IT for government and public sector

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

By

• Mark Ballard

Estonian government IT initiative increases virtual population

Estonia is leading the way when it comes to providing easy and secure access to government services for citizens and foreigners alike Continue Reading

By

• Tarmo Virki

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

Facebook ruling not only landmark data protection case in Europe, say experts

A landmark ruling against Slovakia-based website Weltimmo could impact the Max Schrems case against Facebook and new European data protection rules currently being finalised Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

DVLA brings IT back in-house after decades of outsourcing

After the DVLA's two-year project to bring its IT back in-house, its outsourcing strategy – set up during the Thatcher years – came to an end in September 2015 Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

What to consider when IT outsourcing contracts come up for renewal

Outsourcing contracts worth billions of pounds come up for renewal over the next few years – but unprecedented industry change complicates the CIO's decision Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Risky and untested: What went wrong with the ESN procurement?

In his first major interview since walking away from the Emergency Services Network procurement, Airwave COO John Lewis reveals why his company could take no further part in the process, and discusses the future of emergency services communications Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Two thirds of UK businesses never meet important customers

British businesses don't always meet their best customers or the people they do most business with, because of trends in modern technology Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

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

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Keeping app pirates at bay

In this week's Computer Weekly, we look at how digital piracy is affecting app developers – and what they can do about it. The man behind the controversial NHS Care.data project has quit – what will it mean for the troubled programme? And we find out how digital disruption is affecting the insurance market. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Government Digital Service readies for change as its chief Mike Bracken prepares to leave

GDS is setting up executive training for senior civil servants and looking to work closely with departments to continue the digital transformation of Whitehall Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Universal Credit was right on schedule, shows 11th-hour project plan

Universal Credit was doing fine and right on time as the Department for Work and Pensions began rolling out its IT system in April 2012, according to a project schedule released under Freedom of ... Continue Reading

By

• Mark Ballard

Business leaders want better digital services from government, says research

A survey of corporate decision-makers suggests executives waste an average of five hours per week using outdated online public services Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

DVLA looking for new CIO after completing major insourcing project

The DVLA is looking for a new CIO as incumbent Iain Patterson completes major insourcing projects and moves back to Cabinet Office Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

MPs launch inquiry into the UK's digital economy

Business, Innovation and Skills Committee investigation will examine the challenges facing digital industries Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

How cloud technology helps kittens

In this week's Computer Weekly, we talk to the CIO at the UK's leading animal charity, the RSPCA, about how her cloud-first strategy is helping animal welfare. Microsoft is ending support for older version of Internet Explorer – we assess the implications. And we ask the experts about the best practice in mobile security. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Gigabit network is more than a fringe benefit for city of Edinburgh

As CityFibre begins a 150km fibre dig in Edinburgh, local businesses and the city council outline their objectives and plans for ultrafast broadband Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Labour appoints Chi Onwurah as shadow minister for digital industries

Former Labour digital government spokeswoman takes on role of shadowing digital economy minister Ed Vaizey, with Louise Haigh taking her old role Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Department for Culture, Media and Sport takes over responsibility for data protection policy

Government transfers responsibility for data protection policy and ICO oversight from Ministry of Justice (MOJ) to Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Defence minister Michael Fallon promises increased MOD spending with SMEs

Opening up the Ministry of Defence (MOD) supply chain to access SME innovation is vital to meet its technology needs, says secretary for defence Michael Fallon Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Most DDoS attacks hiding something more sinister, Neustar warns

Smaller DDoS attacks can be more dangerous than a powerful attack that knocks a company offline but does not install malware or steal data, warns Neustar Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Opening doors to open source

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we look at the growing acceptance of open source software among corporate IT leaders, especially for developing digital business strategies. Our latest buyer’s guide examines the emerging best practice in next-generation service management. And we find out how organisations should be preparing for the forthcoming changes to EU data protection laws. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Scottish Government to launch public services website

The Scottish Government will launch its mygov.scot website this autumn with the aim of improving access to public services in Scotland Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Security industry welcomes GCHQ password guidelines

GCHQ's guidance on password policy covers some of the most pressing issues facing UK businesses and employees today, according to Skyhigh Networks Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

DD4BC cyber extortion gang adds social media to arsenal

Cyber extortion gang DD4BC is using social media campaigns to garner more attention for its ability to create service disruptions by publicly embarrassing large organisations Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

David Cameron hails Government Digital Service as 'unsung triumph'

Prime minister David Cameron announces legislation to join up IT across the emergency services, hailing the Government Digital Service (GDS) as a triumph Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Early plans for Universal Credit show DWP expected to complete project in two years

An early plan drawn up by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) for its Universal Credit scheme reveals unrealistic ambitions for the troubled project Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

US State Department plans cyber security playbook

The US State Department issues a request for information to determine the capabilities of commercial industry to provide and maintain a cyber security playbook Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

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

By

• Bill Goodwin, Investigations Editor

DDoS attack on NCA highlights need to be prepared, says Barracuda Networks

A Lizard Squad DDoS attack the NCA says is a fact of life highlights the need for organisations to be prepared, according to Barracuda Networks Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Wearable technology proves its worth on the front line

In this week's Computer Weekly, we look at business applications for wearable technology. With hands-free police and military pilot projects already under way, wearable technology is set to make its mark in the enterprise in the near future. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Kellogg Brown and Root wins ESN Delivery Partner contract

Kellogg Brown and Root has won the contract to supply Lot 1 of the Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

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

By

• SA Mathieson

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

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

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

Mobile phone users at risk as hackers bug and track victims

An investigation by Australian TV show 60 Minutes demonstrates how hackers based thousands of miles away in Germany were able to record the calls of an Australian senator and track his movements Continue Reading

By

• Ross Coulthart, 60 Minutes Australia

Interview: Government digital chief Mike Bracken – why I quit

Mike Bracken, the outgoing director of the Government Digital Service, talks exclusively to Computer Weekly about his departure from Whitehall Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Mike Bracken: I turned down an increase in GDS budget

Outgoing government digital chief says he rejected the chance of extra funding and that his platform strategy is still on the table Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

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

What will happen to digital government when GDS chief Mike Bracken moves on?

The government’s digital chief Mike Bracken has announced he will be leaving, raising concerns over the future of digital government Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

HMRC to transfer 250 Capgemini staff in-house ready for Aspire contract end

HMRC’s Aspire outsourcing contract will be replaced by slowly bringing staff in-house to give the department more control over IT Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Government digital chief Mike Bracken announces he is leaving

GDS director Mike Bracken is leaving government, and his unexpected departure will inevitably raise questions about the future of GDS Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

HMRC explains plans for moving tax systems to the cloud

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) reveals more details of its plan to move tax systems into the cloud on its digital blog Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

MoD shells out £1.5bn on two IT contracts

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) signs two IT contracts costing more than £1bn, which it hopes will save money over the next 10 years Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Technology experts warn of dangers of artificial intelligence arms race

An open letter signed by more than 12,000 technology experts calls for a ban on artificial intelligence (AI) to manage weapons “beyond meaningful human control” Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

MPs examine visa rules over immigration for software and digital skills

Home Affairs committee launches an inquiry after the number of skilled worker visas issued reached its monthly cap for the first time Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

GDS targets three million new users of Gov.uk Verify service in next 12 months

Roll-out of the system for logging in to digital public services is taking longer than expected, but user numbers are expected to grow significantly in 2015 Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Software audits cut government IT bill by £85m in 2014/15

Annual accounts for the government purchasing agency show at least £220m in technology related savings Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

UK considers 10-year jail sentences for online piracy

The UK government is considering new measures to increase the sanctions for criminals who infringe the rights of copyright holders for large-scale financial gain Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK man arrested for hacking into US government computers

Briton Lauri Love is accused of hacking into various US agencies, including the US army, Nasa, the federal reserve and the environmental protection agency Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Rolls-Royce signs up to supercomputing on-demand from HPC Midlands

Rolls-Royce is the first company to sign up to a supercomputing brokerage scheme, giving it access to £60m worth of high-performance computing Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Campaigners call for independent inquiry into Post Office Horizon IT system dispute

George Freeman MP repeats Post Office claims that a report found no flaws in the Horizon IT system – but campaigners respond by calling for an inquiry Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Genomics England rejects open source to deploy EMC Isilon HPC storage

100,000 Genomes Project rejects building open-source parallel file system on x86 servers and opts for EMC Isilon clustered NAS deployed by Capita S3 Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Metropolitan Police picks Innopsis to lead network procurement

London’s Metropolitan Police Service signs public-sector networking association Innopsis to lead engagement on network procurement Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Accenture uses Avanade cloud for NHSmail

Accenture to deploy a cloud-based email system for NHS staff using a combination of Microsoft software and Avanade cloud technology Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

UK universities revise computer course guidelines to boost ranks of cyber warriors

UK universities revise course guidelines to transform computing degree courses and ensure that undergraduates learn cyber security skills Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Post Office signs IBM for IT overhaul

MP James Bridgen reveals the Post Office intends to outsource an IT transformation to IBM as part of its drive to serve customers using modern technology Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Connection voucher scheme opened to businesses across West Sussex

Small businesses in West Sussex will be able to apply for £3,000 broadband connection vouchers after the extension of an existing scheme across the county Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Do not leave digital government development to Whitehall, says Chi Onwurah MP

Whitehall should not be left with sole responsibility for the government drive to building a digital future, says shadow Cabinet Office minister Chi Onwurah Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Post Office looking to replace controversial Horizon system with IBM, says MP

Days could be numbered for controversial Post Office computer system at the centre of miscarriages of justice, according to one MP Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

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

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

The legacy IT challenge for CIOs

In this week’s Computer Weekly, CIOs in financial services hoping to fight off challenger banks face a huge hindrance from their legacy IT – we assess the difficulties and reveal a diagram that shows the scale of the problem. We look at how to prepare for information security audits and why they are so vital. And we ask if HM Revenue & Customs’ plan for online tax accounts will make tax more taxing for the digitally excluded taxpayer. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Universal Credit costs leap by more than 20% to £15.8bn

Figures reveal increase in lifetime cost since changes to the plan made to 'reset' the troubled welfare reform programme Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

CIO Interview: Ian Bell, CIO, Cambridgeshire Police Service

The CIO of Cambridgeshire Police Service talks about the constabulary’s move to digital for collaboration and information sharing in its effort to increase efficiency Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Digital government 'a chance to build a new state', says Cabinet Office minister Matt Hancock

Cabinet Office minister Matthew Hancock says the move to digital government is a “chance to build a new state” in a speech outlining his priorities Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Government Digital Service insists Verify safe despite claims of vulnerabilities

An academic paper suggests the Gov.uk Verify system could be used as a spy network, but the Government Digital Service (GDS) insists this is not the case Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Council dodges £300,000 NetApp outlay with Atlantis flash caching

Somerset local authority avoids spending £300,000 on extra hard drives for its NetApp arrays and pays half that for Atlantis ILIO flash caching software that runs VDI from RAM Continue Reading

NHS e-Referral system goes live, despite 33 issues and GDS warning

NHS England has launched its replacement hospital appointment booking service, even though it has known errors and failed to follow government digital guidelines Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Government preparing to let private sector companies use its Verify identity scheme

The Cabinet Office is talking to banks, insurers and retailers to establish Gov.uk Verify identity assurance as a national scheme Continue Reading

By

• Mark Ballard

Is HMRC making tax more taxing for non-digital taxpayers?

Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has made tax data accessible online – but how should it cater for those unable (or unwilling) to use digital services? Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

International police operation arrests cyber fraud gang

Police in six countries have arrested 49 people suspected of committing financial fraud involving email account intrusions Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

HMRC denies reports of Verify causing users problems

HMRC has denied that problems faced by the public attempting to claim marriage tax breaks are caused by the Gov.uk Verify scheme Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Digital services not saving government departments money, says NAO

Government departments are not making the savings digital services were aiming to deliver Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

HMRC looks for transformation partner ahead of Aspire end

HMRC is seeking transformational help ahead of the demise of its Aspire contract in 2017. Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Sourcing must adapt to digital business goals, says Gartner

Businesses need to change their sourcing strategies if they are to keep pace with the digital revolution, says analyst organisation Gartner Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Government as a platform, or a platform for government? Which are we getting?

Government as a platform is the latest buzzword in Whitehall - but is that really what they are going to deliver? Continue Reading

By

• Mark Thompson, Exeter Business School and DIGITLab

Most of more than 733,000 police communications data requests approved

Big Brother Watch is calling for a curb on the scale of police access to communications data and greater transparency in the use of this data Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Top six enterprise IT priorities in the Nordics

The future of enterprise IT looks bright in the Nordic region, with growing focus on datacentre investments, national cloud and automatisation Continue Reading

By

• Eeva Haaramo

Civil Servants point to lack of skills as barrier to IT procurement

Adoption of IT for public services is held back due to a lack of skills, despite civil servants agreeing IT is a necessity, according to techUK Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

CIO interview: Austerity drives joined-up council IT with Force.com

Peterborough has become a big user of software-as-a-service for council services. We speak to its IT head Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

IT system related to subpostmaster prosecutions under review by CCRC

The Criminal Cases Review Commission receives 20 applications from subpostmasters related to prosecutions for account shortfalls Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Government cloud adoption hit by ongoing legacy tech investments

IT supplier Eduserv wants government departments banned from investing in legacy tech to drive up cloud adoption Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

BT and BDUK failed to make costs transparent, says report

A major report on BDUK commissioned by DCMS identifies a number of failures around the transparency of the scheme’s costs Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

GDS will not scale locally with continued bespoke approach

If the Government Digital Service (GDS) continues to develop bespoke digital services, the progress it has made to date will not scale at a local level, Eddie Copeland, head of technology at the Policy Exchange, has warned Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Socitm to launch women in IT network

Society of Information Technology Management on the hunt for partners to help launch women in IT network Continue Reading

By

• Kayleigh Bateman, Computer Weekly

Whitehall technology chiefs vetoed new Windows XP support deal

Government technology chiefs vetoed a new deal with Microsoft to continue Windows XP support to force laggards to move off the OS Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Joanna Shields appointed junior minister

Former Tech City CEO Joanna Shields appointed parliamentary under secretary of state at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Fire services to keep Airwave Tetra radios until 2020

The Department for Communities and Local Government approves a major extension of the fire services' Firelink Tetra network to the end of 2019 Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Digital age a turning point for policing, says commissioner Leppard

Policing in the digital age will face a turning point in the next two years, according to City of London Police commissioner Adrian Leppard Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

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

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

UK election special – who wins the digital vote?

In this week’s Computer Weekly, as the UK goes to the polls in the general election, we take an in-depth look at the political parties’ manifestos for technology, and examine what the IT sector wants from the next government. Our latest buyer’s guide covers collaboration software. And we analyse host identity protocol (HIP), an emerging standard for endpoint security. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Met Police offers up to almost £200,000 for CIO role

The Metropolitan Police is offering up to almost £200,000 to fill its CIO position, which has been open since February 2015 Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Criminal Courts Review Commission set to review subpostmasters' claims of wrongful prosecution

The Criminal Courts Review Commission (CCRC) reviews subpostmasters' claims of wrongful prosecution by the Post Office due to IT problems Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Vodafone sends network in a backpack to Nepal earthquake zone

Vodafone’s charitable arm, the Vodafone Foundation, deploys instant mini networks to help restore communications in quake-hit Nepal Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

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

By

• Fiona O'Cleirigh

Collaboration key to cyber security, says US homeland security chief

Collaboration between governments and with the private sector key to improving global cyber security Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Post Office failed to investigate account shortfalls before legal action, report claims

Post Office too quick to take legal action against subpostmasters, finds independent report Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

UK startups facing too many challenges, say entrepreneurs

Startups need more support if London’s digital economy is to develop, according to business leaders at Westminster Policy Forum Continue Reading

By

• Kayleigh Bateman, Computer Weekly

Solihull Council's datacentre plans slammed by G-Cloud champions

Solihull Council is building a new datacentre with 10-20 years of capacity, much to the chagrin of industry watchers Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Liberal Democrats promise to double innovation spend and 99.9% broadband roll-out

The Liberal Democrats’ general election manifesto promises to double innovation spending and roll out high-speed broadband to 99.9% of homes Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief