Opinion

Opinion

IT suppliers

• 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

• 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

• How Schrems II will impact data sharing between the UK and the US

  At the end of this year, the UK will no longer be subject to the EU’s treaties, opening the way for it and the US to finalise a new trade relationship. Could the UK leave EU data protection standards behind?  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

• 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

• Why the banking industry needs an IT makeover

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

• 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

• Innovative supplier selection is the key to government procurement success

  The government has improved its procurement processes for SMEs and acknowledges the importance of small suppliers, but there are important steps that still need to be taken  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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• Should tech companies capitalise R&D spending?

  Technology companies frequently ask whether they should capitalise their research and development costs. There are clear benefits, increasing reported profit and hence potential valuations, but what are the risks?  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

• 5G’s first five years: A look ahead

  With 5G mobile networks edging closer to reality, GSMA Intelligence’s Matthew Iji looks ahead to consider how the technology will be adopted between now and 2024  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

• Breaking the chains: How FUD is holding the cyber sector hostage

  The cyber security industry must move past fear tactics and get back to the basics of good cyber security practice  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: Top considerations to reduce application layer attacks

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

• Smart cities face challenges and opportunities

  IHS Markit analysts Noman Akhtar and Kevin Hasley assess the way forward for smart city technology projects around the 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

• A strong UK-India bond on tech can benefit us all

  The UK tech sector can benefit from the government’s work to forge closer ties with India’s burgeoning digital economy  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

• 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

• 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

• How the IT sector can help plug the cyber security skills gap

  Businesses have a role to play in plugging the cyber security skills gap by engaging with future talent at a young age, providing more role models for under-represented groups, communicating the nature of the threat, and changing their approach to ...  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

• Apprenticeship reforms are driving tech sector skills success

  Apprenticeships and skills minister Anne Milton says apprenticeships are a great way to make sure the tech industry has the skills it needs  Continue Reading

• Hawaii missile alert: Why the wrong guy was fired

  In January 2018, an employee at Hawaii’s emergency management agency sent out a false alarm of an imminent missile attack, and was subsequently fired – but perhaps poor system design is really to blame  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

• How to attract investors for your enterprise software startup

  Are you looking to find an investor for your enterprise software company? This expert advice explains what investors will be looking to find in an innovative software business seeking backing  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Three things to do differently to secure websites in the cloud

  What are the main web security challenges for organisations and how are they best addressed?  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: Starter for 10 in the web security challenge

  What are the main web security challenges for organisations and how are they best addressed?  Continue Reading

• Max Schrems’s mass surveillance complaint knocked back another year or two by Irish judge

  Irish data protection commissioner Helen Dixon has neatly avoided having to deal with the US surveillance of Facebook users in Europe by referring a complaint by Austrian lawyer Max Schrems to the European Court of Justice  Continue Reading

• Is the tide going out for transatlantic data flows?

  Businesses face new uncertainty over their ability to share data with the US, as Europe’s highest court reassesses the legality of the EU’s model data-sharing contracts  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 NIS Directive: the implications for UK technology businesses

  With the European Union NIS Directive to be implemented into UK law in May 2018, it is important for technology companies to ascertain if and how they will be affected  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

• Criminal law: Are Twitter threats taken seriously?

  As threats of violence become increasingly common online, law enforcement is taking stronger action against the perpetrators  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

• Roam like at Home will prompt European telco consolidation

  Mobile users are understandably looking forward to an era of low phone costs now they can roam freely around the European Union, but it is very possible that they will be disappointed  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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• Fake tech support spiders on the world wide web

  Fake tech support should be incorporated into security awareness training as it can be a highly effective way to trick employees into granting access to enterprise computer systems  Continue Reading

• Storm clouds gather for US-EU Privacy Shield data deal

  The European Parliament justice committee launches unprecedented criticism of Privacy Shield, while the Irish Court mulls future of binding corporate contracts  Continue Reading

• Emerging technologies: How can you cut through the noise?

  Technology leaders need to focus the raw potential of emerging technology into a set of priorities with measurable, tangible business impacts  Continue Reading

• £200 million fund can speed up demand for speedy FTTP broadband

  The value of the government’s £200m broadband fund should not be measured in monetary terms, but in terms of demand generation, says Lyndsey Burton, founder of comparison site Choose.co.uk  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

• Moving forward and looking back

  This is the fourth and last in a series of articles charting the progress of participants from HutZero, a new cyber security entrepreneur acceleration programme run by Cyber London (CyLon) and the Centre for Security Information Technologies (CSIT) ...  Continue Reading

• The true impact of a cyber breach on share price

  As cyber security breaches become increasingly common, a security consultant explores how recent headline breaches have affected company valuations  Continue Reading

• Navigating those early stages: research in its many forms

  This is the third in a series of articles charting the progress of participants from HutZero, a new cyber security entrepreneur acceleration programme run by Cyber London (CyLon) and the Centre for Security Information Technologies (CSIT) at Queen’s...  Continue Reading

• Four reforms to deliver competitive broadband

  The UK will never benefit from ‘gold standard full fibre’ broadband without major reforms to the fabric of government, writes Ed Straw  Continue Reading

• The politics of things: Policymakers must help shape the IoT

  Saverio Romeo, principal analyst at Beecham Research, explores the role of policymakers in the rapidly expanding internet of things  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

• European Commission announces initiatives on the data economy, e-Privacy and data protection

  The European Commission (EC) recently announced the final packages to be adopted under its Digital Single Market strategy: an initiative on the data economy and proposals for the review of the e-Privacy Directive and the protection of personal data  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

• Inside the UK’s first cyber security entrepreneur boot camp

  This is the first in a series of articles charting the progress of participants from HutZero, a new cyber security entrepreneur acceleration programme run by Cyber London (CyLon) and the Centre for Security Information Technologies (CSIT) at Queen’s...  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

• Is the information security supplier market really consolidating?

  Mergers and acquisitions continue at pace in the information security market, but these are not necessarily signs of consolidation, writes Martin Kuppinger  Continue Reading

• Self-sovereign identity on the block – ideal or no deal?

  There’s a rumour out there in the IT and business world that blockchains could be the magic elixir when it comes to users’ full control and power over their own digital identities. But is that really so?  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

• Data breaches: Different regions, very different impacts

  The cost, scrutiny and pressure of dealing with a data breach will become more apparent in the near future as European legislation takes effect  Continue Reading

• Ofcom seems to have forgotten its remit, and actually that’s no surprise

  Ofcom made the wrong choice by putting economists in charge, and is in danger of forgetting its remit, says Simon Rockman  Continue Reading

• Brexit – does it matter for IT?

  Brexit will have both short-term and long-term implications for businesses and their relationships with IT suppliers  Continue Reading

• It’s not too late to turn the tide on Investigatory Powers Bill

  The government has set David Anderson QC an almost impossible task in his review of the sweeping bulk powers proposed in the Investigatory Powers Bill – but it is not too late to make a difference  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Forget Brexit, use GDPR to foster customer relationships

  What are the pros and cons of Brexit for information security professionals and data protection?  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: EU data security principles apply, regardless of Brexit

  What are the pros and cons of Brexit for information security professionals and data protection?  Continue Reading

• A day in the life of the Investigatory Powers Tribunal

  Britain's most secretive court combined the surreal with the deadly serious, as it debated the legality of bulk data collection by MI5, MI6 and GCHQ  Continue Reading

• Privacy Shield gets green light – for now

  Privacy Shield faces inevitable legal challenges, so organisations should prepare by considering legal and practical alternatives  Continue Reading

• Brexit offers chance for UK to become a ‘data haven’

  Could the UK become a a safe place for both cloud and big data after it leaves the EU?  Continue Reading

• What CIOs should know about Brexit

  CIOs should start talking with other executives and their teams and begin planning now for potential changes  Continue Reading

• Was that it? Business as usual for fintechs after Brexit vote

  Following the Brexit vote, Fintech Times editor Bird Lovegod describes how financial services IT startups are getting on with business as usual  Continue Reading

• Israel’s cyber security frontier

  The Israeli city of Beer Sheva is quickly becoming a global centre of cyber security technology  Continue Reading

• Fear, uncertainty and data doubt hold back public Wi-Fi

  Venue owners’ uncertainty and befuddlement over what they can actually do with their Wi-Fi infrastructure and the data carried over it is hindering their ability to realise the full potential of public Wi-Fi  Continue Reading

• Brexit debate: Why IT pros should vote to leave

  IT consultant Peter Chadha gives five reasons why the UK would be better off leaving the European Union  Continue Reading

• Wearable technology creates opportunities for retailers

  Wearable technology allows taxis to offer commuters a ride when it is raining, and restaurants' to tailor their dishes to customers' weight-loss plans.  Continue Reading

• Investigatory Powers Bill: What it means for UK tech startups

  The proposed Investigatory Powers Bill could prove damaging for innovative high-tech companies, writes Tirath Bansal, founder and CEO of internet startup myorb.com  Continue Reading

• Sparks of creativity as energy and digital futures collide

  Digital technologies consume way too much energy and present an environmental and sustainability issue that demands a fresh design approach  Continue Reading

• Life on the edge: The benefits of using micro datacentres

  Enterprises are demanding faster access to applications and ever more processing power. Could edge datacentres fill the gap?  Continue Reading