Opinion

Opinion

IT services and outsourcing

• Three outsourcing trends to look out for in 2023

  ISG's Andreas Fahr outlines three IT sourcing trends to look out for in the coming year.  Continue Reading

• IT Sustainability Think Tank: Risk and resilience – two sides of the same climate coin

  Against a backdrop of rising energy costs and supply uncertainty, cutting the amount of power their ICT estate consumes can also help enterprises curb their carbon emissions  Continue Reading

• New India – the next global tech magnet

  A group of UK tech leaders visited India, and may have seen the next world-leading tech ecosystem emerging  Continue Reading

• Three million empty seats: What can we do about the cyber skills shortage?

  Companies should look for candidates with the right skills potential, rather than insist they tick a hundred different security skills boxes  Continue Reading

• Currency markets causing choppy waters for UK outsourcing

  Anthony Drake, director at tech advisory ISG, explains how the UK government’s botched mini-Budget announcement raised the cost of IT outsourcing  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Good procurement practices pave the way to app security

  Application security is as much a question of good procurement practice as it is good development practice, says Petra Wenham of the BCS  Continue Reading

• Reimagining ethical digital technology

  With ever-increasing digitisation leading to greater dependence on a range of digital technologies, enterprises need to urgently look at how they can incorporate ethical and social considerations into the tech they develop  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

• 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

• Consistency is key to mitigate outsourcing risk

  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

• Security Think Tank: Your path to understanding attack paths

  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 it makes sense to use best-of-breed SaaS to power a business strategy

  A hybrid multicloud model is playing an ever greater role as the IT platform of choice in driving a business-first strategy  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

• Achieving agility, collaboration and data control in the cloud

  Organisations have historically had to make a trade-off between the proven benefits of the cloud and maintaining full control of their data, but with the right strategy it is possible to have both  Continue Reading

• Subpostmasters won their David and Goliath battle, but initial goal still not reached

  Despite exposing the Post Office Horizon scandal, Alan Bates, the former subpostmaster who drove the campaign for the truth, says the goal of repaying people what they lost has not yet been achieved  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

• Men’s Mental Health Month: How fintech can reduce anxiety around debt

  Umer Suleman of ethical investment firm Wahed explains how financial technology can reduce anxieties associated with debt  Continue Reading

• Lessons from Lisbon: Reflections on a week at Web Summit

  Russ Shaw, founder and CEO of Tech London Advocates and Global Tech Advocates, assesses the key takeaways of Web Summit 2021  Continue Reading

• Five tips to bridge application management service gaps

  The watermelon effect is defined in the ITIL 4 Foundation guide as a breakage between the SLA client wants and what the service provider delivers  Continue Reading

• Britain needs its amazing migrants

  Fintech entrepreneur Michael Kent explains why Britain needs migrants and why government policy and media horror stories will damage the UK’s economy and reputation  Continue Reading

• Dear Chancellor: Unlocking private sector collaboration is the key to tech growth

  Chancellor Rishi Sunak asked the tech sector for ideas to promote growth – startup hub Plexal makes its case in response  Continue Reading

• Supply chain cyber security is only as strong as the weakest link

  A spate of high-profile cyber attacks has highlighted the criticality of supply chain security and put new pressures on security leaders. How can we ensure that cyber security remains robust down the full length of supply chains?  Continue Reading

• Basel III: How fintech can provide allocated gold for banks

  Banking rules that were over 10 years in the making as a response to the financial crisis have finally come into effect, marking a seismic shift for European banks and their dealings with gold – potentially completely altering the landscape of ...  Continue Reading

• Government-led innovation can help cyber startups find a market

  There are many reasons why early-stage cyber startups often struggle to get off the ground, but government-backed programmes can help them find a path  Continue Reading

• Choose the right ITSM tool for digital era success

  IT service management (ITSM) tools are essential for many organisations to help optimise the design, delivery, support, use and governance of IT, but not all ITSM solutions are created equal, therefore selecting the right one is crucial  Continue Reading

• How Covid-19 accelerated cloud investment in the financial world

  Cloud computing is no longer a thing of the future for banks that want to remain competitive  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

• 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

• The Secret IR Insider’s Diary – from Sunburst to DarkSide

  From dealing with SolarWinds fallout to ransomware attacks, it’s been a busy few weeks for the Secret IR Insider, but they've picked up some new tricks along the way  Continue Reading

• Tech sector is key to the success of Global Britain

  The maturity of its technology sector puts the UK in a good position to reimagine its role on the international stage post-Covid  Continue Reading

• Reimagining outsourcing after Covid-19

  Covid-19 has changed how businesses interact with their suppliers. Here are five steps companies can take to manage their outsourcing ecosystem in the post-pandemic world  Continue Reading

• Data-driven innovation needs trustworthy governance

  The pandemic has given us a glimpse of what data-driven technology can do for society – and we cannot go back to the status quo  Continue Reading

• Budget 2021: Putting tech at the core of the plan for growth

  This week’s UK government Budget represents a great opportunity to place tech and digital as the cornerstone of UK economic growth after Brexit  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

• The UK tech sector has been a force for good during the Covid-19 pandemic

  The UK's digital minister hails the tech companies that have helped people cope with many of the challenges of living through lockdown and the coronavirus pandemic  Continue Reading

• The tech sector cannot build back better from the kitchen table

  While technology has supported the lockdown economy by allowing millions to work from home, the in-person collaboration and shared experience on which the tech sector thrives will need to return soon  Continue Reading

• Defining a cloud journey to deliver business outcomes

  Here are six steps to ensuring a journey to cloud is focused on delivering business outcomes  Continue Reading

• How to modernise identity governance and administration

  Modernising identity governance and administration (IGA) capabilities is essential for organisations to manage identities effectively to ensure they remain competitive, compliant and secure  Continue Reading

• From compliance to open banking to embedded finance – all thanks to APIs

  The road to embedded finance, banking and insurance with APIs is full of promise – and banks should take it for a journey to a better world of finance  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

• Security Think Tank: Edge security in the world of Covid-19

  That datacentre security is a complex subject is not in doubt and, given the trend to move beyond centralised datacentre to distributed environments, this is not going to change. How can security professionals ensure such setups are just as secure ...  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Edge datacentre security depends on specific needs

  That datacentre security is a complex subject is not in doubt and, given the trend to move beyond centralised datacentres to distributed environments, this is not going to change. How can security professionals ensure such setups are just as secure ...  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: No secret sauce for edge security, just good practice

  That datacentre security is a complex subject is not in doubt, and given the trend to move beyond centralised datacentres to distributed environments, this is not going to change. How can security professionals ensure such setups are just as secure ...  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Beware security blind spots at the edge

  That datacentre security is a complex subject is not in doubt and, given the trend to move beyond centralised datacentres to distributed environments, this is not going to change. How can security professionals ensure such setups are just as secure ...  Continue Reading

• Sharing responsibility: Why we need to work together to keep the cloud secure

  The education sector has been fundamentally altered by months of lockdown, with cloud services topping must-have lists for academic staff, but now it’s time to consider security  Continue Reading

• How the chancellor’s Plan for Jobs could benefit the UK tech sector

  Technology has a strong role to play in the UK’s recovery, with Rishi Sunak’s Plan for Jobs offering opportunities for the sector  Continue Reading

• Challenging times and transformational opportunities for the outsourcing industry

  Every area of the technology sector has been affected by the uncertainty of the coronavirus pandemic, but the outsourcing industry could be well-placed to take advantage of the opportunities it presents  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: ‘Shift left’ to secure containers

  Adopting containers promises great organisational efficiency advantages, but the fast-evolving technology can be problematic for security teams. What do CISOs need to know to safeguard containers?  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

• Gartner: Build a plan to bring remote workers back to the office

  Gartner senior research directors Kevin Ji and John McArthur look at how enterprises can plan and strategise for the reopening of workplaces  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

• The new future of work

  We may come to stop talking about ‘remote’ working altogether after the coronavirus pandemic. It could become just ‘working’ – part of the normal mix of how things are done  Continue Reading

• Is the Covid-19 crisis halting our progress on diversity in tech?

  The government's initiatives to support tech firms during the pandemic are very welcome, but they risk entrenching old behaviours that restrict the move towards greater diversity in the sector  Continue Reading

• Coronavirus: What does the ‘new normal’ mean for how we work?

  Examining the long-term impact of the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic on the world of work, security, privacy and networks  Continue Reading

• Is the EU better equipped than the US to supervise the use of facial recognition?

  Clearview AI can be an indispensable tool to reinforce national security, but there are many risks associated with the use of facial recognition technology that the EU might be better equipped to deal with than the US  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

• The UK civil service is broken and needs reform to deliver true digital government

  Boris Johnson’s special adviser, Dominic Cummings, has attracted criticism for his plans to overhaul Whitehall culture, but one former government digital chief argues that he is absolutely right  Continue Reading

• Can Europe legally share data with the US? A court far away is about to decide

  The European Court of Justice will deliver an opinion on whether Europe can legally continue to send private data about European citizens to the US  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Is data more or less secure in the cloud?

  Misconfigured cloud environments are increasingly identified as the source of damaging data breaches and leaks, raising serious questions for enterprises. Where does responsibility for data security in the cloud lie, and how can security ...  Continue Reading

• Liberal Democrats: We want to lead the world in ethical, inclusive technology

  Layla Moran, Liberal Democrat MP and party spokesperson for digital, culture, media and sport, writes about the party's technology policies ahead of the upcoming General Election  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

• Security Think Tank: Stopping data leaks in the cloud

  Misconfigured cloud environments are increasingly identified as the source of damaging data breaches and leaks, raising serious questions for enterprises. Where does responsibility for data security in the cloud lie, and how can security ...  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

• Security Think Tank: Base cloud security posture on your data footprint

  Misconfigured cloud environments are increasingly identified as the source of damaging data breaches and leaks, raising serious questions for enterprises. Where does responsibility for data security in the cloud lie, and how can security ...  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Cloud security is a shared responsibility

  Misconfigured cloud environments are increasingly identified as the source of damaging data breaches and leaks, raising serious questions for enterprises. Where does responsibility for data security in the cloud lie, and how can security ...  Continue Reading

• Security in the supply chain – a post-GDPR approach

  A year and a half after the introduction of the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation, Fieldfisher's James Walsh reviews the fundamentals of supply chain security  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Adapt security posture to your cloud model

  Misconfigured cloud environments are increasingly identified as the source of damaging data breaches and leaks, raising serious questions for enterprises. Where does responsibility for data security in the cloud lie, and how can security ...  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: The cloud needs security by design

  Misconfigured cloud environments are increasingly identified as the source of damaging data breaches and leaks, raising serious questions for enterprises. Where does responsibility for data security in the cloud lie, and how can security ...  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Secure the cloud when negotiating contracts

  Misconfigured cloud environments are increasingly identified as the source of damaging data breaches and leaks, raising serious questions for enterprises. Where does responsibility for data security in the cloud lie, and how can security ...  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: In the cloud, the buck stops with you

  Misconfigured cloud environments are increasingly identified as the source of damaging data breaches and leaks, raising serious questions for enterprises. Where does responsibility for data security in the cloud lie, and how can security ...  Continue Reading

• Exploring the UK’s tech opportunity in China

  China is investing in technology at a scale unseen in the West – but it's open to British tech collaboration and as the UK seeks a new role in the world, the opportunities are enormous  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

• What tomorrow’s startups can learn from young people’s attitudes to tech

  Nominet CEO Russell Haworth runs through young people's attitude towards tech and how start-ups can learn from them  Continue Reading

• Collaboration between local public services and industry is key to innovation

  The launch of the new London Office for Technology and Innovation is an opportunity to examine how industry and government can work together better to improve local innovation  Continue Reading

• Does the UK government want to support tech SMEs in 'Global Britain' or not?

  The reluctance of the government to commit to continued support for UK tech SMEs overseas is baffling  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

• 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

• An IR35 survival guide for employers and contractors

  Forthcoming changes to IR35 regulations will affect most private sector companies using IT contractors – so what do you need to do to prepare?  Continue Reading

• Putting the UK at the forefront of ethics and innovation in AI and data

  The announcement of high-profile members of the UK's Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation is another step for the government's commitment to be a global leader in AI, says secretary of state  Continue Reading

• Emerging govtech – a new opportunity for innovation in public service delivery?

  The government has started to engage with the IT sector over how best to introduce emerging technologies in public service delivery – an initiative that, if successful, should be welcomed  Continue Reading

• UK winners and losers in digital tech

  The UK's retail and telecoms companies are among the best in the world at digital technology, but a survey of digital leaders shows there is still room for improvement for many UK firms  Continue Reading

• Digital services tax weakens the case for tech startups to choose the UK

  The UK government’s plan for a tax specifically targeting big digital firms risks undermining international efforts to reform corporate taxation for the digital age  Continue Reading

• Mitigating third-party cyber risks in a new regulatory environment

  GDPR and the NIS Directive increase the focus on managing cyber security throughout the supply chain. Organisations need to check their suppliers are compliant  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

• Capitalism too short-termist? The tech sector suggests otherwise

  Many observers criticise businesses and stock markets for being too short-termist – but if that was the case, how did Amazon, Uber and their ilk ever come into existence?  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Supplement security with an MSSP to raise the bar

  What is the most practical and cost-effective way for organisations to identify and remediate high-risk software vulnerabilities?  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: Outsource security operations, not control

  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

• Security Think Tank: Outsource responsibility, not accountability

  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

• Security Think Tank: Almost all security can be outsourced, but not the risk

  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

• Security Think Tank: Top things to consider in security outsourcing

  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

• Security Think Tank: A risk-based approach to security outsourcing

  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