Business intelligence and analytics

Britain to pay billions for monster internet surveillance network

New questions raised about Britain’s snoopers’ charter after Denmark abandons its own UK-style surveillance programme for a second time Continue Reading

Rolls-Royce cloud HR project will pay for itself in two years

HR IT director Mark Judd explains how engineering and aerospace firm swapped ageing ERP and spreadsheets for a company-wide core HR system Continue Reading

Robots at your service

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we find out how financial services firms are investing in artificial intelligence to create robo-advisors to help customers with financial advice online. We ask if virtual reality is ready for mainstream business adoption or is still just an over-hyped technology. And we examine the key steps needed to successfully build smart cities using internet of things and networking technologies. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Predictive maintenance brings efficiency to Trenitalia

New management system will help railway company reduce costs by applying predictive maintenance and data analytics to essential parts Continue Reading

The Christie speeds up SPC charts to improve clinical processes

Cancer specialist NHS trust implements statistical process control chart creation tool in data visualisation software Tableau to improve processes and save money Continue Reading

Combine data mining and simulation to maximise process improvement

Data mining and computer simulation can be used together to better model and improve industrial processes, city development and other complex systems Continue Reading

Outsourcer MSXI puts Microsoft cloud in driving seat

Business process outsourcer MSXI has replaced Salesforce with a Microsoft business applications stack to support its car dealership business Continue Reading

Dutch water wants to move beyond dipping its toes into big data pool

Dutch water company Brabant Water wants to use data to improve the service it provides to customers, as well as identify problems on its distribution network Continue Reading

Mobile apps could put an end to ‘hated’ staff appraisals

Josh Bersin, founder of Bersin by Deloitte, reveals the top HR technology trends for 2016 Continue Reading

CDOs lack organisational design experience, says Gartner

Research firm identifies immaturity in the organisational design of the set-ups led by the new breed of chief data officer and offers a menu of four design options Continue Reading

How software protects people

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we find out how software is helping to maintain safety in high-risk sectors like oil & gas, aerospace and healthcare – and what lessons they hold for other organisations. We offer six tips from CIOs for innovation with data. And after the HSBC cyber attack, we examine the continuing threat to businesses from distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Crunch time for Australian CIOs as analytics platforms drive strategy in 2016

CIOs in Australia and elsewhere will be expected to deploy technologies that promise to help them get more from the information they own Continue Reading

CIO interview: Janne Aalto, Finnish telco DNA

When Finnish telco DNA wanted to transform its business, it made startup consultant Janne Aalto its CIO to lead the move to lean and agile Continue Reading

Is government surveillance going too far?

In this week’s Computer Weekly, as the UK prepares new laws on surveillance and data collection, we hear from security experts on the challenges of balancing privacy and security and their insider view on GHCQ and the NSA. We examine the growing threat of ransomware and how to tackle it. And we look at the implications of new EU data protection rules. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Digitisation connects customers to companies on a new level

‘Digital’ provides more ways for people and businesses to connect than ever before, and a transformed role for IT in businesses old and new Continue Reading

Robots will transform, not replace, human work

Claims that robots will steal our jobs are commonplace – but humans will find themselves working side by side with robots, rather than being replaced by them Continue Reading

Interview: James Bamford on surveillance, Snowden and technology companies

Investigative journalist and documentary maker James Bamford was among the first to uncover the secrets of the US National Security Agency and its global surveillance Continue Reading

CIO interview: Henry Cohen, CIO, Telegraph Media Group

The newspaper publisher is developing an agile mindset in response to the growth of digital over printed publications Continue Reading

Three tips to help reduce Oracle licensing costs

London councils are spending hundreds of thousands of pounds a year with Oracle. Controlling these costs is the first step in taming Oracle licensing Continue Reading

Russian big data in early stages

The use of big data technologies in Russia is still embryonic and the economic slowdown is stalling developments Continue Reading

Change is in the air as Australia's Royal Flying Doctor Service applies analytics to everything

Australia's Royal Flying Doctor Service unearths additional benefits of data analytics following its decision to use Splunk software to analyse operational logs Continue Reading

Workday ringfences support in Europe after Safe Harbour ruled unsafe

US cloud HR and financial services provider reponds to Safe Harbour failure by ringfencing European data Continue Reading

SAP UK&I User Group Conference 2015: Newcastle University puts ERP on Hana

Newcastle University has put enterprise resource planning and data warehouse data on SAP’s Hana platform in a proof of concept project Continue Reading

First steps taken on 'omni-channel' customer experience

The future customer experience might be personalised, but there is a long road ahead yet Continue Reading

Suppliers lay the groundwork for IoT in Czech Republic

ICT suppliers are putting in place the technology infrastructure that will enable towns and cities in the Czech Republic to harness the internet of things Continue Reading

Amsterdam Arena aims to set digital example to others

The Amsterdam Arena is a digital powerhouse which, according to its CIO, wants to set an example for the city to follow Continue Reading

Met Office's new supercomputer to deliver £2bn of socio-economic benefits

The Met Office aims to realise a range of socio-economic benefits to UK industries thanks to improved forecasting with its new Cray supercomputer Continue Reading

Tech will turn HR into a ‘productivity department’

HR technologies are moving away from managing staff in favour of helping them become more productive Continue Reading

British American Tobacco saves £1.4m after automating candidate selection

British American Tobacco uses custom profiling software to cut the number of applications managers have to screen by half, as part of a major re-organisation of its recruitment processes Continue Reading

Yakult uses data analytics to boost growth in the Netherlands by 20%

Probiotics maker Yakult is using analytics and data visualisation tools to boost its sales in the Netherlands Continue Reading

UK retailers could use data analytics more to cash in on Black Friday

Research by data visualisation supplier Tableau suggests British retailers could do better with analytics as Black Friday looms Continue Reading

German rail and transport group turns to virtual reality in war for talent

Deutsche Bahn claims to be the first company in Germany to use virtual reality as a recruitment tool Continue Reading

Is digital disruption a threat or an opportunity for banks?

Banks have been relatively unaffected by the digital revolution that has transformed other industries – but that's about to change Continue Reading

BT Openreach division expands services deal with Infosys to improve support for engineers

BT Openreach is using a software platform from Infosys that draws data from several sources to improve support for its engineers and customers Continue Reading

Opera chooses Workday over Oracle as it moves HR to cloud

Browser company Opera opts for slick internal IT as it competes with Apple and Google for skilled technologists Continue Reading

Low-power WANs overlooked for IoT connectivity, says Beecham

Beecham Research says machine-to-machine comms and the internet of things (IoT) will turn to low-power wide area networks (WANs) over mobile grids Continue Reading

South Manchester NHS signs up to take Allscripts EPR

University Hospital of South Manchester NHS Foundation Trust has become the latest trust in the region to choose an electronic patient record system from Allscripts Continue Reading

DWP looks to Facebook and LinkedIn for social services' digital future

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) says it intends to learn from social networking firms and use external data to better understand people's lives Continue Reading

Singapore and UK researchers investigate privacy in big data era

Academic organisations in Singapore and the UK collaborate on the privacy questions raised by big data and the cloud Continue Reading

What's on your desktop?

In this week's Computer Weekly, Microsoft has released Office 2016 and is urging customers to migrate to Windows 10 – but is a desktop upgrade worth the hassle? We report from the Dreamforce conference on the latest products from Salesforce.com. Continue Reading

Workday seeks growth, not profit, as it expands in Europe

Cloud services company Workday is setting its sights on growth as it expands from cloud HR, to finance, learning and analytics Continue Reading

Free energy from radio waves could power the internet of things

A pocket-sized pollution monitor is one of the first applications to use free energy from Wi-Fi and mobile phone signals Continue Reading

Legal documents reveal HP's failings over Autonomy

The board of Hewlett-Packard (HP) knew about Autonomy’s failings – yet voted the $11.1bn acquisition through regardless, internal memos have revealed Continue Reading

NHS trust denies bullying and intimidation of IT whistleblower

Managers were already aware of whistleblower's concerns about the accuracy of NHS Southwark's data, tribunal hears Continue Reading

Al Rayan Bank finds business agility in cloud applications

Al Rayan Bank believes its investment in cloud applications gives it an edge in business agility Continue Reading

Why Pegasystems' CEO, Alan Trefler, has learned to think smaller

Pegasystems has made its name supplying CRM, analytics and case management software to the world's largest companies. Now CEO Alan Trefler plans to use cloud computing to broaden Pega's appeal Continue Reading

Councils explore options for online mapping tools

Councils are drawing on Ordnance Survey, Google Maps and OpenStreet Map for online mapping. What’s the optimal mix? Continue Reading

Will digital government remain on course?

In this week's Computer Weekly, the UK government's digital chief has announced his shock departure, but what will it mean for the future of digital public services? Dell went back to a private company two years ago – has it proved to be a successful move? And our latest buyer's guide looks at big data appliances. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Data unlocks personalised customer service

In this week's Computer Weekly, we examine how companies are starting to use big data analytics to deliver more personalised customer services. We talk to the government's IT procurement chief about improving public sector tech purchasing. And Volvo's CIO tells us how connected cars will reshape the automotive sector. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Digital transformation needs business leaders to develop new skills

A panel of experts discuss the capabilities business leaders and corporate IT need to develop for digital Continue Reading

Software project will save Ford tens of millions a year in car repair bills

Car maker Ford is rolling out sophisticated warranty software to 12,000 dealers worldwide in a project that is expected to bring rapid financial returns Continue Reading

Business cases emerge from growing pains of Hadoop 1.0

The hype around the early generation of Hadoop is giving way to the reality of business programmes based on Hadoop 2 and Apache Spark Continue Reading

Comparethemarket uses Cloudera to gain single view of customer data

Price comparison site Comparethemarket has turned to Cloudera’s Hadoop distribution to get a better view of customer data from different channels. Doug Cutting, the father of Hadoop, explains Continue Reading

Manchester City group joins forces with SAP to further global goals

The City Football Group, which includes Manchester City, has teamed up with SAP to further its global development goals Continue Reading

Cisco launches IoT System for enterprise and smart cities

Cisco unveils 15 products to address the growing complexity of internet of things deployments Continue Reading

Using data analytics to deliver more personalised customer service

Personalisation has been the goal for many retailers, but can the emergence of big data analytics be the solution they are looking for? Continue Reading

Waitrose uses ServiceNow for business continuity planning

Luxury retail brand Waitrose deploys ServiceNow to cope with business continuity across its supply chain Continue Reading

Pharmaceutical companies use BPM to cut cost of clinical trial drugs

Pharmaceutical companies have developed an IT system to secure the supply of medicines they need for clinical studies, saving hundreds of thousands on their drugs bill in the process Continue Reading

Royal Bank of Scotland goes back to 1970s values with big data

RBS, once the world's largest bank, is using analytics technology to go back to the era of personal customer service Continue Reading

CIO interview: Myron Hrycyk, CIO, Severn Trent Water

Severn Trent water company is working on technology initiatives to lower bills and improve customer service Continue Reading

Augmented reality business applications start to get real

Augmented reality applications have tended to be gimmicky marketing wheezes, but firms are starting to explore their business potential Continue Reading

PSNGB rebrands to drive information sharing across PSN

PSNGB, the trade association set up to promote the Public Services Network, rebrands itself as Innopsis and says its work is far from over Continue Reading

Wearable technology to transform laggards in insurance industry

Wearable and other smart technologies set to transform the insurance industry in the next three to five years Continue Reading

Sapphire 2015: McDermott declares SAP natively digital

SAP CEO Bill McDermott declares the company “digital” at Sapphire 2015 and made “empathy” the watchword of his keynote Continue Reading

Bill Binney, the ‘original’ NSA whistleblower, on Snowden, 9/11 and illegal surveillance

Always a patriot: Computer Weekly talks to Bill Binney, the senior NSA official who blew the whistle before Edward Snowden Continue Reading

Why self-service and automation will power mass adoption of BI

Tibco’s analytics head, Brian Gentile, believes business intelligence needs to adapt for mass-market adoption Continue Reading

Zurich Insurance turns to augmented reality to train 10,000 managers

The £74bn turnover company aims to harness the capabilities of augmented reality to train 10,000 employees in 170 countries Continue Reading

Security risk potential linked to young, mobile users

A study conducted by wireless supplier Aruba Networks has identified a distinct cohort of high-risk, security-agnostic workers Continue Reading

Juniper Networks goes after finance market with switch-integrated compute

Juniper launches a compact compute-integrated network switch to boost performance of sensitive applications for financial institutions Continue Reading

Foods manufacturer ConAgra expects to save $5m a year with data analytics

Food manufacturer ConAgra Foods is using data analytics technology to improve how it makes decisions about hiring and deploying its workforce Continue Reading

IT priorities 2015: How will IT decision makers spend this year's budget?

The 2015 Computer Weekly/TechTarget IT priorities survey has examined the investment plans of IT managers in the UK and Europe in 2015 Continue Reading

Prepare for two modes of business intelligence, says Gartner

IT needs to open up business intelligence to the broader business to support its consumerisation Continue Reading

Case study: How National Grid uses analytics to keeps the lights on

National Grid has started a project to supplement its existing asset maintenance system with predictive analytics Continue Reading

London’s Air Ambulance swaps A-Z maps for mobile apps

London’s Air Ambulance has halved emergency dispatch times through an incident information and routing app from Mubaloo Continue Reading

CIO interview: Paul Coby, IT director, John Lewis Partnership

Technology is an essential ingredient to the success of John Lewis, and the retailer is ploughing £100m into IT initiatives in 2015 Continue Reading

Tackling security with quantum physics

In this week's Computer Weekly, we examine research that promises to deliver new levels of encrypted communications using quantum teleportation. IBM has announced its latest mainframe – but will the company's problems hinder its future? And we find out how one company has used the low-cost Raspberry Pi in its enterprise IT. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Self-service BI, data integration top information management issues

Self-service business intelligence and data integration top information management challenges for IT and finance professionals Continue Reading

Former Capital One data analysts charged with mining customer data

US financial services regulator SEC charges two former employees of financial services firm Capital One with insider trading Continue Reading

What are the options for electronic patient records in the NHS after NPfIT?

Many hospitals lack comprehensive electronic patient record (EPR) systems. What are the options now, in the wake of the NPfIT disaster? Continue Reading

Case study: Antwerp port boosts profits with activity-based management software

How the Antwerp Port Authority has improved its business processes with SAS software Continue Reading

Case study: Hedge fund AHL Man Group uses MongoDB to feed quants with data

Hedge fund AHL Man Group replaces disparate relational databases with a single data platform built on NoSQL database MongoDB Continue Reading

SAP’s Cohen on 2014 results: Europe strong north and south

SAP’s Emea president Franck Cohen optimistic about the supplier’s growth prospects in southern and northern Europe Continue Reading

User groups defend licensing, but should Oracle rethink remuneration?

Two Oracle user groups have defended Oracle's licensing policy following open letter by Campaign for Clear Licensing Continue Reading

Case study: UniCredit uses Fico to apply prescriptive analytics to risk management

Italian bank UniCredit is using Fico software to apply prescriptive analytics to risk management Continue Reading

CIO interview: Mark Maddocks, Cambridge University Press

Technology has prompted unprecedented innovation and transformation in the media sector – Cambridge University Press is no exception Continue Reading

Cabinet Office begins procurement for next stage of Gov.uk Verify

The Cabinet Office has submitted a tender notice for a £150m three-year framework for the provision of identity assurance services Continue Reading

Lloyd’s Register Foundation grants £10m to Alan Turing Institute

The Lloyd’s Register Foundation has announced £10m in funding over five years to support research by the Alan Turing Institute Continue Reading

Customer analysis a winning play for 'Candy Crush Saga' maker

King Digital Entertainment was losing players of "Candy Crush Saga" at an early stage in the online game -- a problem it solved with help from a customer data analytics project. Continue Reading

M&S turns to predictive analytics to keep shelves stocked over Christmas

Marks & Spencer is using predictive analytics to keep shelves stocked with mince pies and turkeys over Christmas. Continue Reading

CIO interview: Jon Rudoe, digital and technology director, Sainsbury’s

While supermarkets all over the UK are facing challenging times ahead of them, Sainsbury's is taking its technology and innovation into its own hands by developing digital products for its customers. Continue Reading

Police forces use private cloud to access Holmes database

Police forces across the UK will access the Holmes major investigation system via a private cloud service Continue Reading

Southampton university fuels research with IBM Watson analytics

The University of Southampton has begun a far-reaching initiative to redefine the future of research powered by IBM Watson analytics Continue Reading

Airbus interview: research, innovation and the future of aviation

IT plays a substantial role in creating the aircraft of the future, with research and innovation at the core of the Airbus business strategy Continue Reading

Ipswich hospital improves healthcare service with Esri data visualisation

Health pilots location-based technology that delivers data visualisation Continue Reading

Problems surface as first users attempt to use Gov.uk Verify

Problems have surfaced as users try to use Gov.uk Verify to prove their identities Continue Reading

Currency exchange business Travelex cuts HR costs by 25% with cloud IT systems

Travelex's cloud human resources (HR) project survived a budget overrun to cut costs and job recruitment times Continue Reading

How the BBC became digital in three-and-a-half years

The BBC has undergone a digital transformation that started 18 months prior to the London 2012 Olympic Games Continue Reading

Met Police trials analytics to fight gang crime

The Metropolitan Police is experimenting with analytics software to help predict which criminals are likely to re-offend Continue Reading

Disney spreads the magic through wearable technology

The Walt Disney Company is using wearable technology to improve customer experience and engage with visitors Continue Reading

Comic Relief’s digital challenge: talent, data and the No Make-Up Selfie

Social media campaigns such as the No Make-Up Selfie and the Ice Bucket Challenge threaten charities such as Comic Relief with their digital reach Continue Reading