IT for government and public sector

Police sent information about potential Fujitsu staff perjury in subpostmaster prosecutions

The police have been asked to consider information from a High Court judge questioning evidence given by Fujitsu staff in criminal trials of Post Office subpostmasters Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

NHSX reports progress in screening transformation

Digital unit outlines work that has been done to address the shortcomings of screening IT programmes Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

UK teachers want more computers in schools

As well as equipment, a priority is to increase the provision of training for teachers in the use of technology, according to a new study Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Met Police to launch facial recognition operationally

Despite the continuing controversy around its use, the Metropolitan Police will be deploying live facial recognition across the capital Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

UK firms lack skills to make AI work, employees claim

Research finds employees are concerned about being blamed for tech blunders, with those fears increasing resistance towards artificial intelligence technology Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Government should not be allowed to dismiss subpostmasters’ claims over Horizon IT scandal

Subpostmasters are stepping up their fight for justice after their huge court victory, with Westminister replacing the High Court as the battleground Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Making gigabit broadband a reality for everyone in the UK

As the new government introduces its first legislation to boost full-fibre broadband, digital minister Matt Warman looks ahead to delivering on the Conservatives’ election promises Continue Reading

By

• Matt Warman, Digital minister

IR35 private sector reforms: Recruitment industry urges chancellor to halt April 2020 roll-out

Major players from the UK recruitment industry want the government to delay plans to roll out the IR35 reforms to the private sector so enterprises have more time to prepare Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Real digital modernisation – a once-in-a-generation opportunity for the new UK government

A new UK government with a decisive majority offers a unique opportunity to finally introduce public services for the digital age – if the Conservatives are willing to take it Continue Reading

By

• Mark Thompson, Exeter Business School and DIGITLab

Podcast: The Computer Weekly Downtime Upload – Episode 43

In this week’s episode of the Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcast, Caroline Donnelly, Clare McDonald and Brian McKenna talk about the loan charge review that is bearing down on IT contractors, the Tech Talent Charter, Windows 7, and combating loneliness among remote workers Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK
• Clare McDonald, Business Editor
• Brian McKenna, Enterprise Applications Editor

Loan charge under review: HMRC to invest £200,000 in readying IT systems for planned policy changes

Tax collection agency counts costs of having to upgrade IT systems to prepare for incoming changes to its controversial loan charge disguised remuneration policy, which has left thousands of IT contractors facing financial ruin Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Nicky Morgan says new government will be pro-tech

DCMS minister outlines five key ways the government aims to support technology going forward, including being “unashamedly” pro-tech Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

High-tech firms provide boost to consulting industry

Data privacy and the shift to service-based models are some of the areas where companies such as Google and Apple are turning to consultants for support, according to a new report Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

UK government strengthens ties with African tech firms

Plans announced to develop startups in Africa as part of the announcements around the first UK-Africa investment summit Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

NHS Digital launches login toolkit

Self-service package can be integrated into healthcare apps and platforms Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Norway’s government to upgrade digital in school curriculum

Primary and secondary schools in Norway will introduce more digital learning, following the latest government reforms Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

Cabinet Office launches data handling review

Oliver Dowden issues statement explaining the New Year Honours list leak and announces new practices after the publication of personal details of over 1,000 public figures Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

NHS SBS launches consumer-style procurement hub

NHS Shared Business Services’ cloud marketplace The Edge4Health kicks off with four major NHS organisations to transform the way the health service buys products and services Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

UK’s phone and internet bulk data surveillance unlawful, says EU court opinion

The Advocate General of the European Court of Justice issues legal opinions finding that the UK, French and Belgian bulk surveillance regimes are unlawful Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Windows 7: Don’t cry for me

It may have gone unnoticed with the January 14 end of support deadline for Windows 7, but Microsoft’s 10 year old OS, had one last Patch Tuesday update. And , surprise, surprise, this included a ... Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Loan charge under review: IT contractors slam government's planned policy revamp

The IT contractor community shares its verdict on the UK government's plans to revamp its controversial loan charge policy, which has left thousands of people facing life-changing tax bills and financial ruin Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

AWS to request temporary halt to Microsoft’s work on $10bn JEDI cloud contract

Amazon to file temporary restraining order with the US federal court to prevent Microsoft undertaking any substantial work relating to its delivery of US government’s JEDI cloud contract Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Dasa awards AI warship contracts

First wave of £4m funding aims to transform defence platforms and tackle issues such as information overload faced by crews Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Why subpostmasters are calling on the government to pay Horizon trial costs

The damages that subpostmasters will receive after their court victory against the Post Office fall well short of their calculated losses Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

IfG warns systems needed after Brexit transition are “impossible to deliver”

The IT required to be operational after December 2020 is almost certainly undeliverable, according to Institute for Government report Continue Reading

UK urged to take centre stage in global digital trade

Trade association TechUK sets out vision to liberalise digital trade policy, under principles such as the opposition to data localisation in exchange for market access to fend off the trend towards digital protectionism Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Subpostmaster group calls for government to pay legal costs for Horizon trial

The group of subpostmasters that defeated the Post Office in court over a faulty IT system are calling for the government to pay the costs of the legal action Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

The UK civil service is broken and needs reform to deliver true digital government

Boris Johnson’s special adviser, Dominic Cummings, has attracted criticism for his plans to overhaul Whitehall culture, but one former government digital chief argues that he is absolutely right Continue Reading

By

• Paul Shetler

New Cabinet Office junior minister takes over GDS duties

Jeremy Quin is the seventh minister to be responsible for the digital service since Francis Maude's departure in 2015 Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Sadiq Khan calls for evolution of London Datastore

As the initiative reaches its 10th anniversary, City Hall wants data to be a key tool in tackling the capital's challenges and outlines future opportunities Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Here we go again - strap yourself in for the next 10-year ride in digital government transformation

There’s a new UK government, one with a comfortable majority, and it’s clear it wants to use that advantage for radical change. The new prime minister says the government has “a mission to ... Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Half of UK citizens want tighter data regulations

Over 50% of UK citizens believe the gathering and use of personal data should be subject to more stringent government oversight, according to Fujitsu Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Fujitsu must face scrutiny following Post Office Horizon trial judgment

While the Post Office has suffered financial and reputational damage after losing its court battle with subpostmasters, the supplier of the IT system at the centre of the dispute has major PR challenges ahead Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Implementing a 21st century approach to digital identity

The government’s attempts at digital identity have failed – it is time for a new, modern approach Continue Reading

By

• Jerry Fishenden

Bus open data portal to go live in January 2020

The service will start by publishing route and timetable data and will evolve to provide fare and real-time location data in 2021 Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Met Police to upgrade command and control system

Metropolitan Police Service signs Leidos to renew command and control setup under a 10-year programme Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Highways England uses robot to speed up roadworks

A machine equipped with precise positioning technology carried out, in a few hours, road marking work that usually takes a week Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

The Post Office computer problem that destroyed the lives of pillars of the community

The Post Office’s refusal to believe subpostmasters were suffering losses due to computer system errors was incompetent and cruel Continue Reading

By

• James Arbuthnot

Iran likely to hit back with cyber attacks, security experts warn

The possibility of cyber attack by threat groups acting on behalf of the Iranian government has dramatically increased following US actions in Iraq Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

UK cyber security boss Ciaran Martin to step down

NCSC chief Ciaran Martin will leave his post in the summer of 2020 Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Cummings issues recruitment call for data scientists to reshape Whitehall

Government’s most senior adviser appeals to data scientists to step forward to refashion how the UK state works Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Enterprise Applications Editor

Call for former Post Office CEO to step down from public roles after IT court battle lost

Conservative peer is calling for former Post Office CEO to step down from high-profile public roles for her part in Horizon IT scandal Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Virtuous circles: Skilling up for an ethical web

Tim Berners Lee’s Contract for the Web aims to drive the internet in a more ethical, open and human-centred direction. What does this mean for the future of IT skills and governance? Continue Reading

By

• Jim Mortleman

UK satellite data to spearhead fight against climate change

The Universities of Edinburgh and Leeds have joined forces in a £5m government-backed programme to use satellite data to combat climate change Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Enterprise Applications Editor

Top 10 NHS stories of 2019

Here are Computer Weekly’s top 10 NHS stories of 2019 Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Top 10 enterprise IT in the Benelux region stories of 2019

Here are Computer Weekly’s top enterprise IT stories from the Benelux region over the past year Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Top 10 government IT stories of 2019

Computer Weekly looks back at the main stories related to government IT this year Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Former Post Office CEO apologises to subpostmasters over Horizon scandal

Subpostmasters criticise former CEO’s apology for their suffering as “too little, too late” Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Top 10 storage deployment stories of 2019

Here are ComputerWeekly’s top 10 storage deployment stories for 2019, which see quite a move away from traditional SAN and NAS to hyper-converged, software-defined storage and object storage Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

National Federation of Subpostmasters cries foul after court ruling on controversial computer system

The National Federation of Subpostmasters said it was misled by the Post Office about the robustness of the IT systems its members use Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Finnish government supports local authorities in cyber security initiative

The Finnish government has committed resources to a cyber security project aimed at local authorities Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

Home Office details seven-point plan to cutting its Immigration Technology team's cloud costs by 40%

The Home Office has revealed how its Immigration Technology team cut cloud costs through spot and reserved instances, scheduling, auto-scaling and encouraging developers to spring clean test environments Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Criminal Courts Review Commission to review Horizon judgment ‘swiftly’

The CCRC’s review of potentially unfair prosecutions of subpostmasters is just one of the unresolved issues in in relation to subpostmasters’ battle with the Post Office over its faulty IT system Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

HM Treasury mulls loan charge review findings, but will not confirm public release date

Contractor community frustrated by lack of concrete release date for review as loan charge settlement date of 31 January 2020 looms Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

How Saudi Arabia plans to become the Silicon Valley of the Middle East

With its young and educated population, Saudi Arabia has the potential to become a hub for tech innovation Continue Reading

By

• Alicia Buller

The Horizon scandal is over but the fight continues - an inquiry into the Post Office is essential

There are not enough words to fully express the depth of scandal and outrage that should accompany the conclusion of the High Court case that finally and completely found that the Post Office ... Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Podcast: The Computer Weekly Downtime Upload – Episode 41

In this week’s episode of the Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcast, Caroline Donnelly, Clare McDonald and Brian McKenna have their Christmas Special, picking out a few gems, including the CW Diversity and Inclusion conference, and the team’s discussions of The Capture and The Circle Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Enterprise Applications Editor
• Clare McDonald, Business Editor
• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

No change for tech in Boris Johnson’s new government – yet

Nicky Morgan remains in charge of digital policies as DCMS secretary, despite quitting as an MP before the General Election Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Can Europe legally share data with the US? A court far away is about to decide

The European Court of Justice will deliver an opinion on whether Europe can legally continue to send private data about European citizens to the US Continue Reading

By

• Kevin Cahill

We can’t allow fake news and disinformation to upend our democracy

Fake news, misinformation and cyber attacks are part of our political process – now is the time to act Continue Reading

By

• Andrew Roughan, Plexal

How software can support public involvement with democracy

Iceland, Scotland and Sweden have experimented with using online software to involve citizens more deeply in democratic processes. The key seems to be encouraging enlightened debate Continue Reading

By

• SA Mathieson

Vilified then vindicated - victory for subpostmasters in Post Office trial shows risk of tech hubris

In 2004, Computer Weekly received a letter from Alan Bates, a former subpostmaster in Craig-y-Don, a coastal suburb of Llandudno in north Wales. It’s that long ago that the letter arrived ... Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Post Office settles legal dispute with subpostmasters, ending 20-year battle for lead claimant

The Post Office has settled its long-running legal dispute with subpostmasters, and will pay £57.75m in damages Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

How can CIOs in Europe turn innovation into a competitive advantage?

CIOs across Europe are under pressure to innovate to help businesses grow and must think differently as a result Continue Reading

By

• Mark Samuels

Department for Transport to build mapping tool for transport data

System will use place-based information on a range of transport-related issues and follows the announcement of a future of urban mobility plan Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Podcast: The Computer Weekly Downtime Upload – Episode 40

In this week’s episode of the Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcast, Clare McDonald and Brian McKenna range over the Waltham Forest Tech Camp, the opening of the Ohana floor at Salesforce’s London HQ, the UK & Ireland SAP User Group Conference in Birmingham, and the General Election Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK
• Brian McKenna, Enterprise Applications Editor
• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

The art of surveillance: the Stasi archives and the Investigatory Powers Act

A photographic exhibition captures the chilling impact of surveillance in the UK and the former German Democratic Republic Continue Reading

By

• Rose Butler, Sheffield Hallam University

Who should get the technology vote in the UK General Election?

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we take an in-depth look at the technology and digital policies in the main political parties’ election manifestos. We examine the rise of alternatives to relational databases that better support a big data environment. And we assess the security issues around container technology. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Scottish Justice Committee wants extra powers for biometrics commissioner

Members of Scottish Parliament in the Justice Committee have welcomed the creation of a biometrics commissioner for Scotland, but want ensure that they have the ‘necessary teeth’ for the job Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Cloud computing surges in the UAE in 2019

Cloud computing take-up saw a significant acceleration in the Middle East throughout this year Continue Reading

By

• Alicia Buller

UK government supports online counter-extremism

Work under the Building a Stronger Britain Together programme is due to be completed this month Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Public sector still losing user devices in high numbers

The Ministry of Justice has lost 354 smartphones, PCs, laptops and tablets in the past 12 months, according to a Freedom of Information request, and other government departments are in the same boat Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Online fact-checkers warn of misinformation on unprecedented scale in 2019 election

The UK’s elections watchdog, the Electoral Commission, is calling for new powers to regulate online political advertising Continue Reading

By

• Alex Varley-Winter

China bans foreign computing kit from government contracts

All government offices and public institutions must eliminate foreign hardware and software within three years, according to a leaked directive dubbed 3-5-2 Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Conservative Party: Fostering an environment for IT and digital to flourish

Matt Warman, Conservative MP and minister for digital and broadband, outlines the Tory policies for technology and digital ahead of the General Election Continue Reading

By

• Matt Warman, Digital minister

FCO to boost cloud analysis setup

A new procurement process has been launched to bring in new features such as geospatial analysis Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Tories plan electronic visa waiver for EU citizens

Pledge introduces the idea of electronic travel authorisation as part of plans to protect the UK border after Brexit Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Dutch government must sort IT mess as priority

Dutch government lacks the knowledge and skills for its own IT strategy, according to scathing report Continue Reading

By

• Kim Loohuis

Dutch government must facilitate and coordinate a broad eID system

The Dutch government should push for an electronic ID system for its citizens that works across the public and private sectors, according to a report Continue Reading

By

• Kim Loohuis

Everyone in UK tech must hold the new government to account on its digital promises

When Computer Weekly set out to compare and analyse the tech and digital policies in the major political parties’ manifestos for the 2019 General Election, the article extended comfortably to ... Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Cyber security takes its place alongside UK’s armed services

Head of armed services says cyber security will take its place alongside the army, navy and air force as a key pillar of the UK’s defence strategy Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Cyber Girls First volunteers encourage girls to think high-tech

More than 80 schoolgirls spent a day learning about computer hackers and rocket science – Cyber Girls First hopes they will become the next generation of technologists Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

AWS CEO Andy Jassy blames 'significant political interference' for Amazon losing $10bn JEDI deal

AWS CEO Andy Jassy claims White House meddling led to it losing out to Microsoft on the US Department of Defense JEDI contract, despite its cloud platform being demonstrably superior Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Poor tech provision causes dissatisfaction in SMEs

Smaller businesses are struggling to provide a good enough employee experience when it comes to tech, according to a study Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

General Election 2019: Which manifesto is best for the UK’s tech sector?

Computer Weekly breaks down each political party’s technology policies ahead of the upcoming General Election to see how they compare Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Liberal Democrats: We want to lead the world in ethical, inclusive technology

Layla Moran, Liberal Democrat MP and party spokesperson for digital, culture, media and sport, writes about the party's technology policies ahead of the upcoming General Election Continue Reading

By

• Layla Moran, Liberal Democrats

Survey finds most firms don’t respond to GDPR requests in time

Most organisations do not respond to requests for GDPR data in the one month allowed, while many return incorrect data. The education sector does best, but the public sector lags behind Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

UK government urged to ramp up digital skills

Programme for International Student Assessment results show UK is lagging behind Asian powerhouses, according to Open Knowledge Foundation Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Private sector warned off delaying IR35 reform prep as Conservative Party promises review

The Conservative Party has followed in the footsteps of the Liberal Democrats, The Labour Party and the Scottish National Party by committing to a review of the IR35 reforms Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

UK boards lose digital confidence

Fewer organisations feel they have the expertise they require, according to a Harvey Nash survey Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Labour SME minister back-tracks over claims party will scrap IR35 reforms if it comes to power

Shadow small business secretary Bill Esterson clarifies comments he made during an event this week that suggested Labour had made halting the roll-out of the IR35 reforms to the private sector policy Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Finnish tech firm aims to create scalable general-purpose quantum computer

University spin-off is attempting to take quantum computing capabilities to multiple business sectors Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

The super-resilient IT function

IT functions don’t have to continue taking the blame for organisational failures, they can take the lead in transforming the business Continue Reading

By

• Ade McCormack, Auridian Consulting

Peer calls for clear-out of Post Office board after Court of Appeal confirms major court defeat

Conservative peer championing subpostmasters’ long-running battle with Post Office suggests management clear-out after Court of Appeal rejects appeal bid Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Revamped HMRC IR35 status checker tool still lacks key functionality, contractor groups claim

HMRC releases an updated version of its IR35 tax status checker tool, CEST, to accommodate the onset of the tax avoidance reforms being rolled out to the private sector, but contracting stakeholders claim it still lacks basic functionality Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

General Election 2019: Digital must be at the core of the next government’s strategy

TechUK lays out the technology priorities it wants to see from the next UK government to boost the digital economy Continue Reading

By

• Julian David, TechUK

General Election 2019: The Conservatives’ technology policies and digital plans

With the UK gearing up for its third general election in four years, Computer Weekly outlines the Conservative and Unionist Party’s main technology policies and digital plans, as laid out in its manifesto Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

University of Leicester dumps SANs and LUNs for Cloudian object storage

One-to-one mapping between Dell SANs and media servers had passed their sell-by date and caused vulnerabilities for the University of Leicester, which fixed the problems by a move to “stateless” object storage on Cloudian Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

General Election 2019: Labour’s technology policies and digital plans

With the UK gearing up for its third General Election in four years, Computer Weekly outlines the Labour Party’s main technology policies and digital plans, as laid out in its manifesto Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Conservatives propose national cyber crime force

Manifesto also says Tories would “empower the police to safely use new technologies like biometrics and artificial intelligence, along with the use of DNA, within a strict legal framework” Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor