Opinion

Opinion

IT for manufacturing

• 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

• 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

• Post Office’s full and final settlement with Horizon scandal victims in plain English

  The legal settlement with subpostmaster victims of the Horizon scandal that the government and the Post Office say is “full and final” is anything but  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

• Rogue drones beware: We’re here to ground you

  Eugene Kaspersky exclusively lifts the lid on a mysterious, shiny device that’s been sitting in his office  Continue Reading

• A Covid-19 response to supply chain fragility

  The global pandemic, lockdowns and local lockdowns have required organisations to operate agile supply chains  Continue Reading

• The new age of supply chains post-Covid

  Supply chain managers have been predicting the future for years. Now manufacturers are relying on insights to inform their decision-making  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

• 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

• 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

• Security Think Tank: Risk mitigation is key to blockchain becoming mainstream

  What are the best and most effective ways information security professionals can use blockchain technology?  Continue Reading

• Building a cyber-physical immune system

  Shantanu Rane, researcher in cyber-physical systems security at the Palo Alto Research Center, explains how our own immune systems can inspire the design of modern cyber-physical systems  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

• Security Think Tank: In-app segregation more intelligent and permissive

  What are the security benefits and challenges of segregating IT environments, and how best are these challenges overcome?  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Seven steps to manage risk of catastrophic cyber attack

  How should businesses plan to survive a potential cyber attack extinction event?  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: How to reduce the impact of a potential cyber extinction event

  How should businesses plan to survive a potential cyber attack extinction event?  Continue Reading

• Goliath vs Goliath and the complexities of 5G intellectual property

  Is Apple the good guy or the bad guy? It has violated patents and had its wrist slapped by the courts (bad), yet its products are still available for adoring fans to buy (good)  Continue Reading

• Growing board focus on cyber risk challenges current thinking

  As digital transformation continues to drive change in the business and risk landscape, business and cyber security leaders need to improve discussions around this topic  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

• Security Think Tank: Focus on security before app deployment

  What should organisations be doing to address application layer attacks and reduce the likelihood of a breach through this type of attack?  Continue Reading

• Everyone, everywhere is responsible for IIoT cyber security

  Cyber security in the industrial internet of things is not limited to a single company, industry or region – it is an international threat to public safety, and can only be addressed through collaboration that extends beyond borders and competitive ...  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

• Security Think Tank: Risk tolerance key to security outsourcing policy

  What critical security controls can be outsourced, and how do organisations – SMEs in particular – maintain confidence that they are being managed effectively and appropriately?  Continue Reading

• Mind your drone business

  Amazon is just the tip of the iceberg – companies are pouring hundreds of millions into the development of commercial drones  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

• Outsourcing is not dead or dying – it just needs to be done properly

  The collapse of Carillion and the profit warning at Capita have created a false sense of fear about the stability of the outsourcing sector  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Use good practice to address cryptojacking risk

  How can organisations best defend against cryptojacking?  Continue Reading

• Protecting your intellectual property in a digital world

  Your business is creating innovative computer code, slick user interfaces, and is using digital technology to solve new problems. How do you protect your investment?  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

• Driving digitisation: open standards in process automation

  Organisations often can’t take advantage of advances in digital technology due to the lack of interoperability in their IT systems in different facilities, but open standards promise a way forward  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Cryptojacking can be costly

  How can organisations best defend against cryptojacking?  Continue Reading

• Why businesses must think like criminals to protect their data

  Cyber criminals use three main methods of operation to steal commercial data. Understanding their mindset can help organisations put the right defences in place  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Use awareness, education and controls to halt cryptojacking

  How can organisations best defend against cryptojacking?  Continue Reading

• SD-WAN needs software-defined security

  Digital transformation is driving organisations to move to the cloud, which requires a new architecture that embraces cloud technology, but that in turn requires a new way of thinking about network security to ensure data is protected  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Fileless malware not totally undetectable

  What should organisations do at the very least to ensure business computers are protected from fileless malware?  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Awareness is a good starting point to counter fileless malware

  What should organisations do at the very least to ensure business computers are protected from fileless malware?  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

• 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

• Embrace the new normal – re-platform your cloud services

  Huge improvements in cloud technology are opening up markets and solutions that previously didn’t exist. But complacent suppliers often don’t offer these innovations to long-established customers  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Security analytics needs serious resources

  What are the main challenges that security analytics can be used to address?  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

• Security Think Tank: Focus on high risk by automating low-risk patching

  How should organisations address the need to keep software up to date with security patches without it costing too much or being too labour intensive?  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Patching is vital and essentially a risk management exercise

  How should organisations address the need to keep software up to date with security patches without it costing too much or being too labour intensive?  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Strategise, prioritise, automate and use cloud to improve patching

  How should organisations address the need to keep software up to date with security patches without it costing too much or being too labour intensive?  Continue Reading

• Energy and healthcare primed for blockchain disruption

  Blockchain applications are upending traditional industries, with startup activity expected to ramp up in years to come  Continue Reading

• Managed crowdsourcing model: Another ‘made in China’ idea

  Chinese suppliers are using managed crowdsourcing to help them provide high-volume services to their customers  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

• Security Think Tank: Practical steps to increasing security without reducing usability

  How can organisations maintain usability and keep support costs low without compromising on security?  Continue Reading

• The internet of things: an overview

  Despite security and other concerns, there are many benefits associated with embracing the internet of things  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Integrity of business data key to cyber defence

  What types of organisation are likely to be targeted by data integrity breaches and how best can they detect and mitigate against such attacks?  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Build in controls to protect against data integrity attacks

  What type of organisations is likely to be targeted by data integrity breaches and how best can they detect and mitigate against such attacks?  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Under-the-radar data integrity attacks expected to rise

  What type of organisations are likely to be targeted by data integrity breaches, and how can they best detect and mitigate against such attacks?  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

• How AI is disrupting the role of call centres and call centre staff

  Artificial intelligence could eliminate many white-collar jobs in coming decades. Its effects are already being felt in the call centre industry, but there is still no substitute for the human touch  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Know the business risks of using the internet

  What are the main security risks associated with DNS and how are these best mitigated?  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

• 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

• UK tech firms spend less, deliver more on training

  Survey shows technology firms spend 46% of the national average on learning and development per employee, but deliver an above-average number of hours’ training  Continue Reading

• Consumer identity management is the core of real CRM

  IAM + CRM is much more than simply IAM for external users, says Ivan Niccolai  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Practical biometrics in the enterprise

  How can organisations implement biometric authentication of users without running the risk of exposing sensitive biometric information?  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Understanding compliance with the GDPR

  What is the role of information security professionals in helping organisations to ensure they are compliant with the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) by 25 May 2018?  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Ransomware defence requires focus on three key areas

  What is the best strategy for business to protect against ransomware?  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Three-pronged approach to defend against ransomware

  Ransomware is becoming increasingly prevalent in the world of cyber crime. What is the best strategy for businesses to protect against it?  Continue Reading

• Creating a CIO legacy beyond the systems

  So much of what a business does today needs to be technology-driven that CIOs have a choice between leading and lagging behind  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Create a data security culture to keep data safe

  How should businesses go about setting up and maintaining a comprehensive and accurate inventory of personal data?  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: IAOs key to setting up asset registers

  How should businesses go about setting up and maintaining a comprehensive and accurate inventory of personal data?  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Threat intelligence feeds not for everyone

  What is the best practice for collecting and using threat indicators from security incidents to improve defences against future cyber attacks?  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Aim for win-win in SecDevOps

  How can development, operations and security teams collaborate around change to ensure security is maintained and even improved?  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Cyber security should be a pillar of any business plan

  How can development, operations and security teams collaborate around change to ensure security is maintained and even improved?  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Involve all stakeholders to ensure smooth, secure change

  How can development, operations and security teams collaborate around change to ensure security is maintained and even improved?  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Security needs to be part of change management processes

  How can development, operations and security teams collaborate around change to ensure security is maintained and even improved?  Continue Reading

• Recruiting for cyber security: What businesses need to know

  When it comes to cyber security, figuring out what you need is the easy part. Figuring out who you need, can be tricky  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Guidelines to enable security to get the most out of log management

  How can log management be used to bolster information security and improve incident response without infringing end user privacy?  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Use the Sony breach to plan for the worst

  In the light of the 2014 cyber attack on Sony Pictures, what can every company do to ensure they are more prepared for this kind cyber assault?  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Four steps to defend against cyber attack 

  Last November’s cyber attack on Sony Pictures made clear we need to be able to repel the threat from nation states as well as criminals  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Lessons to be learned from Sony breach

  In the light of November 2014’s cyber attack on Sony Pictures, what can every company do to ensure they are more prepared for this kind cyber assault?  Continue Reading

• Driving Innovation with big data

  Rather than refusing the wider use of data outside the organisation, only by opening it up to third parties can we realise its true value  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Seven strategies for limiting cloud data leakage

  What can IT teams do to ensure users are not synchronising sensitive corporate data to insecure cloud services?  Continue Reading

• Why digital governance and data protection matters

  In a digital world, new approaches to data protection and governance are vital for minimising risks and maximising performance  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Three-pronged approach to cloud security

  What can IT teams do to ensure users are not synchronising sensitive corporate data to insecure cloud services?  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Control smart devices and apps like the rest of ICT

  What can IT security teams do to ensure users are not unwittingly synchronising sensitive corporate data to insecure cloud backup services?  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Three ways to reduce risk of cloud data leaks

  How can IT security teams ensure users are not synchronising sensitive corporate data to insecure cloud backup services?  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Celebrity photo leaks highlight cloud security issues

  What can IT teams do to ensure users are not synchronising sensitive corporate data to insecure cloud services?  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: CIOs – demand an automated, standardised integration

  What is the best way to expand identity and access management to third-party service providers to ensure data security?  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Eight steps to extending IAM to third parties

  What is the best way to expand identity and access management to third-party service providers to ensure data security?  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Apply internal security rules to third parties

  What is the best way to expand identity and access management to third-party service providers to ensure data security?  Continue Reading