Data centre
Deciding where and how to build and operate a datacentre is one of the most important decisions your organisation will make. This section covers how to build a solid datacentre infrastructure, including selecting the right location to build your new facility, best practices for designing a new datacentre, and cooling and air flow techniques. Learn about green IT, data management systems, servers and operating systems.
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News
01 May 2025
Tariffs could cost Meta $8bn in extra datacentre costs
The owner of Facebook and WhatsApp has forecast an increase in CapEx due to higher IT infrastructure costs to power its AI strategy Continue Reading
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News
01 May 2025
Microsoft commits to European datacentre footprint growth despite ‘geopolitical volatility’
Microsoft makes ‘digital commitments’ amid pledge to continue growing its European datacentre footprint, in the face of growing geopolitical uncertainty Continue Reading
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News
09 May 2016
Lenovo expands x86 server production to Europe
Chinese hardware manufacturer claims move will result in faster delivery times and lower costs for European customers Continue Reading
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E-Zine
03 May 2016
How high-speed rail is accelerating innovation
In this week’s Computer Weekly, we find out how HS2, the UK’s planned high-speed railway, is developing its IT from scratch and as a long-term project is also having to predict the future. We hear from DevOps experts who try to bust some of the myths around continuous software delivery. And our latest buyer’s guide analyses graph databases – the technology that links relations between datasets. Read the issue now. Continue Reading
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News
29 Apr 2016
Saudi Arabia could warm to cloud computing, so long as regulation and connectivity keep pace
One of the world’s biggest oil producers has responded to tumbling crude prices by announcing a $2tn war chest to fund an economic diversification strategy, with IT set to be a beneficiary Continue Reading
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News
20 Apr 2016
DevOps advocates bust myths around use of agile software development in enterprise
Continuous software delivery experts set out why enterprises could be missing out by shunning DevOps Continue Reading
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E-Zine
20 Apr 2016
CW Middle East – April to June 2016
The Middle East is undergoing great socio-political and economic change. While the economics of falling oil prices is driving business diversification in the region, the opening up of the Iranian economy looks set to boost demand. The IT industry is set to play a key role in the region's social and economic future. Continue Reading
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Feature
14 Apr 2016
CW@50: The changing face of the datacentre over the past 50 years
As Computer Weekly prepares to celebrate its 50th anniversary, we take a look back at how the design and role of the datacentre has changed over the past five decades Continue Reading
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News
12 Apr 2016
UK poised to lead global fintech sector, says Tech City chair Eileen Burbidge
Tech City chair and venture capital expert says the UK is in a position to become a world leader in financial services and sheds light on how cloud can provide failing firms with a stay of execution Continue Reading
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News
08 Apr 2016
CIOs lack faith in IT’s ability to meet digital demands of business
VCE research suggests IT departments lack confidence in their ability to meet the digital demands of their organisation Continue Reading
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Feature
08 Apr 2016
CW@50: Storage – From punched cards to flash and the cloud
Since the launch of Computer Weekly in 1966, we have moved from a world of punched cards and paper tape to one where flash and the cloud have revolutionised data storage Continue Reading
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News
07 Apr 2016
CIO interview: Jean-Christophe Lalanne, CIO, Air France-KLM, on why WANs win business
Operating at locations around the world, the WAN is key to business success for airline Air France-KLM, says its global CIO, Jean-Christophe Lalanne Continue Reading
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News
23 Mar 2016
GDS preps guidance for third-party suppliers to deliver 'government as a platform'
Government Digital Service (GDS) chief insists "pragmatic extensions" to outsourcing contracts implies nothing permanent in push for "government as a platform" (GaaP) Continue Reading
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News
22 Mar 2016
AWS and Microsoft UK datacentre plans could upset SME-rich Digital Marketplace, Kable warns
SME G-Cloud providers told to brace themselves for increasing competitive threats from AWS, Microsoft and Oracle once their UK datacentres open Continue Reading
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E-Zine
22 Mar 2016
How cloud keeps train passengers informed in a storm
In this week’s Computer Weekly, we find out how UK National Rail Enquiries looked to cloud technology after its popular travel information service was overwhelmed by bad weather. We analyse telecoms regulator Ofcom’s review of the broadband market and examine the future for BT’s Openreach division. And top CIOs share their tips on how best to use internal staff and external partners to bridge the skills gap. Read the issue now. Continue Reading
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News
21 Mar 2016
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
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News
17 Mar 2016
AWS at 10: How the cloud giant shook up enterprise IT
A decade on from the launch of its first cloud service, the UK managing director of Amazon Web Services reflects on its first 10 years in business Continue Reading
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News
15 Mar 2016
Dropbox invests in building out on-premise storage as user numbers soar
Cloud-based file share and sync service reveals details of its hybrid cloud strategy, which has seen it invest large sums in building its own on-premise infrastructure Continue Reading
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News
09 Mar 2016
Hyperscale computing boosts server revenue
The likes of Google, Facebook and Microsoft have bolstered server sales as they build increasingly powerful scale-out datacentres Continue Reading
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News
08 Mar 2016
Virgin supplies Ethernet connectivity to Met Office supercomputer
The Met Office has awarded the contract to provide Ethernet connectivity for its next-generation supercomputer to Virgin Media Business Continue Reading
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E-Zine
08 Mar 2016
Building datacentres under the sea
In this week’s Computer Weekly, we look at Microsoft’s trial of an underwater datacentre and assess the technology and environmental implications of running cloud services under the sea. As PC suppliers build new products around Windows 10, we ask if the desktop PC is set to be reinvented. And with ransomware on the rise, we examine the threat of cyber extortion. Read the issue now. Continue Reading
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News
02 Mar 2016
CSA outlines CIOs’ top 12 cloud security concerns
Cloud Security Alliance’s research team uncovers the “dirty dozen” off-premise threats Continue Reading
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News
02 Mar 2016
AWS cuts cloud data transfer fees for academic and research user groups
Cloud services giant Amazon Web Services (AWS) rolls out discounts in bid to lower the cost barrier to making scientific discoveries Continue Reading
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Feature
01 Mar 2016
Datacentre heat reuse: Why aren’t more operators doing it?
With the datacentre industry’s sustainability habits coming under increasingly close scrutiny, we find out why operators are not rushing to reuse their waste heat Continue Reading
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News
17 Feb 2016
Case study: SEO startup uses Elastichosts’ containers to solve cloud app scalability issues
Search engine optimisation startup talks about the challenges of running unpredictable, resource-hungry applications in the cloud Continue Reading
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News
15 Feb 2016
Telstra is transforming Australian IT infrastructure
Telco is transforming its IT operation to make better use of the cloud, data and application programming interfaces Continue Reading
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News
12 Feb 2016
Netflix is now 100% all-in on the AWS cloud
Streaming firm details the challenges it faced during seven-year push to wind down its datacentres and move everything into the AWS public cloud Continue Reading
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News
10 Feb 2016
The OpenStack Foundation: Building enterprise trust in open-source clouds
With HMRC and the European Commission emerging as OpenStack adopters, the OpenStack Foundation's CEO explains how it has set about winning over the enterprise with its open-source cloud platform Continue Reading
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Feature
08 Feb 2016
Microsoft’s underwater datacentre: The pros and cons of running subsea facilities
Underwater datacentres can help providers save on land costs and cooling, but at what cost to the environment? Continue Reading
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News
08 Feb 2016
Assa Abloy outsources IT transformation to Wipro
Swedish lock maker has outsourced its IT infrastructure to Indian IT services firm Continue Reading
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Feature
08 Feb 2016
What are containers and microservices?
Independently deployable bits of code can be used to build agile applications. We look at some of the main players Continue Reading
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News
08 Feb 2016
CIOs urged to act on datacentre power outage threats
Colocation provider Verne Global calls on CIOs to pay attention to Institution of mechanical engineers' concerns over sustainability of UK energy supply Continue Reading
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News
05 Feb 2016
Azure’s role in Microsoft’s IoT vision
Microsoft has fleshed out its strategy to position its cloud service as a key part of the internet of things fabric with the availability of Azure IoT Hub Continue Reading
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Feature
01 Feb 2016
Divide and conquer in software architecture
Applications built out of independently deployable modules are the future of flexible solution development Continue Reading
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News
01 Feb 2016
TfL shifts corporate archive to AWS public cloud in digital preservation push
London transport authority has begun moving its first 3TB of corporate archive data to the AWS cloud with the help of Preservica Continue Reading
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News
01 Feb 2016
Göteborg Energi outsources IT with €40m deal
Nordic energy company will use outsourcing agreement as a platform to modernise its IT environment Continue Reading
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News
27 Jan 2016
VMware to cut 800 jobs in cloud-focused company restructure
Virtualisation company VMware confident adoption of software-defined datacentres will offset softening demand for older products Continue Reading
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News
26 Jan 2016
Wal-Mart to make huge data and analytics investment in India
Retail giant Wal-Mart is investing heavily in its IT development centre in Bangalore, turning the city into its most important centre outside the US Continue Reading
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E-Zine
26 Jan 2016
Beyond India – the emerging outsourcing destinations
In this week’s Computer Weekly, we look at the growing number of offshore alternatives to the dominant outsourcing destination of India and assess their relative merits. We examine how to respond if your organisation is affected by a data breach. And we analyse how virtualisation technology can help improve your disaster recovery strategy. Read the issue now. Continue Reading
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News
25 Jan 2016
Shout it out cloud: why Australian CIOs should use cloud to transform
CIOs in Australia, like everywhere else, must look at the cloud options available or face being left behind Continue Reading
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News
20 Jan 2016
Mars court filings reveal extent of Oracle licence probe
Court documents have revealed just how far Oracle will go to extract cash from some of its larger customers Continue Reading
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News
14 Jan 2016
The National Holocaust Centre uses public cloud for digital preservation project
The National Holocaust Centre and Museum (NHCM) turns to public cloud provider Datacentred to help preserve stories of World War II survivors Continue Reading
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News
12 Jan 2016
Public cloud competition prompts 66% drop in prices since 2013, research reveals
Tariff Consulting's latest report tracks industry impact of public cloud price cuts, and reveals service range -- not cost -- is what matters Continue Reading
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Feature
05 Jan 2016
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
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News
22 Dec 2015
Top 10 cloud computing stories of 2015
Computer Weekly's top 10 cloud computing stories of 2015 Continue Reading
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News
18 Dec 2015
Glasgow city email disruption continues after datacentre crash
Glasgow's IT woes continue following a shutdown of its datacente on Tuesday Continue Reading
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News
18 Dec 2015
Cisco to create 200 new cloud computing jobs in UK
Networking giant outlines plans to treble the size of the Cisco Meraki team by 2017 Continue Reading
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E-Zine
17 Dec 2015
CW Europe – December 2015
In this issue we study the meteoric rise of flash storage in Europe. Initially perceived as an expensive and high risk investment, flash has become mainstream and by the end of the decade will be present in the vast majority of the continent's datacentres. Continue Reading
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E-Zine
16 Dec 2015
Cloud IT is helping Uefa meet its goals
In this week’s Computer Weekly, we find out how cloud computing is helping European football federation Uefa with preparations for the Euro2016 tournament. We ask if UK government moves to support IT education are enough to bridge the skills gap. And we examine the new international standard for personal data privacy in the cloud and what it means for suppliers. Read the issue now. Continue Reading
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News
15 Dec 2015
Poundland launches e-commerce Christmas push with Rackspace managed support
Budget retailer has turned to Rackspace to ensure its first foray into online retail can withstand the seasonal rush Continue Reading
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News
15 Dec 2015
Interview: Lebara CTO sets out plans to go all-in on AWS cloud
Lebara was a Europe-centric, single-product telco until the cloud paved the way for it to grow its service portfolio and expand overseas Continue Reading
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News
11 Dec 2015
Case study: Airbus sets out challenges of changing IT supplier
Aircraft manufacturer sets out what it learned from switching IT provider after 12 years of working together Continue Reading
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News
10 Dec 2015
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
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News
10 Dec 2015
Datacentre operators must "open up" to close industry skills gap, claims IO
IO business development director Andrew Roughan said more must be done to encourage a wider range and higher number people into the datacentre industry Continue Reading
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News
10 Dec 2015
HPE goes live with Europe-wide cloud service catalogue
HPE’s Cloud 28+ service catalogue is open for business and hopes to encourage wider take-up of off-premises services across the continent Continue Reading
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News
07 Dec 2015
Low-cost Nordics expect datacentre growth
The Nordics offers advantages as a datacentre location, with each of its five countries offering something different Continue Reading
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News
03 Dec 2015
VMware research shines light on volume of UK enterprise data stored overseas
A poll of UK IT decision makers suggests just 37% know exactly where their enterprise data is located Continue Reading
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News
02 Dec 2015
COP21: IoT can accelerate sustainable development, says Gartner
As the Paris climate talks get under way, Gartner says the IoT has a big role to play in minimising the impact of global warming Continue Reading
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News
01 Dec 2015
Bill Gates spearheads climate change initiatives
A group of IT entrepreneurs, CEOs, investment gurus and dignitaries have announced an alliance at the Paris 2015 Climate Conference to fund clean energy research Continue Reading
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E-Zine
01 Dec 2015
Balancing speed and risk in IT projects
In this week’s Computer Weekly, as IT leaders face boardroom pressure to roll out IT projects ever more quickly, we examine how to do that without running unacceptable risks. Michael Dell talks about how he sees the future for his company when it buys EMC in the largest IT acquisition in history. And we hear from IT chiefs about the challenges of implementing DevOps. Read the issue now. Continue Reading
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News
01 Dec 2015
Infinity SDC sells Slough datacentre assets to rival Virtus
Virtus expands greater London datacentre portfolio by purchasing rival's colocation facility in Slough Continue Reading
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News
27 Nov 2015
Telefonica embarks on enterprise cloud push with Huawei
Telco will work with Chinese networking supplier to offer enterprise access to OpenStack-based public cloud services Continue Reading
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News
27 Nov 2015
European colocation market growth buoyed by M&A and Safe Harbour, says CBRE
Latest European datacentre market research from CBRE looks at effect of mergers and acquisitions and Safe Harbour on colocation adoption Continue Reading
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News
27 Nov 2015
Case study: Tideway uses private cloud to manage London ‘super sewer’ infrastructure
Infrastructure services director explains why Tideway has opted for a managed, private cloud setup to support sewer project Continue Reading
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News
26 Nov 2015
Microsoft steps up efforts to clarify cloud security and privacy policy
Microsoft debuts merged security information hub to make it easier for cloud users to find out more about the privacy and security policies of its hosted products Continue Reading
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News
24 Nov 2015
Equinix rolls out AWS Direct Connect in Slough datacentre
Datacentre provider launches private internet connection to Amazon Web Services to help customers build hybrid clouds Continue Reading
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News
19 Nov 2015
451 Research highlights cost benefits of taking multi-provider approach to cloud
Latest 451 Research cloud pricing report suggests buyers could get a better deal, if they're prepared to shop around Continue Reading
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News
18 Nov 2015
Whitehall IT chiefs open up about challenges of going cloud-first in central government
Whitehall IT chiefs talk about the progress they have made with abiding by the central government cloud-first mandate Continue Reading
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News
18 Nov 2015
Traditional datacentres ill-equipped to cope with IoT demands, warn technology experts
BBC data scientist and Coca Cola CTO question if the datacentre is the right place to store, process and analyse IoT data Continue Reading
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News
12 Nov 2015
The British Museum uses Google Street View to boost online access to exhibits
The Google Cultural Institute has partnered with The British Museum to help make its collections accessible to people around the world Continue Reading
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News
10 Nov 2015
Microsoft UK datacentre plans win backing of government CTO Liam Maxwell
Government CTO Liam Maxwell speaks out about the role Whitehall's played in convincing Microsoft and others to open UK datacentres Continue Reading
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News
05 Nov 2015
CenturyLink considers selling off its datacentre assets
Telco says growing its colocation business will require more capital expenditure than its willing to invest, prompting an investigation into what its options are Continue Reading
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News
02 Nov 2015
Australia's outsourced datacentre market rising on back of cloud computing
Datacentre investment in Australia is growing fast as corporates use data-intensive applications delivered via the cloud Continue Reading
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News
02 Nov 2015
A tale of two HPs: Hewlett-Packard splits into two digital businesses
The two Hewlett-Packard (HP) businesses are both digitally aligned. HP Enterprise is pushing hybrid clouds; HP Inc is taking the road to 3D printing Continue Reading
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News
02 Nov 2015
Hewlett Packard Enterprise: think of us as a startup
As Hewlett Packard Enterprise and HP Inc finally part ways, UK managing director Andy Isherwood shares some insight on what the future holds for the newly minted enterprise business Continue Reading
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News
29 Oct 2015
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
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News
28 Oct 2015
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
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E-Zine
26 Oct 2015
Blockchain sparks change in banking industry
In this week's Computer Weekly, we find out why blockchain, the technology that underpins bitcoin, is making waves in the banking sector. EasyJet tells us why digital is increasingly important for airlines. And we look at the forces driving digital disruption and why some sectors are changing faster than others. Read the issue now. Continue Reading
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News
23 Oct 2015
Azure Active Directory creates an earnings virtuous circle for Microsoft
Microsoft is set to grow its cloud business to $20bn thanks to the growth of platform as a service and, in particular, Azure Active Directory Continue Reading
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News
20 Oct 2015
Google offers free cloud apps to encourage Office 365 users to ditch Microsoft
Google ups ante in ongoing war to dethrone Microsoft as the enterprise's preferred provider of cloud-based productivity tools Continue Reading
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News
20 Oct 2015
Philips uses AWS and IoT to deliver healthcare in the home
Philips plans to make it easier for patients to self-monitor their health using Amazon web services (AWS) cloud and the internet of things (IoT) technologies Continue Reading
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News
19 Oct 2015
HMRC VAT rules cut cloud costs by 20% for NHS and government departments
An HMRC ruling on reclaiming tax on cloud services could drive up the use of off-premise technologies in the public sector Continue Reading
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News
13 Oct 2015
VMware reacts to the cloud and containerisation
At VMworld Europe, VMware restates products and roadmap visions that see it react to the perceived inevitability of the cloud, while also getting a grip on containers Continue Reading
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News
12 Oct 2015
Dell set to buy storage company EMC
Two years after his audacious bid to reinvent the company he founded by re-privatising it, Michael Dell has put in a bid for storage giant EMC Continue Reading
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Feature
09 Oct 2015
EU Data Protection Regulation: What the EC legislation means for cloud providers
With the European Commission's data protection rules set to drop before 2016, take a look at what the changes mean for the cloud and datacentre community Continue Reading
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News
09 Oct 2015
Middlesex University embarks on mass datacentre migration with Exponential-e
Middlesex University has had enough of owning and running its own hardware, and looks to Exponential-e to help shift its datacentre assets Continue Reading
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News
08 Oct 2015
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
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News
08 Oct 2015
Ford uses space robot communications to serve connected cars
Ford collaborates with St Petersburg State Polytechnic University in Russia to develop car communications using technology designed for space robotics Continue Reading
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News
29 Sep 2015
Universal Credit digital service moves into the cloud
New system under trial in south London has been migrated to an IaaS platform ready for further roll-out Continue Reading
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News
29 Sep 2015
US diplomats warn of economic dangers of scrapping Safe Harbour Agreement
European Court of Justice confirms judgement on the future of the US Safe Harbour Agreement will be made public on 6 October Continue Reading
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News
28 Sep 2015
Apple's Irish datacentre build hit by possible planning permission appeal delay
A "valid appeal" has reportedly been raised in response to Galway County Council's decision to grant conditional planning permission for Apple's Irish datacentre build Continue Reading
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News
22 Sep 2015
Worldwide Skype outage finally fixed
Microsoft-owned messaging service's technical difficulties have now been resolved, after users flooded social networking sites with downtime reports Continue Reading
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Feature
15 Sep 2015
Case study: Philips takes agile approach to building bridges between business and IT
Dutch technology giant talks up the success of its attempts to embrace agile IT delivery methods, and how it's shaping future customer engagements Continue Reading
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News
14 Sep 2015
Organisations in Asean countries adopt hybrid cloud approach
While developed economies such as Singapore are emulating the rapid take-up of other Asian nations, many other Asean organsiations are taking longer Continue Reading
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News
14 Sep 2015
RSA Group flags ID theft risk to Lloyds Bank customers following datacentre storage theft
International insurance group has seen 500 customers take up offer of identity theft protection in wake of datacentre theft Continue Reading
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E-Zine
11 Sep 2015
CW Europe – September 2015 edition
Find out the winners of the Computer Weekly European User Awards 2015. The awards aim to shine a light on businesses across Europe that have excelled in their approach to using technology. You can find a full list of winners in this issue and we have highlighted a few through in-depth case studies. Continue Reading
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News
10 Sep 2015
UK CIOs lament lack of IT support for cloud services
Research from ElasticHosts suggests most cloud users are unhappy with the level of tech support they receive from their providers Continue Reading
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News
10 Sep 2015
Cloudian boosts object storage HyperStore compliance features
Distributed object storage software maker Cloudian upgrades HyperStore with added granularity of data protection features that can help meet compliance requirements Continue Reading
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News
09 Sep 2015
High-performance computing and mainframe refresh limit server decline
IDC's market share data for server shipments shows mainframe users are running Linux on the z13, while high-performance computing (HPC) lifts x86 sales Continue Reading
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News
26 Aug 2015
William Hill kicks off football season with blast from the past
A mathematical programming concept that dates back a decade before the world’s first electronic computer is proving itself in the era of web-scale computing Continue Reading
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News
18 Aug 2015
Cloud storage service Wuala to close in November
Seagate-owned cloud storage player confirms its closure and gives users three months' notice to remove their data from its servers Continue Reading
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News
18 Aug 2015
IaaS providers pin hopes on spending cut reprieve for G-Cloud 7
G-Cloud suppliers are calling on the government to step up, rather than scale back, investment in the framework as spending cuts loom Continue Reading