interconnected businesses and complex supply chains, but there are some key tools at your disposal  Continue Reading

• Finding the balance between innovation and data security in healthcare

  As the government launches its data strategy for health and social care, a fine line must be trodden between innovating through privacy-enhancing technologies, and retaining data security for patients  Continue Reading

• What will the Data Reform Bill mean for UK businesses operating in the EU?

  Following the government’s response to the Data Reform Bill consultation, Peter Galdies of DQM GRC looks at what might lie ahead for UK organisations working in the European Union  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Supply chain security demands systematic approach

  Supply chain security measures need to be systematic and assessed so as to minimise the complexity and cost to the business  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Balanced approach can detangle supply chain complexity

  Achieving an appropriate balance between people, processes and technology can help to detangle the complexities of the supply chain and create better security practices  Continue Reading

• Supply chain security goes deep – forget this at your peril

  It may have hit the headlines as an IT issue, but supply chain security goes far deeper into an organisation than just technology  Continue Reading

• Consider governance, coordination and risk to secure supply chain

  A recent ISACA study found myriad factors that give good reason to be concerned about supply chain security. Cyber adviser Brian Fletcher recommends three areas to zero in on  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Best practices for boosting supply chain security

  In a highly connected world, managing the supply chain landscape requires an adaptation of the ‘traditional’ approach to managing cyber risk  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Basic steps to secure your supply chain

  When it comes to supply chain security, there are some core things you should be doing – but remember, the devil is in the detail  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Don’t trust the weakest link? Don’t trust any link

  Your security model shouldn’t fall apart just because a part of your business, or a partner, has weak security. This is why information-centric security is a must  Continue Reading

• Move with the times – in defence of WhatsApp in government

  Former minister and current member of the House of Lords argues that the UK government needs to move with the times and embrace new communications tools such as WhatsApp  Continue Reading

• Strong internal foundations are key to withstanding external threats

  The modern-day abundance of platforms, apps and IT tools presents malicious actors with a web of interconnection that is easily exploited to move rapidly through the network to compromise critical assets. Security teams need to understand these ...  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: To follow a path, you need a good map

  The modern-day abundance of platforms, apps and IT tools presents malicious actors with a web of interconnection that is easily exploited to move rapidly through the network to compromise critical assets. Security teams need to understand these ...  Continue Reading

• Why diversity in AI remains a challenge and how to fix it

  With artificial intelligence set for a global economic explosion, its development must put diversity at its core to avoid discriminating systems  Continue Reading

• Revised scope of UK security strategy reflects digitised society

  The omission of the word ‘security’ from the title of the UK government’s new National Cyber Strategy is a telling one, reflecting our increasingly digitised society, say Maximillian Brook and Arunoshi Singh of the ISF  Continue Reading

• UK Cyber Strategy a welcome injection of progress

  The National Cyber Strategy should be seen as a welcome injection of both focus and investment in bettering cyber defence for everyone, says Turnkey Consulting senior consultant Louise Barber  Continue Reading

• National Cyber Strategy will enhance UK’s cyber power status

  The UK punches above its weight when it comes to wielding cyber power around the world, but challenges to this status are clear. The National Cyber Strategy has a clear role to play in maintaining and enhancing this status, writes Paddy Francis of ...  Continue Reading

• How cyber security teams can conquer the four-day working week

  The four-day week may be an idea whose time has come, but for always-on cyber security professionals, the impact of squeezing more work into fewer days is a tricky proposition  Continue Reading

• National Cyber Strategy misses the mark in one important way

  The National Cyber Strategy is full of fine words, says Petra Wenham, but as the old expression goes, fine words butter no parsnips, and it misses the mark in one very important way  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Good training is all about context

  In-house or outsourced? What makes a good security training programme, and what questions should buyers ask when procuring training as a service?  Continue Reading

• Phishing tests are a useful exercise, but don’t overdo it

  The vast majority of cyber attacks start with a phish, so it’s not surprising that phishing tests form part of cyber training plans. But sometimes these tests go too far. Cyberis’ Gemma Moore looks at how to avoid the pitfalls  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: How to build a human firewall

  In-house or outsourced? What makes a good security training programme, and what questions should buyers ask when procuring training as a service?  Continue Reading

• Understand your cyber training ‘need’ before committing to a programme

  In-house or outsourced? What makes a good security training programme, and what questions should buyers ask when procuring training-as-a-service?  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Focus on ‘nudging’ to build effective cyber training

  In-house or outsourced? What makes a good security training programme, and what questions should buyers ask when procuring training-as-a-service?  Continue Reading

• How digital-twin technology could revolutionise the healthcare industry

  Digital-twin technology is not new, but in many industries it is still regarded as novel and is often misunderstood  Continue Reading

• A trial relying on computer evidence should start with a trial of the computer evidence

  Learning from the Post Office Horizon scandal - the most widespread miscarriage of justice in recent British legal history  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Reframing CISO-boardroom relations

  Security learning is a career-long process, so as 2021 draws to a close, participants in the Computer Weekly Security Think Tank sum up the most important cyber lessons they’ve taken away from the past 12 months  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Attackers leveraging the supply chain

  Security learning is a career-long process, so as 2021 draws to a close, participants in the Computer Weekly Security Think Tank sum up the most important cyber lessons they have taken away from the past 12 months  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Think people, processes and systems

  Security learning is a career-long process, so as 2021 draws to a close, participants in the Computer Weekly Security Think Tank sum up the most important cyber lessons they’ve taken away from the past 12 months  Continue Reading

• A ‘whole of society’ approach to cyber may be on the horizon

  Nominet Cyber managing director David Carroll reflects on the NCSC’s latest annual review amid 2021’s fast-evolving threat landscape  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: SASE – marketing buzz or the future of security?

  SASE architectures promise to prevent multiple types of cyber attacks, but deciding whether SASE is right for your organisation will require understanding whether SASE is a fit for your use cases in IT  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Data privacy and ethics in a post-Covid world

  The radical change caused by the pandemic requires new approaches to data privacy practice, says PA Consulting’s Daniel Gordon  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Consider cyber policies and procedures as you welcome employees back

  With Covid-19 restrictions easing, offices are welcoming back remote workers this summer, bringing with them their notebooks and mobiles, and creating an endpoint management headache for CISOs. What do security teams need to account for to protect ...  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Reopening is an opportunity to reassess wider security posture

  With Covid-19 restrictions easing, offices are welcoming back remote workers this summer, bringing with them their notebooks and mobiles, and creating an endpoint management headache for CISOs. What do security teams need to account for to protect ...  Continue Reading

• NHS Digital’s GP data-scraping plan must be publicised and delayed

  The UK government must launch a national awareness campaign and delay this month’s planned GP data slurp, say privacy consultants Ben Rapp and Sara Newman  Continue Reading

• Long-term thinking is vital to secure UK’s critical infrastructure

  To face down the threat of cyber warfare against UK CNI, the government needs long-term thinking that looks beyond the next general election cycle, says Advent-IM’s Mike Gillespie  Continue Reading

• Why new EU rules around artificial intelligence are vital to the development of the sector

  Shawn Tan, CEO of global AI ecosystem builder Skymind, explains why the European Union’s new rules on artificial intelligence are a good thing  Continue Reading

• Transparency is essential as we enter the era of ‘government by algorithm’

  The public sector is increasingly allowing algorithms to make vital decisions that affect people’s lives – but how do we know those algorithms work or what they do?  Continue Reading

• IR35 private sector reforms: What firms need to do now the start date has passed

  While the start date for the onset of the IR35 private sector reforms may have passed, firms in-scope of the revamped tax avoidance legislation may find themselves still with plenty of compliance work still to do  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Security culture must underpin vaccine passports

  What are the security challenges presented by vaccine passports, and how should they be designed and used with ethics and privacy in mind?  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Vaccine passports cannot be taken lightly

  What are the security issues and challenges presented by vaccine passports, and how should they be designed and used with ethics and privacy in mind?  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Vaccine passports must be secure by design

  What are the security issues and challenges presented by vaccine passports, and how should they be designed and used with ethics and privacy in mind?  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Evolving threats, tech, leaves CNI exposed

  In light of increasing cyber attacks on critical national infrastructure, what are the immediate risks to industrial control systems and other operational technology, and what steps can be taken to address them?  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Attacks on CNI – an evolving frontier in warfare

  In the light of increasing cyber attacks on critical national infrastructure, what are the immediate risks to industrial control systems and other operational technology, and what steps can be taken to address them?  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Take a realistic perspective on CNI cyber attacks

  In light of increasing cyber attacks on critical national infrastructure, what are the immediate risks to industrial control systems and other operational technology, and what steps can be taken to address them?  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: CNI operators must focus on core issues

  In the light of increasing cyber attacks on critical national infrastructure, what are the immediate risks to industrial control systems and other operational technology, and what steps can be taken to address them?  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: CNI operators are in an unenviable position

  In the light of increasing cyber attacks on critical national infrastructure, what are the immediate risks to industrial control systems and other operational technology, and what steps can be taken to address them?  Continue Reading

• Healthcare digitisation at point financial services was in 1990s

  For all the talk about digitised healthcare, the sector is only where banking was in the 1990s. How can it catch up? Can the Covid-19 pandemic crisis be a catalyst?  Continue Reading

• Vaccine passports highlight social impact of systems design

  Vaccine or immunity passports are an opportunity to advance the design of trustworthy digital systems, but much more work still needs to be done  Continue Reading

• NHS Digital completes NHSmail migration to the cloud

  NHS Digital’s Chris Parsons shares how the organisation managed to migrate more than 2.1 million NHSmail accounts to the cloud during a global pandemic  Continue Reading

• Fixing the cracks in public sector digital infrastructure

  The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the flaws in the UK's digital government set-up. The appointment of new IT leadership presents an ideal opportunity for the government to fix them  Continue Reading

• From front line to back office – how supporting the cyber community keeps the NHS safe

  NHS Digital’s chief information security officer describes how the Cyber Associates Network benefits security experts in health and care  Continue Reading

• 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

• Excel is the hammer for too many businesses’ nails

  Excel is a fine piece of software, but as Public Health England found out, its ubiquity and ease of use does not make it the ideal tool for every job that involves data  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

• Data institutions play critical role in solving global social problems

  Nigel Shadbolt, co-founder of the Open Data Institute, argues that a new breed of data institutions have a key role to play in unlocking the social and economic value of data  Continue Reading

• Taking back control of government data mustn’t leave the public in the dark

  Boris Johnson has quietly transferred control over government data to Number 10, without explaining why. The public deserves more involvement in how their personal data is being used, says Labour  Continue Reading

• The pandemic has made UK government rethink its relationship with data

  Data has been essential to fighting the coronavirus outbreak, and the forthcoming National Data Strategy promises to place data at the heart of the UK's economic recovery  Continue Reading

• Technology has brought us together, but can it lead us out of lockdown?

  The government needs to tell us more about the NHSX contact tracing app - choices made now around privacy and transparency will affect all our lives as we aim to ease lockdown, says the shadow digital minister  Continue Reading

• Connect and protect: How the tech sector is responding to the coronavirus crisis

  Tech sector trade body TechUK is coordinating the industry's activity to help the UK government tackle the Covid-19 outbreak  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

• 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

• Life under the loan charge: An IT contractor’s story

  Thousands of IT contractors are being pursued by HMRC for “life-changing” tax bills for work they did up to 20 years ago, as part of a disguised remuneration clampdown known as the loan charge policy. One of those affected anonymously shares his ...  Continue Reading

• The five software testing techniques every software developer should know about

  Five simple testing techniques that will help developers test their software systematically, thoroughly and quickly  Continue Reading

• Businesses need to keep investing in tech and hope to avoid a no-deal Brexit

  A no-deal Brexit could have serious consequences for the UK tech sector and skills base, making it more difficult to recruit technology specialists and hire freelancers  Continue Reading

• UK businesses deserve a 5G networked nation

  The tech sector needs to coalesce around a unified, positive vision of 5G to establish a proper business case for ultrafast, low latency mobile  Continue Reading

• AI may be a solution to the social care crisis, but what are the legal concerns?

  Artificial intelligence and robotics has great potential to assist in social care environments, but due care must be given to data protection and privacy, among other legal concerns  Continue Reading

• Why the rise of IT managed by the business is driving creative thinking

  Organisations that encourage business units to implement and run their own IT systems have an edge over competitors that rely entirely on the IT department, research from Harvey Nash and KPMG reveals  Continue Reading

• Does NHS Digital’s Internet First policy mean the end of HSCN?

  Last week, NHS Digital issued new policy guidance on internet usage that, at first glance, appeared to herald the end of HSCN – but is that really the case?  Continue Reading

• Getting it right this time: Why the strategy is not about delivery for NHSX

  Government needs to move on from the mantras and beliefs that exist around digital and technology – the new NHSX organisation could set an example by transforming healthcare  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

• Can we live without passwords?

  Can you imagine a future in which we can be secure online without having to remember an unwieldly list of passwords? Solutions are emerging that could make passwords redundant, but there will be other security problems to resolve  Continue Reading

• Douglas Engelbart, the forgotten hero of modern computing

  Half a century ago, Douglas Engelbart demonstrated an experimental computer that laid the foundations for modern computing. His vision to use computing power to solve complex problems in all areas of human activity has become reality, but not in the...  Continue Reading

• Agile becomes mainstream

  There are clear parallels between the conditions that led the IT industry to adopt agile approaches and the challenges facing business today  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

• From Aberdeen to Brighton: Investing in the UK’s digital future

  More investment in the UK’s broadband infrastructure is critical to ensure the UK’s future success in technology in a post-Brexit world  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

• Taking the quantum leap: What is quantum technology for business?

  Quantum computers are many years away, but the first applications of quantum technology will arrive in only one or two years – so businesses need to be ready  Continue Reading

• Hacking the internet of things just got easier – it’s time to look at your security

  Are you taking security for internet-connected devices seriously enough?  Continue Reading