IT for government and public sector

Ex-HMRC tax inspector sounds alarm over suitability of IR35 online status checker tool

As the private sector consultation on IR35 draws to a close, a former HM Revenue & Customs inspector calls into further question the suitability of the government's online tool for assessing contractors’ tax status Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Smart cities a tempting target for cyber attackers

Smart cities are an attractive target for cyber attackers because of the growing number of connected systems embedded throughout their infrastructure Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Government sets out vision for better use of rail data

The government and the rail industry have developed a joint action plan to remove barriers to better data use by improving access to data, developing better standards, increasing skills and encouraging collaboration Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

IPSE warns government off private sector IR35 reform, as 'no deal' Brexit fears grow

As the government prepares to close its consultation on extending the IR35 reforms to the private sector, IPSE airs concerns over the economic impact the move could have, as talk of a "no deal" Brexit for the UK continues Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Liam Maxwell to swap government for AWS

Government tech adviser Liam Maxwell is understood to be leaving government for a role at Amazon Web Services Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Government invests £3m in Wales-based Stem hub

A science centre in Wales will be given £3m to develop a Stem hub, which will reach more diverse audiences for its delivery of science and technology teaching content Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Lack of Dmarc email validation puts brands and customers at risk 

There is a worldwide lack of Dmarc email validation to defend against fraud and phishing attacks, putting organisations and customers at risk, a study shows Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Highlands and Islands broadband roll-out extended

The Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband roll-out is targeting 25,000 additional homes and businesses in the Highlands and Islands region Continue Reading

DfT pledges to spend one-third of its procurement budget on SMEs by 2022

Department for Transport’s SME action plan promises to increase its spend with small and medium-sized enterprises to 33% by the end of this parliament Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

BEIS research and development budget nearly £8bn in 2018/19

Working to reach the government’s target of spending 2.4% of GDP on research and development by 2027, BEIS has increased its budget to nearly £8bn in 2018/19 Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Government launches digital economy competition review

Obama’s former chief economic advisor will lead panel on competition in the digital economy to ensure regulations are fit for purpose Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Data has potential to enhance UK economy and productivity, says government

Government paper sets out potential for data to drive economic value, and highlights series of challenges that need to be addressed to fully gain benefits Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Gorgon Group shows simple cyber attacks remain effective

A highly effective cyber attack group that appears to be based in Pakistan is carrying out targeted attacks against nation states at the same time as criminal operations, researchers have found Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

GDPR harmonised with local laws in Nordic EU states

Sweden provides an interesting challenge for the European Union’s data protection regulation due to its laws around freedom of press and free speech Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

Public sector increases outsourcing in first half of 2018

IT and business processing outsourcing in UK central government accelerates in the first half this year, almost matching the total spend by financial services firms Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Home Office dishes out more than £100m for police tech projects

The Home Office has awarded £42.7m of funding to a range of digital policing projects, as well as approved £70m for four ongoing national programmes across England and Wales Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Northern Ireland to deploy patient portal

Health and Social Care Northern Ireland will begin piloting a patient portal later this month to support people with dementia Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Intelligent automation spending to hit $232bn by 2025

Technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotic process automation and machine learning could help traditional enterprises gain ground on digital-first giants Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

SamSam ransomware reaps $5.9m and counting

In just two and a half years, SamSam campaigns are believed to have netted nearly $6m for cyber criminals, an analysis of this adaptive and evasive strain of active ransomware reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

How Estonia took a digital lead

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we look at one of the world’s most digitally advanced nations, Estonia, and ask what the UK government can learn from this small Baltic state. We talk to Airbus about how aircraft manufacturers are prioritising cyber security. And we examine how AI and robots will augment – not replace – human productivity. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Briton ran pro-Kremlin disinformation campaign that helped Trump deny Russian links

A British IT manager and former hacker from Darlington ran a disinformation campaign that duped former US intelligence agents and provided Donald Trump with manufactured “evidence” to deny that Russia interfered with the US election Continue Reading

By

• Duncan Campbell , 2QQ Ltd, Sussex University

Pentagon flags risky software suppliers

The Pentagon has drawn up a list of software suppliers that it wants the US military and defence contractors to avoid due to fears of risks to national security Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Government to fund six connected vehicle simulation projects

The government has announced the winners of an R&D contest for connected vehicle simulation and modelling capabilities Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Digital identity system for EU nationals should be used for all UK citizens, says report

Policy Exchange report recommends extending Home Office system for registering EU nationals post-Brexit to become UK-wide digital identity application Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Post-quantum security on Airbus’s radar

With quantum computing on the horizon, multinational aerospace and defence firm Airbus is among those organisations that are looking at evolving their cryptography capabilities to stay ahead of technology Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Openreach doubles down on full-fibre broadband roll-out

In its first annual review since splitting from BT, Openreach has recommitted to its targets for full-fibre broadband Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

UK relegated to fourth place in UN e–government survey

The UK has dropped from first to fourth in the United Nations’ ranking on e-governments across the world, falling behind Denmark, Australia and South Korea Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Cities key to making data a new form of infrastructure, says Nesta

City governments need to take charge of data use and leverage responsible innovation, as data should not be seen as a saleable commodity, but a common good, according to the innovation foundation Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Smart cities face challenges and opportunities

IHS Markit analysts Noman Akhtar and Kevin Hasley assess the way forward for smart city technology projects around the world Continue Reading

By

• Norman Akhtar and Kevin Hasley

MPs to investigate progress of digital government

Science and technology committee invites evidence for inquiry into spread of digital public services and the role of GDS Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Beyond GDPR: ePrivacy could have an even greater impact on mobile

From how we monitor air pollution and manage our public transport systems, to how we enable connected cars and the next generation of 5G mobile services, the forthcoming ePR could have a lasting impact on European society Continue Reading

By

• Jade Nester, GSMA

Government outsourcing at a crossroads, says PAC report

The government needs to change the market that supplies it with services through better contracting practices if it is to achieve anything beyond lowest price, according to a PAC report Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Ofcom proposes regulatory changes to support broadband investment

Following the recommendations of the government’s Future Telecoms Infrastructure Review, regulator Ofcom has proposed a package of measures to better support investment in full-fibre broadband Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Openreach to cut wholesale broadband costs for CSP customers

Openreach plans to introduce wide-ranging cuts to FTTC and FTTP wholesale prices to get other providers to upgrade their users to faster broadband Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

MPs call for inquiry into smart meter roll-out

Government urged to conduct a review of the roll-out of smart meters for electricity and gas, and to intervene to tackle a number of failures Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

CIO interview: Miranda Sharp, director of innovation, Ordnance Survey

Ordnance Survey’s innovation director talks about how the mapping agency is embracing new technologies, working on infrastructure for connected cars, and creating a geospatial framework in Manchester Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

BDUK has £200m to kick-start rural full-fibre network build

Government plans to use money from the BDUK superfast broadband programme to drive the roll-out of full-fibre broadband to underserved rural areas Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Government spend with SMEs down in 2016/17

Government figures show direct and indirect spend on small to medium-sized enterprises by government departments in the 2016/17 financial year have fallen Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Full-fibre broadband for all to cost £30bn

The government has released its Future Telecoms Infrastructure Review, setting the stage for the national roll-out of a full-fibre broadband network Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Huge Singapore data breach shows need for new approach

A major data breach in Singapore underlines the need for a new approach to protecting critical data and applications, say security experts Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Uptick in UK privacy awareness, says ICO

The UK’s privacy watchdog, the Information Commissioner’s Office, reports increased public awareness of privacy and information rights issues Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Confusion reigns over value of 5G, says report

An Analysys Mason report commissioned by the Broadband Stakeholder Group has highlighted some of the challenges facing the deployment of 5G mobile networks in the UK Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Cisco and UCL to open AI research unit in $100m digital economy boost

Cisco has extended its ongoing Country Digital Acceleration programme in the UK with a further $100m investment, part of which will go towards a new AI research centre Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

PAC doubts justice system transformation programme will be a success

Public Accounts Committee says it’s difficult to see how the government’s “extremely challenging" £1.2bn project to overhaul courts through use of technology “will ever work" Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Cloud sales stoke Microsoft’s strong growth

Microsoft says cloud-based Office products made a huge contribution to sales growth Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

UK alerted to potential cyber risks of Huawei equipment

A report has raised concerns about the shortcomings of Huawei engineering processes, which it says could put UK telecommunications networks at risk Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Matt Hancock to promise £487m for NHS tech

In his first speech as health secretary, Matt Hancock will continue to fly the flag for digital Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

CNI sector lacks cyber security skills, government warned

The UK’s critical national infrastructure sector is being negatively impacted by the lack of cyber security skills, a report warns Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Digital consortium aims to develop digital inclusion project

A consortium of firms has come together to develop a project involving technology and local government partnerships to promote digital inclusion for those who are not digitally capable Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Collaborative alliance to advance UK’s cyber security profession

Leading UK organisations in cyber security have united to develop a national professional body in the field Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Committee proposes new laws for immigration of skilled workers after Brexit

The Science and Technology Committee has released a report proposing new rules surrounding the immigration of skilled workers once Brexit has come into force Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

NHS on the hunt for chief data officer

The NHS CDO will report directly to NHS Digital CEO Sarah Wilkinson, get paid up to £176,750 and be responsible for a budget of around £57m Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Nordic CTO interview: Martin Whitlock, Telenor Connexion

Norwegian telco is growing its global reach through its internet of things business unit Continue Reading

By

• Jane Hamrin

Kcom secures second aggregate HSCN contract

Network services provider Kcom will supply broadband connectivity over the Health and Social Care Network to 10 health organisations in the north-east of England Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Expect jobs equilibrium if government sticks with AI plan

If the government keeps to its artificial intelligence sector deal, the number of new jobs created through the use of AI and automation will balance the job losses Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

How container technology is evolving

In this week’s Computer Weekly, as adoption of containers grows rapidly, we look at the choices and potential benefits of the technology. We examine the efforts being made to secure internet of things devices and ask if legislation is needed. And we assess how the government’s latest Brexit plans will affect the UK tech sector. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Russian cyber attacks show need for international rules

Russian cyber attacks aimed at influencing foreign elections highlight the need for the international community to agree on rules of conduct and punitive consequences Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Flexible IT contracts generate savings for HMRC

HMRC’s annual report and accounts show transformation savings are slightly lower than planned as Brexit work means other projects are put on hold, but it’s making significant savings from smaller and more agile IT contracts Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Traders may not be compliant with new customs IT system by end of March 2019

PAC hearing reveals several issues with getting the Customs Declaration Service ready on time, including that traders probably won’t have enough time to get their systems compatible and compliant with the new IT system Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Three-quarters of consumers have interacted with artificial intelligence

Capgemini survey finds 55% of people prefer a mix of AI and humans when they interact with organisations Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

An exciting time to be in cyber security innovation

Cyber security innovation has received a £1.35m shot in the arm from the UK government with the opening of a new innovation centre in London. Computer Weekly looks at why now is a good time to be working and innovating in this industry Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

The analogue minister

When Theresa May’s unstoppable reshuffle tour eventually reached as far as grinning app namesake Matt Hancock, he found himself thrust from his role as secretary of state for digital, culture, ... Continue Reading

By

• Ryan Priest

Russian startup event more international than ever

This year’s Startup Village in Moscow was attended by more international companies and investors than ever before Continue Reading

By

• Vladimir Kozlov

Swedish state-private partnership will use advanced IT to secure cities

Swedish authorities are working with the private sector to develop geo-fencing technology to protect cities from vehicle-related terrorist attacks Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

Give Jeremy Wright the chance to get digital right

The new DCMS secretary of state may not have much experience when it comes to digital, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't give him a chance. One thing's for sure though: Whether you want to call it ... Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Mind your drone business

Amazon is just the tip of the iceberg – companies are pouring hundreds of millions into the development of commercial drones Continue Reading

By

• Joe Austin , Livingstone

Facebook could face ICO fine of up to £500,000

Facebook could face the maximum fine provided by the UK’s previous data protection laws for lack of transparency and security issues relating to the harvesting of data, the UK’s privacy watchdog has revealed Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Lords urge Brexit negotiators to reach agreement on security

Time is running out for the UK and EU to agree on a future security relationship and if negotiators fail to find common ground, all stakeholders stand to lose, warns a Lords’ committee Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK falling behind European competition in efforts to produce powerhouse tech companies

Several European-based tech companies are on the way to competing with major US and Chinese counterparts, although the UK is falling behind in this race Continue Reading

By

• Zach Emmanuel, Computer Weekly

NIC calls for nationwide broadband plan

The National Infrastructure Commission has called for a national broadband plan to support full-fibre roll-out Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Jeremy Wright appointed DCMS secretary of state in Cabinet reshuffle

Attorney general Jeremy Wright becomes DCMS secretary as Matt Hancock moves to the Department for Health and Social Care where he takes over as health secretary Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Singapore to build speech recognition system to speed up emergency response

Emergency responders in the city-state could be able to react more quickly in future with the help of the world’s first mixed-lingual speech recognition engine, to be developed at a new artificial intelligence speech lab Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Analysts question Australia government’s IBM deal

Industry analysts and experts have called the wisdom of the A$1bn IBM IT deal into question, with one claiming that the federal government should have used a range of suppliers instead Continue Reading

By

• Beverley Head

Dutch government IT projects run €1bn over budget

Dutch government IT projects are costing much more money and taking far longer than expected Continue Reading

By

• Tijs Hofmans

Government needs to improve its outsourcing approach

Parliamentary committee advises government to improve its outsourcing methods in the wake of the collapse of Carillion Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

European Parliament calls for suspension of Privacy Shield

The Privacy Shield framework that replaced the Safe Harbour agreement for personal data transfers between the EU and the US is under increased pressure due to alleged non-compliance by US firms Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Just as government starts to get better at major IT projects - enter, Brexit

Slowly, slowly, the UK government is getting better at big IT projects. Thanks to Whitehall watchdog, the Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA), we’re able to track the improvements in major ... Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Construction sector gets £420m investment for tech and innovation

Government has partnered with industry to deliver a Construction Sector Deal, which includes a joint £420m investment for “bytes and mortar smart construction” Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

UK joins forces with France on artificial intelligence and data

The UK and France will share expertise on AI and research, work together to improve digital services and collaborate to develop tech talent Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Local Digital Declaration sets out how to transform local public services

The declaration, which sets out five “principles of internet-age local public services”, is backed by £7.5m in government funding to help councils transform services Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Annual IPA report shows state of major government IT projects

None of the 29 government IT projects are given the lowest “red” ranking, but seven projects are rated as “amber/red”, including the Home Office digital borders programme and the NHS e-referral service, meaning successful delivery is in doubt Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Slow broadband fuels a post-Brexit storm for rural communities

Lack of access to reliable broadband and mobile networks threatens rural livelihoods after Brexit, according to a Local Government Association report Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Siri, show me a threat to national security

Gavin Williamson unwittingly summoning Siri on his iPhone whilst updating Parliament on the fight against Daesh has marked him as national security’s weak link, which couldn’t really be any less ... Continue Reading

By

• Ryan Priest

Israel accuses Hamas of using spy apps to target soldiers

Israel has accused Hamas of using apps to hijack soldiers’ phones to spy on them, and UK defence secretary demonstrates how effective that could be Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Exiting EU committee cattle-prods government on 'data adequacy'

House of Commons Select Committee for Exiting the European Union urges the government to start the process to secure a “Data Adequacy Decision” from the EU pronto Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Enterprise Applications Editor

NHS data breach caused details of 150,000 patients to be shared

The NHS has inadvertently shared the confidential data of 150,000 patients over a three-year period due to a coding error in one of the most common GP IT systems Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Government welcomes Lords AI report, vaunts industrial strategy

The government has published its official, supportive response to the House of Lords select committee report on artificial intelligence, published earlier this year Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Enterprise Applications Editor

Government launches G-Cloud 10

The 10th iteration of G-Cloud is now live, with more than 3,500 suppliers awarded a place on the procurement framework Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Food Standards Agency pilots blockchain in slaughterhouse

Distributed ledger technology trialled in cattle slaughterhouse to improve transparency across the food supply chain Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Huge potential for use of big data to improve ambulance services, report finds

King’s College London report says government should explore value of big data, and calls for London ambulance services to partner with TfL to navigate traffic ‘more intelligently’ Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Department for Work and Pensions uses artificial intelligence to crack down on benefits fraud

DWP has made several digital strides, including developing AI to track organised benefits fraud, moved more than 100 digital products to “new hosting arrangements” and made savings on technology contracts, according to its annual report Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Finland’s R&D spending is recovering after a lost decade

The Finnish tech sector could benefit form better access to funds as the government prepares to increase spending on research and development Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

HMRC deactivates record number of fake websites

HM Revenue & Customs has removed more than 20,000 malicious websites in the past year, but warns people to stay alert to the threat from online fraudsters Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Australian government grappling with digital transformation woes

Digital transformation in Australia’s public sector has been beset by soaring rhetoric and vague aspirations by government, a new report reveals Continue Reading

By

• Beverley Head

UK government cyber security standard welcomed

The information security community has welcomed the publication of the government’s minimum cyber security standard, which could be used by any organisation to improve its cyber defences Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Home Office criticised over ESN review progress

In an appearance before the Public Accounts Committee, Home Office permanent secretary Philip Rutnam defended the progress of the ESN project review Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

UK police forces are not taking advantage of digital, says policing minister

Embracing technology remains one of the biggest challenges facing UK police forces, according to policing minister Nick Hurd Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

NHS Digital signs three-year cyber security partnership with IBM

Partnership with IBM aims to bolster cyber security responses and defences, including expanding NHS Digital’s Cyber Security and Operations Centre Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

UK biometrics strategy criticised for lack of content

The long-awaited government biometrics strategy falls short of the mark, say critics, failing to provide a detailed and coherent strategy or governance framework Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

British Muslim considers appeal after court rules repeated terrorism stops are legal

Muzaffar Abdullah, a 37-year-old gas engineer who has been stopped and questioned by police at airports at least 10 times, is considering an appeal after being found guilty of wilful obstruction for refusing to answer questions under controversial terrorism legislation. He received a conditional discharge. Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly