Business applications
At the heart of enterprise software strategy are the key business applications upon which every organisation relies. From enterprise resource planning (ERP) to customer relationship management (CRM), financial and accounts software to business intelligence (BI), such applications demand high investments and can deliver high returns. We analyse the latest product developments and the news from major suppliers such as Oracle, Microsoft and SAP.
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Feature
28 Mar 2024
Post Office Horizon scandal explained: Everything you need to know
Computer Weekly has investigated the Post Office Horizon scandal since 2008 and is, in fact, part of the story. This guide contains essential information about the scandal Continue Reading
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Feature
27 Mar 2024
18 real-world use cases of the metaverse, plus examples
Use cases for the still-developing metaverse are growing as the technologies that enable this next iteration of the internet mature. Here are 18 enterprise and consumer examples. Continue Reading
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News
04 Feb 2021
Microsoft launches Viva as employee experience platform born out of Teams
Microsoft has launched an “employee experience platform”, based on Microsoft Teams, said to aid the integration of the working environment Continue Reading
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Opinion
04 Feb 2021
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
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News
04 Feb 2021
UiPath hires former cloud executive to head APAC business
Former Google and AWS executive Rick Harshman will lead UiPath’s business in Asia-Pacific, where adoption of robotic process automation is growing Continue Reading
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News
04 Feb 2021
CDEI: Local government data use must keep up Covid momentum
The Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation says momentum in local authority data use during the Covid-19 pandemic is in danger of being dissipated without central government investment and support for data skills development Continue Reading
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News
04 Feb 2021
CIO interview: David Walmsley, chief digital and omni-channel officer, Pandora
The Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic could have been a disaster for the jeweller, but due to its digital transformation programme, it was ready to carry on serving its customers online Continue Reading
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Tip
03 Feb 2021
5 supply chain management tips for 2021
Understanding recent forecasts and events -- such as difficulties in the COVID-19 vaccine supply chain -- can help you create more effective supply chain management in 2021. Continue Reading
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News
03 Feb 2021
Healthcare and life sciences dominate 2021 DataIQ 100 list
NHS England’s managing director of data and analytics, Ming Tang, joins data leaders from pharmaceutical companies AstraZeneca and GSK in the top 10 of this year’s DataIQ 100 list Continue Reading
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News
03 Feb 2021
Tata Communications grows IoT footprint
India’s Tata Communications has been shoring up its IoT capabilities through a handful of acquisitions and partnerships with telcos Continue Reading
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E-Zine
02 Feb 2021
Business intelligence helps ambulance service’s pandemic response
In this week’s Computer Weekly, we find out how one ambulance service is using business intelligence tools to join up datasets to improve its response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Our latest buyer’s guide examines video conferencing and collaboration. And we look at the benefits of real-time streaming data analytics. Read the issue now. Continue Reading
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News
01 Feb 2021
Robert Gordon University delivers graphics workstations virtually
Engineering and architecture students require PCs that can run GPU-accelerated applications. VDI has enabled them to be streamed remotely Continue Reading
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News
29 Jan 2021
Revealed: Brits who fuelled ‘vicious’ conspiracy theory by Trump supporters
Trump supporters have apologised and paid millions in damages to the family of murdered Democratic Party staffer Seth Rich for promoting false allegations that Rich – not Russian agents – stole emails from the Democratic National Committee Continue Reading
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News
28 Jan 2021
SAP launches ‘Rise’ business transformation as a service
SAP CEO Christian Klein announces business transformation as a service package, dubbed Rise Continue Reading
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News
27 Jan 2021
How Nottinghamshire County Council saved loads of money on SAP
The council was paying £100,000 a year just to keep ECC patches up to date and needed to find savings to support frontline services Continue Reading
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E-Zine
26 Jan 2021
Salad as a service: How tech could revolutionise farming
In this week’s Computer Weekly, we find out how new technologies are supporting the rise of vertical farming, and could revolutionise food supply chains. We examine one of the biggest trends in the cloud – serverless computing. And Brexit has not yet ended the debate about UK-EU data protection. Read the issue now. Continue Reading
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E-Zine
21 Jan 2021
CW APAC: Trend Watch – CIO trends
Data is everywhere and businesses are seeking ways of using this data to benefit themselves, their customers and their employees. In this handbook, focused on CIO trends in the Asia-Pacific region, Computer Weekly reviews some key IT trends that are likely to shape the industry in 2021 and looks at what a number of companies in the region are doing in the field of big data analytics. Continue Reading
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News
20 Jan 2021
More subpostmasters’ prosecutions sent to appeal for wrongful conviction
Four more subpostmasters are to have their appeals against criminal convictions heard in the appeal courts Continue Reading
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E-Zine
19 Jan 2021
The UK’s struggle with digital schooling
In this week’s Computer Weekly, the UK government’s sudden decision to close schools left many unable to provide children with online schooling - we examine the home learning challenges. Cyber security experts give us their forecasts for 2021. And we find out how technology supports the work of the Guide Dogs charity. Read the issue now. Continue Reading
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E-Zine
14 Jan 2021
CW Middle East: $60m venture capital fund targets 120 startups
Countries in the Middle East see technology as an industry of the future and are investing heavily in the sector as part of their economic diversification plans. Read in this issue how the latest development will see a $60m venture capital fund, based in Bahrain, invest in 120 early-stage startups across the Middle East region. Also read how Saudi Arabia has signed two agreements with Chinese IT suppliers as it strives to deliver its ambitious programme to diversify its economy. Continue Reading
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News
14 Jan 2021
Zoom reveals phone product spike, public offer price
Strong service performance, reliability and enterprise-grade features drive uptake of Zoom Phone as still rapidly growing conferencing firm announces $1.75bn share offering Continue Reading
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News
13 Jan 2021
South Central Ambulance Service drives out of Covid data fog with Qlik
Ambulance service’s business intelligence has come into its own during the coronavirus crisis, helping the managers behind the paramedics to deliver the service with fast data flows and joined-up datasets Continue Reading
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News
12 Jan 2021
Community Fibre ups ante with fibre-based entertainment service
London-based fibre altnet uses growing gigabit network to offer first entertainment service based on full-fibre broadband Continue Reading
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News
11 Jan 2021
Ordnance Survey opens up direct, API access to location data for public sector
Location data made available to public sector organisations via application programming interfaces, reducing data management overheads Continue Reading
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News
08 Jan 2021
AI Council advises government to do artificial intelligence moonshots
The AI Council has published a “roadmap” of advice to government in respect of developing a UK state strategy for artificial intelligence, encompassing skills, vendor support and public sector procurement Continue Reading
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News
08 Jan 2021
British Gas tackles omnichannel customer correspondence
Utility firm hopes to map out customer communications to help deliver a better customer experience and improve the business Continue Reading
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News
07 Jan 2021
Poor data flows hampered government’s Covid-19 response, says the Science and Technology Committee
House of Commons Science and Technology Committee finds poor data management to have hampered the government’s Covid-19 pandemic response Continue Reading
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News
07 Jan 2021
Robust member administration system indispensable for Dutch Coeliac Society
Organisation had to find a dedicated member administration system to support existing members, new members and countless volunteers Continue Reading
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News
06 Jan 2021
NHS trust says appointment processes robust despite criticism of role for Post Office scandal CEO
NHS trust defends its director appointment process following an external review of its recruitment of former Post Office CEO Paula Vennells Continue Reading
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News
31 Dec 2020
Pandemic heroes dominate New Year Honours List 2021
The New Year Honours List 2021 is remarkable for its recognition of those who have excelled during the Covid-19 public health emergency, including digital and data professionals Continue Reading
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News
30 Dec 2020
UK-EU Brexit deal passes Commons with six-month data adequacy bridge
IT industry trade body TechUK has welcomed a six-month data adequacy bridge, in the wake of the EU-UK trade deal that the House of Commons has voted for Continue Reading
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Feature
30 Dec 2020
How to monitor remote workers humanely
Monitoring employees who work remotely has taken on a whole extra dimension in the Covid-19 pandemic year of 2020. Financial services firms are among those which suggest ways of doing it humanely and legally Continue Reading
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News
30 Dec 2020
Top 10 information management stories of 2020
Here are Computer Weekly’s top 10 information management stories of 2020 Continue Reading
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Feature
29 Dec 2020
Get real: Live streaming analytics important to post-Covid growth, but not without good data
Live streaming analytics could assume increased importance as a fuel for post-Covid growth, but not without good data Continue Reading
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News
29 Dec 2020
Top 10 business applications stories of 2020
Here are Computer Weekly’s top 10 business applications stories of 2020 Continue Reading
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News
24 Dec 2020
UK-EU Brexit deal: TechUK and DigitalEurope hail new dawn but note unfinished data business
Technology trade bodies TechUK and DigitalEurope welcome Christmas Eve UK-EU Brexit deal as a new dawn, but say there is work still be to done on data adequacy and financial equivalence Continue Reading
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News
24 Dec 2020
UK-EU Brexit deal: TechUK sees positive runes on digital and data adequacy
TechUK is giving a cautious welcome to the imminent UK-EU trade deal, seeing positive signs for data adequacy and digital trade Continue Reading
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News
24 Dec 2020
Top 10 Downtime Upload podcasts of 2020
Here are Computer Weekly’s top 10 Downtime Upload podcasts of 2020 Continue Reading
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Feature
23 Dec 2020
Patching: Balancing technical requirements with business considerations
With an increasing reliance on subscription models alongside the regular patching of software, updates have become an essential part of modern business practices. However, care needs to be taken to ensure the optimum patching process is implemented Continue Reading
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Feature
22 Dec 2020
Extended reality software gets pandemic lift
Extended reality software is not new, but the Covid-19 public health crisis has seen it take on a new lease of life as organisations face up to virtuality Continue Reading
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News
22 Dec 2020
Top 10 retail technology stories of 2020
Computer Weekly looks at what 2020 had in store for the retail industry – just how did technology help retailers adapt to changing customer behaviour during the pandemic? Continue Reading
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Opinion
21 Dec 2020
HANA or ‘na’?
With alternatives abundant, many organisations are holding off on enterprise software upgrades Continue Reading
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News
21 Dec 2020
Top 10 artificial intelligence stories of 2020
AI has moved beyond a tool for web giants and internet startups to something mainstream businesses should take seriously Continue Reading
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News
20 Dec 2020
THKD taps SAP and Azure to improve patient experience
Malaysian healthcare group THKD is deploying new SAP systems and plans to tap Azure’s cloud infrastructure to enhance patient experience Continue Reading
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News
17 Dec 2020
Post Office suffers latest court defeat in Horizon IT scandal
Court of Appeal indicates subpostmasters can pursue appeal route that could do more damage to Post Office’s reputation Continue Reading
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News
17 Dec 2020
Guide Dogs data strategy navigates path to organisational view
Guide Dogs CIO Gerard McGovern is mapping out a data strategy that is aimed at taking the charity from an individual to an organisational view of data Continue Reading
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News
17 Dec 2020
UK police unlawfully processing over a million people’s data on Microsoft 365
The roll-out of Microsoft 365 to dozens of UK police forces may be unlawful, because many have failed to conduct data protection checks before deployment and hold no information on their contracts Continue Reading
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Feature
15 Dec 2020
Learning on the job when working from home
Learning a new job and inducting hires when working from home has been tricky for employees and employers alike. We look at what workarounds have been adopted that could become the post-pandemic normal Continue Reading
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E-Zine
15 Dec 2020
How security will be different after Covid-19
In this week’s Computer Weekly, the world of cyber security will probably never return to its pre-pandemic state – we look ahead. The combination of remote working and streaming video is putting extra strain on networks. And we look at how digital transformation is changing the way contact centres are run. Read the issue now. Continue Reading
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News
14 Dec 2020
Google services outage: Gmail, YouTube and Docs temporarily down
Google’s services suffered unexpected downtime on 14 December 2020. Gmail, YouTube, Google Drive, the Android Play Store and its maps service all affected Continue Reading
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News
14 Dec 2020
Appointment of disgraced former Post Office executive at Welsh FA questioned by MP
The appointment of a former Post Office executive, who tried to mislead a judge, in the Football Association of Wales has been questioned by an MP Continue Reading
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News
13 Dec 2020
Singapore trials beacons to bolster police operations
Police beacons equipped with video cameras, sirens, floodlights and speakers are being deployed at two parks to improve public safety in a year-long trial Continue Reading
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News
11 Dec 2020
History made as subpostmasters wrongly prosecuted in Horizon IT scandal have convictions quashed
Six subpostmasters who were wrongly prosecuted for accounting shortfalls caused by computer errors have their convictions quashed after years of campaigning Continue Reading
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News
10 Dec 2020
Alan Turing Institute appoints global advisory board to aid digital identity schemes project
The Alan Turing Institute announces an international advisory board for a project investigating digital identity schemes, with a view to building the technology and organisational infrastructure to sustain them as trustworthy Continue Reading
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News
10 Dec 2020
DCMS’s Whittingdale: National Data Strategy enters post-consultation phase
Minister for media and data tells TechUK’s Digital Ethics summit that the long-awaited national data strategy has entered a new, post-consultation phase, and that the UK is set to show international leadership on digital and data in 2021 Continue Reading
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E-Zine
10 Dec 2020
CW Europe: Tour de France fans get a virtual experience
The organisers of this year's Tour de France worked with technology services company NTT in partnership with Amaury Sport Organisation to provide what they described as an “enhanced experience” for race fans who could not be at the roadside because of Covid restrictions. Also read why Deutsche Bank has agreed to sell its retail banking IT operation to one of its main IT suppliers for a token €1. Read the issue now. Continue Reading
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News
10 Dec 2020
AWS eyes mainframe workloads
Amazon Web Services is doubling down on efforts to help its partners address the growing demand for capabilities to migrate mainframe workloads to the cloud Continue Reading
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News
09 Dec 2020
Top IT predictions in APAC in 2021
The Asia-Pacific region will continue to be a cradle for technology innovation in the new year, whether it is 5G services, artificial intelligence, cloud computing or cyber security Continue Reading
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News
08 Dec 2020
Tesco uses Netcall to speed up insurance claims process
An in-house team has used a low-code platform from Netcall to develop an application for Tesco Underwriting Continue Reading
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E-Zine
08 Dec 2020
Where next for Windows?
In this week’s Computer Weekly, Windows is still the most-used operating system in enterprises – we look at where Microsoft aims to take it next. We examine some of the key questions for CIOs for their 2021 IT strategy. And we analyse the best practice in preventing distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks. Read the issue now. Continue Reading
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News
06 Dec 2020
China lags US in computer vision
China trails the US in the field of computer vision despite making inroads in computing and research, new report finds Continue Reading
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News
04 Dec 2020
Government data quality framework geared to overcome poorly organised data
The Office for National Statistics has published guidelines aimed at improving “disorganised” public sector data Continue Reading
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News
03 Dec 2020
Dreamforce 2020: Hyperforce shifts Salesforce to public cloud
Salesforce COO Bret Taylor announced “Hyperforce” during Marc Benioff’s opening keynote at the virtual version of the supplier’s 2020 Dreamforce event in San Francisco Continue Reading
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News
03 Dec 2020
S/4 Hana projects come off back burner, but skills shortage impedes progress
UK and Ireland SAP User Group members set to ramp up S/4 ERP migration projects, but skills shortage and retirement of SAP managers in user organisations are a concern Continue Reading
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News
02 Dec 2020
How IoT keeps water flowing in rural communities
Non-profit organisation Charity: water has built an internet-of-things device packed with sensors to keep wells in remote parts of Africa and Asia flowing with clean water Continue Reading
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News
02 Dec 2020
Salesforce confirms rumoured Slack acquisition on eve of Dreamforce 2020
Salesforce has announced a $27.7bn stock and cash acquisition of Slack ahead of the virtual iteration of its Dreamforce 2020 event Continue Reading
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News
02 Dec 2020
Comms giants flow to edge of Amazon to boost 5G enterprise, industrial applications
Vodafone and Verizon announce partnerships with cloud giant to offer edge computing for use cases including autonomous vehicles, security, smart cities, healthcare and live interactive video streaming Continue Reading
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Feature
01 Dec 2020
Covid-19 crisis has speeded up contact centre digital transformation
Pandemic has accelerated digital transformation in many business sectors, including contact centres such as those of the University of Huddersfield and UK Power Networks Continue Reading
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News
01 Dec 2020
Government covers its ears as complaint by victims of Post Office abuse heads to ombudsman
Government denies responsibility for the abuse inflicted on subpostmasters by the Post Office over faulty IT system Continue Reading
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E-Zine
01 Dec 2020
How retailers are using technology to survive
In this week’s Computer Weekly, with high street retailers struggling to survive, we look at how technology can keep stores relevant. Everyone is focusing on flash storage, but hard disk drives are still an essential part of the IT toolkit. And we examine the latest developments in the ongoing Post Office Horizon IT scandal. Read the issue now. Continue Reading
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News
01 Dec 2020
What it takes for APAC firms to ride out the pandemic
Whether businesses will recover from the Covid-19 pandemic will depend on how they leverage technology to innovate, create new business models and build digital trust Continue Reading
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News
26 Nov 2020
Robots taking jobs, but creating careers
Robotic process automation developers tell Computer Weekly about the job they never expected to be doing Continue Reading
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Opinion
26 Nov 2020
Why automation isn’t always an improvement
Automation can help organisations run more efficiently, but only if the most inefficient steps in a business process are fixed first Continue Reading
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E-Zine
26 Nov 2020
CW Nordics: Bank branch closures continue as digital banking grows
Sweden’s Handelsbanken is cutting its branch network by nearly half, which means more money will be invested in IT. But it’s not just Sweden and the Nordics – banks across the world are watching the fintech industry demonstrate to consumers what banking can be like if the right technology is in place. Also in this issue, read about the Norwegian government’s decision not to implement an outright ban on the use of 5G equipment supplied by China's Huawei. Continue Reading
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News
26 Nov 2020
Tony Blair Institute and Oracle combine to launch cloud-based vaccine management in Africa
The Tony Blair Institute (TBI) and Oracle have combined to launch a vaccine management programme in several African countries Continue Reading
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News
25 Nov 2020
Australia’s science agency unveils mapping tech for SMEs
The digital specialist arm of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation has developed a mapping system to help robots navigate dangerous and complex terrain Continue Reading
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News
25 Nov 2020
Scottish government unveils strategy for digital planning
Scotland’s government has published a document that describes its strategy for the digitisation of the nation’s planning system Continue Reading
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News
25 Nov 2020
UK government Geospatial Commission stipulates actions to exploit location data
Report outlines some actions public bodies and companies can take to make better economic use of location data Continue Reading
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News
24 Nov 2020
Post Office accused of lying and being in contempt of Parliament in IT scandal
Campaigning politician demands access to documents that could prove that the Post Office lied Continue Reading
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E-Zine
24 Nov 2020
How Covid-19 has accelerated tech innovation in the NHS
Of all the terrible things that Covid is, what it has done is accelerate the digital journey. In this issue of Computer Weekly, we look at the track and trace app, which was redeveloped and enhanced at breakneck speed, and explore how the pandemic has accelerated the roll-out of new technology such as artificial intelligence and video conferencing tools at NHS trusts. We also present some research into how Covid has affected IT spending. Read the issue now. Continue Reading
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Opinion
23 Nov 2020
Love (and impact sourcing) in the time of Covid
Amanda Lewis, a lawyer specialising in IT outsourcing, describes the diversity and inclusion work of Digital Divide Data Continue Reading
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News
23 Nov 2020
Inside Huawei’s APAC cloud strategy
The Chinese technology giant is counting on its strengths in hardware infrastructure and focus on research and development to make a mark in Asia Pacific’s public cloud market Continue Reading
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News
23 Nov 2020
Subpostmasters want £300m from a government that allowed Post Office ‘reign of terror’
The government allowed the Post Office to “run amok” and destroy lives, says complaint to Parliamentary Ombudsman Continue Reading
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Feature
23 Nov 2020
Fix bottlenecks before tackling business process automation
Business processes evolve over time, and intelligent automation requires a thorough assessment of what is not working optimally Continue Reading
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News
20 Nov 2020
University of Melbourne to advance digital health
Australia’s University of Melbourne has established a research outfit to build and clinically validate healthcare technology solutions Continue Reading
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Feature
19 Nov 2020
Lush’s 25-year journey to digital excellence
Retailers are increasingly focused on using technology to better serve customers, but for high street cosmetic brand Lush, tech has always been part of the picture Continue Reading
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News
19 Nov 2020
Fujitsu staff under investigation for potential perjury in Post Office IT trial named
Court documents reveal the names of the Fujitsu employees under investigation for potentially providing misleading information in criminal trials Continue Reading
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News
19 Nov 2020
Why databases are key to Alibaba’s Singles’ Day sales
With each order split into multiple database transactions, ensuring the scalability and elasticity of database systems was key to the success of Alibaba’s Singles’ Day sales Continue Reading
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News
18 Nov 2020
IT managers raise concerns over retaining and attracting SAP skills
Survey has shone a light on the concerns of organisations managing and deploying SAP enterprise software Continue Reading
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News
17 Nov 2020
Botched software update to blame for Post Office Horizon crash
Post Office says planned firmware update caused the problem that left branches unable to do business for 90 minutes Continue Reading
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E-Zine
17 Nov 2020
How Mastercard is taking digital payments into a new era
In this week’s Computer Weekly, we talk to Mastercard about how the credit card giant is using new technologies to take digital payments into a new era. After months of unprecedented uncertainty, we ask CIOs how they are planning for the next 12 months. And we examine how the growth in remote working will affect IT salaries. Read the issue now. Continue Reading
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News
16 Nov 2020
NHS completes transition to HSCN
All 950 NHS, social care, private sector and local authority organisations have migrated from the legacy N3 network to the Health and Social Care Network Continue Reading
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Feature
16 Nov 2020
How AI is helping to drive business process optimisation
Automating an inefficient process simply leads to a faster inefficient process. Artificial intelligence needs to be deployed to ensure business processes are optimal Continue Reading
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Feature
13 Nov 2020
SD-WAN keeps Darling Ingredients on the table through Covid-19 pandemic
For some businesses, the Covid-19 pandemic and the resulting need to support mass remote working will have accelerated something they began working on some time ago. Darling Ingredients is one such firm, whose SD-WAN roll-out puts it in good stead for the future Continue Reading
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News
12 Nov 2020
IT Priorities 2020: Budgets rejigged to support 2021 recovery
IT has been essential in helping organisations remain operational. IT chiefs are now considering the IT to drive a sustained business recovery Continue Reading
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News
11 Nov 2020
Lack of openness on Horizon errors remains as Fujitsu refuses to explain latest outage
Subpostmasters are being kept in the dark about errors in the branch computer system they use, despite the Post Office and Fujitsu being slammed in court over their lack of openness Continue Reading
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News
10 Nov 2020
DCMS’s Whittingdale: National data strategy not tied to EU trade deal
Minister tells ODI Summit that national data strategy is nearly finished and will fuel UK economic growth post-Brexit and post-pandemic Continue Reading
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News
10 Nov 2020
Productivity shrinks, but office and remote workers optimistic about new normal
Despite the bleak times caused by Covid-19, study finds a silver lining in the form of accelerating digital transformation and technology investment for remote workers Continue Reading
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News
10 Nov 2020
Gartner: Composability will make business more resilient and agile
CIOs have stepped up to the challenge of supporting their organisations during the global coronavirus crisis. Now they are set to do more – with less Continue Reading
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E-Zine
10 Nov 2020
Using digital twins to cut costs and improve safety at Shell
In this week’s Computer Weekly, we look at Shell’s digital twin strategy, which combines AI, internet of things and big data to improve safety and cut costs. Our latest buyer’s guide examines the best practices and technologies in business process automation. And we find out why securing DNS is critical to fighting cyber crime. Read the issue now. Continue Reading
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09 Nov 2020
Business process automation expansion could founder on IT drift from business focus
Business process automation might find new territory to expand into as businesses have become bloated with excess processes since the 2008 crash. But has IT drifted out of business alignment again? Continue Reading
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News
06 Nov 2020
Finger pointed at Fujitsu as Post Office Horizon system crashes nationally
Post Office branches offline during busy business hours after suffering an IT error that the Post Office said related to IT from supplier Fujitsu Continue Reading