Opinion

Opinion

• The secret to building a future-proof cyber security team

  In a post-pandemic digital world, where cyber criminals see a feast of opportunities, what are the secrets to building a world-class cyber security function?  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Hydration, hiring, hacking – lessons in post-Covid risk

  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

• UK data exchanges with EU can continue after adequacy decision - but for how long?

  For now European businesses can continue to send data to the UK without additional safeguards and paperwork. How long will it last?  Continue Reading

• Ethical hacking: What, why, and overcoming concerns

  We find out why and how hitting your own business with a cyber attack can help improve security  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

• Banking tech fraud: How to trace and recover your money

  Even when stolen assets are sent offshore, the special powers of the English civil court system mean all may not be lost  Continue Reading

• How CIOs can help their organisations accelerate digital transformation

  Companies need to win the trust of their customers to gather the data they need to transform their businesses  Continue Reading

• Universal Credit: What went wrong, and what we learned

  The architect of one of the biggest and most controversial government policies – and IT failures – of the past decade gives his inside view of the project, and how Computer Weekly was a thorn in their side  Continue Reading

• It’s time to hit fast forward for digital jobs

  With huge numbers of people left unemployed by the pandemic, and continuing skills gaps in technology, now is the time to start joining dots and helping more people into long-term tech careers  Continue Reading

• European ‘chat control’ plans in the name of ‘child safety’ threaten end-to-end encryption

  Proposals by European Commission to search for illegal material could mean the end of private messaging and emails  Continue Reading

• Why a data-driven world should consider an oath of ethics

  The Hippocratic Oath is perhaps the most widely known of Greek medical texts – and such an oath is needed in data science  Continue Reading

• Shaping a Digital Strategy to support UK productivity and jobs

  With an all-party parliamentary group calling for evidence on digital skills, there are three key areas that policymakers should address    Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: To secure printers think process, technology and people

  Though rarely discussed in a cyber context, the prevalence of connected printers and MFPs poses security risks both technological and physical. What does a print security strategy need to take into account?  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Time to accept printers will leak data

  Though rarely discussed in a cyber context, the prevalence of connected printers and MFPs poses security risks both technological and physical. What does a print security strategy need to take into account?  Continue Reading

• Why agility is the key to secure software

  Continuous delivery of software product releases demands continuous security. Businesses and regulators are right to wonder whether organisations are valuing cyber security by the design of their products  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: What must a secure print strategy take into account?

  Though rarely discussed in a cyber context, the prevalence of connected printers and MFPs poses security risks both technological and physical. What does a print security strategy need to take into account?  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

• Security Think Tank: Printers can’t be an ‘add-on’ in your cyber strategy

  Though rarely discussed in a cyber context, the prevalence of connected printers and MFPs does pose security risks both technological and physical. What does a print security strategy need to take into account?  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Steps to a coherent print security strategy

  Though rarely discussed in a cyber context, the prevalence of connected printers and MFPs poses security risks both technological and physical. What does a print security strategy need to take into account?  Continue Reading

• Can we rely on AI?

  As artificial intelligence comes increasingly to bear on human lives, how ought we to address social and ethical concerns? Is a tighter symbiosis between human systems and AI systems the way forward?  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Printer risks go deep into IT history

  Though rarely discussed in a cyber context, the prevalence of connected printers and MFPs does pose security risks both technological and physical. What does a print security strategy need to take into account?  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

• Policies key to revolutionising Identity Governance and Administration

  The proliferation of digital identities, applications, data, security threats and compliance requirements means that Identity Governance and Administration (IGA) has never been more important, but not all organisations are approaching it in an ...  Continue Reading

• Online Safety Bill: an opportunity for tech to get it right

  Long-awaited proposals for regulating internet companies still leave much to be defined – and the tech sector must take the lead in finalising a plan that works for society and government  Continue Reading

• Post Office scandal: The rise of computers and the decline of English justice

  The Post Office prosecuted its subpostmasters up and down the country with a zeal that would not have embarrassed the Inquisition  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

• Digital bootcamp initiative could kickstart new thinking about technology skills

  The government’s digital bootcamps initiative could help begin to shift the way we think about the roles of technology professionals  Continue Reading

• The shape of fraud and cyber crime: 10 things we learned from 2020

  While a pandemic-driven increase in cyber crime and an exacerbation of existing fraud trends were, to a large extent, to be expected, the LexisNexis Risk solutions UK cybercrime report 2020 still contained a few surprises  Continue Reading

• Why the Post Office Horizon scandal kept me awake at night

  Reverend Richard Coles tells Computer Weekly why there needs to be a statutory public inquiry into the Post Office Horizon scandal  Continue Reading

• Securing the UK's emerging smart cities

  UK councils have a huge opportunity to improve services through the use of smart city technologies - but they must avoid the cyber security risks, says the government's digital minister  Continue Reading

• The practical steps needed to accelerate a UK digital identity ecosystem

  The draft digital identity framework published by the UK government highlights the importance of learning from the private sector and existing standards to accelerate deployment and citizen adoption  Continue Reading

• The case for vaccine passports: the real world versus the digital world

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

• How to tackle intellectual property crime

  Crimes against intellectual property are big business for organised crime groups, commercial competitors and foreign states alike. In the first of a series of legal columns, David Cowan offers a practical approach  Continue Reading

• Artificial intelligence will maximise efficiency of 5G network operations

  You’ll have heard of developments that would combine 5G networks with artificial intelligence to enable autonomous vehicles, augmented reality glasses, free-roaming robots, delivery drones and more. It’s anyone’s guess when these applications will ...  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

• Why we need to reset the debate on end-to-end encryption to protect children

  Private messaging is the front line of abuse, yet E2EE in its current form risks engineering away the ability of firms to detect and disrupt it where it is most prevalent  Continue Reading

• Python @ 30: Praising the versatility of Python

  Python recently celebrated its 30th birthday, and pioneers of the language have been reflecting on its significance as an open source project  Continue Reading

• How satellite connectivity can combat the digital divide

  Research shows satellite connectivity is now a credible alternative for demanding customers, and there are various actions that operators can take to help combat the digital divide  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: ‘Legitimate interest’ crucial for vaccine passports

  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

• London needs a mayor of growth

  Here East’s CEO Gavin Poole on why the next mayor must ensure London remains the tech capital of Europe, and the importance of learning from the past  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

• 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: 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

• What has a year of home working meant for the DPO?

  Byron Shirley of The Compliance Space explores how the role of the data protection officer has changed in the past 12 months  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

• Tech firms need to keep focusing on mental wellbeing and support

  Mental wellbeing is a critical issue for the tech sector as the pandemic has taken its toll, and employers are realising the importance of providing support to their staff  Continue Reading

• Employees must be given the right to disconnect

  As enterprises increasingly turn to workplace monitoring technologies and more of the workforce moves to remote or hybrid working, unions are campaigning for workers’ ‘right to disconnect’ and not engage in digitally enabled work after hours  Continue Reading

• Moving from VMs to a container-based enterprise architecture

  As organisations move to a cloud-native architecture, they will need to consider what to do with their existing virtual server estate  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: Back to square one – ground-up CNI protection

  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: Properly protecting CNI demands specificity

  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

• 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

• 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

• EncroChat ruling has ‘far-reaching effects’ for legal role of interception in UK investigations

  The computer forensic experts involved in the review of police use of data hacked from the ultra-secure EncroChat phone network assess the impact of the Appeal Court ruling on future legal use of intercept evidence    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

• 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

• Security Think Tank: US security efforts may centre on collaboration

  As US president Joe Biden sets out his agenda for the next four years, we consider the opportunities for renewed international collaboration on cyber security, what aspects of cyber Biden should focus on, and ask how the industry can make its voice ...  Continue Reading

• Why the London Data Charter could be a foundation stone in the city’s recovery

  London First’s director of connectivity and competitiveness, David Lutton, explains why data is at the core of the capital’s recovery plan  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

• Containers: Learning from the pioneers

  Containerisation represents the next evolution of IT architectures, but although they will play a significant role, they are not suitable for every scenario  Continue Reading

• Why your business needs SOC as a service

  Security in the digital era demands that businesses monitor their entire IT estate and resolve all alerts, but for many organisations the most effective way of doing that is SOCaaS  Continue Reading

• Gartner: Three tips to avoid cloud service suspension

  As recent events have shown, public cloud providers have the power to terminate cloud contracts, and seemingly legitimate businesses may be at risk  Continue Reading

• Why it’s fantastic to be a woman in the technology sector (and what’s stopping more from joining)

  The enforced move by many employers to flexible home working during the pandemic is challenging the culture of long hours in the office – and opening up new opportunities for women in tech  Continue Reading

• Three ways to extend a digital vision beyond the tech team

  The role of the CIO will change radically if every business is expected to become a tech innovator  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

• On digital identity, the government gets it wrong again

  The latest government proposals to regulate the digital identity sector continue to misunderstand how such a market works – a more API-based approach is needed to deliver the clear benefits of online ID  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

• Fixing government digital transformation – lessons from the early days of GDS

  As a new organisation is formed to lead UK digital government, three former government digital leaders share the lessons they learned from the early days of the Government Digital Service  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

• Security Think Tank: Towards a united state of security

  As US president Joe Biden sets out his agenda for the next four years, we consider the opportunities for renewed international collaboration on cyber security, what aspects of cyber Biden should focus on, and ask how the industry can make its voice ...  Continue Reading

• Why Brexit will make software licence transfers and database copyright harder for UK firms

  Brexit will make it more difficult for UK companies to sell unused software licences and to enforce their database rights in Europe. Firms will face a legislative disadvantage over AI-generated databases  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Renewed US stability may ease cyber tensions

  As US president Joe Biden sets out his agenda for the next four years, we consider the opportunities for renewed international collaboration on cyber security, what aspects of cyber Biden should focus on, and ask how the industry can make its voice ...  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Biden must address insider security threat first

  As US president Joe Biden sets out his agenda for the next four years, we consider the opportunities for renewed international collaboration on cyber security, what aspects of cyber Biden should focus on, and ask how the industry can make its voice ...  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Biden’s team can make a difference on security

  As US president Joe Biden sets out his agenda for the next four years, we consider the opportunities for renewed international collaboration on cyber security, what aspects of cyber Biden should focus on, and ask how the industry can make its voice ...  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: UK well-placed to work with Biden on cyber

  As US president Joe Biden sets out his agenda for the next four years, we consider the opportunities for renewed international collaboration on cyber security, what aspects of cyber Biden should focus on, and ask how the industry can make its voice ...  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Biden has a chance to renew cyber alliances

  As President Joe Biden sets out his agenda for the next four years, we consider the opportunities for renewed international collaboration on cyber security, what aspects of cyber Biden should focus on, and ask how the industry can make its voice ...  Continue Reading

• Let’s build on the innovation shown by UK tech during pandemic

  The UK’s technology sector has innovated and shown leadership through the Covid-19 crisis, particularly with developments in AI. It is now time to maintain and build on that progress, so the UK remains a global force in tech innovation  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 ransomware routine: pages from the Secret IR Insider’s diary

  The Secret Incident Response Insider shares behind-the-scenes stories of what really happens after organisations are hit by cyber attacks – and shows how they could have been avoided  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Are security teams the unsung heroes of 2020?

  After a year of unprecedented disruption thanks to Covid-19, it looks like remote working is set to remain with us for now, which means security strategies will change in 2021. What will this change look like, and what tools and services will be ...  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Time to rethink stopgap solutions

  After a year of unprecedented disruption thanks to Covid-19, it looks like remote working is set to remain with us for now, which means security strategies will change in 2021. What will this change look like, and what tools and services will be ...  Continue Reading

• Government Gateway at 20 – looking back at the UK’s most successful digital identity system

  Not all legacy IT systems in government cause problems – one has been at the heart of many of the most important online public services for 20 years  Continue Reading

• Where is the UK’s digital strategy?

  While the devolved nations press on with their digital plans, the UK government has delayed its digital strategy – yet this is too important for the economy to be put off any further  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: It’s time to secure the collaboration revolution

  After a year of unprecedented disruption thanks to Covid-19, it looks like remote working is set to remain with us for now, which means security strategies will change in 2021. What will this change look like, and what tools and services will be ...  Continue Reading

• Could ambiguous rules spur IT personnel offshoring bonanza?

  Could the combination of Brexit and ambiguous rules on recruitment enable businesses to hire IT staff from overseas to carry out work remotely?  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: In 2021, enable, empower and entrust your users

  After a year of unprecedented disruption thanks to Covid-19, it looks like remote working is set to remain with us for now, which means security strategies will change in 2021. What will this change look like, and what tools and services will be ...  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

• 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

• Smarter use of AI means business process optimisation, not simply automation

  To get the most from artificial intelligence and automation, IT leaders need to focus on where the technology adds real-world business value, not the trendy tech  Continue Reading

• UK government needs a digital reboot

  The appointment of new digital leadership is a welcome start to what – if the UK is to thrive in a post-Covid, post-Brexit world – must become a wholesale reboot of digital government  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Plan for hybrid working to become normal

  After a year of unprecedented disruption thanks to Covid-19, it looks like remote working is set to remain with us for now, which means security strategies will change in 2021. What will this change look like, and what tools and services will be ...  Continue Reading

• What does Brexit mean for the future of UK digital policy? A view from Europe

  Any decisions by the UK government to diverge from EU policies and values over digital policy and regulation could cause real economic problems for UK businesses  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Time for security teams to learn from Covid

  After a year of unprecedented disruption thanks to Covid-19, it looks like remote working is set to remain with us for now, which means security strategies will change in 2021. What will this change look like, and what tools and services will be ...  Continue Reading

• Security Think Tank: Don’t bet on a new normal just yet

  After a year of unprecedented disruption thanks to Covid-19, it looks like remote working is set to remain with us for now, which means security strategies will change in 2021. What will this change look like, and what tools and services will be ...  Continue Reading

• The five tenets of quality ITAM

  At the end of last year we looked at some of ITAM’s failings. This time we explore how to improve ITAM  Continue Reading