IT for government and public sector

Turing Test 2014 marks historic milestone in artificial intelligence

A computer program has made history by passing the artificial intelligence test set by computer science pioneer Alan Turing Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Microsoft retaliates to China’s Windows 8 spying claims

Microsoft has launched a social media campaign against China’s claims that Windows 8 is being used for US spying Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

CIOs should 'leave innovation to marketing'

CIOs should focus on managing the technical infrastructure and leave innovation to other parts of the business – conclusion of a major study. Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Investigations Editor

Cyber threats hiding in plain sight, says Palo Alto Networks

Cyber attackers exploit commonly used business applications to bypass security controls, research shows Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK shoe retailer Office hit by data breach

Data breach at UK shoe retailer Office prompts calls for online firms to beef up security around customer details Continue Reading

IT supplier insolvencies fall for first time as economy recovers

Technology companies have reached a turning point as insolvencies fall for the first time in 2014 Continue Reading

By

• Tim Wood and Henry Kirby

Google launches right-to-be-forgotten application form

Google has introduced an online application form for Europeans who want personal data to be removed from online search results Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Android Outlook app has privacy issues, warn researchers

Microsoft’s Outlook.com app for Android is exposing users' data, warn security researchers Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

eBay under fire over handling of data breach

eBay is coming under increasing criticism over its handling of the data breach that exposed millions of user records Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Political parties open sites to search engines after Tories' 2013 deletion

The Conservative Party’s deletion and purge of its archive of speeches from internet search engines last October was unique among political parties Continue Reading

By

• Mark Ballard

US cyber criminal jailed for 20 years

US authorities have jailed a cyber criminal for 20 years, for trading in stolen credit cards and identities Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Public sector dominates UK outsourcing so far this year

Public-sector outsourcing accounted for three-quarters of spending in the first three months of this year, according to analyst NelsonHall Continue Reading

Why did GPs turn their back on Choose and Book?

NHS England has scrapped its £356m outpatient booking system, Choose and Book, which was largely ignored by doctors Continue Reading

Internet of things security is relevant to business, says researcher

Internet of things is relevant to enterprise information security professionals, says researcher Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Minnesota passes mobile kill switch law to stop theft

Minnesota has become the first US state to introduce legislation aimed at reducing the theft of smartphones Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Net neutrality under threat from US plan

The US telecoms regulator has approved proposals that opponents believe will quash the principle of net neutrality Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Ex-BBC CTO claims he was the scapegoat for failed DMI project

John Linwood, former chief technology officer at the BBC, claimed he is the “fall guy” for the failed £100m Digital Media Initiative. Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Can Tech City deliver reliable fast internet for startup businesses?

Technology companies based in London’s Tech City are struggling to access high-speed fibre optic broadband, which is dramatically affecting the success their businesses. Continue Reading

What is holding Berlin back from becoming a European centre for startups?

Berlin is one of Europe’s most up-and-coming hotbeds for technology startup companies, but red tape and legislation is preventing it from fulfilling its potential Continue Reading

New NHS e-Referral Service to use agile and open technologies

The new National Health Service outpatient appointment booking system will use agile and open technologies, the NHS has said. Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Government should use influence to cut outsourcer executive pay, says think tank

The government should use its outsourcing budget to influence service providers to reduce executive pay, says a think tank report Continue Reading

German companies look to Berlin startups for innovation

German companies are beginning to recognise Berlin as a hot spot for technology innovation thanks to the many startups there Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Orange data breach underlines need for encryption, say experts

The theft of 1.3 million customer records from Orange, France underlines the need for encryption, say experts Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Internet privacy could thwart data security, warns expert

Steps to improve online privacy could thwart data security, warns security expert Hugh Thompson Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Next Treasury tower contracts go to Centerprise and NTT Data UK

The HM Treasury has awarded its second and third SME supplier contracts to Centerprise International and NTT Data UK Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

UK helping US military build intelligence software for drone targeting

The UK has been helping the US military build software to share intelligence for weapons such as drones for the past 14 years Continue Reading

By

• Mark Ballard

Analysis: How the UK connects to the US global drone network

A single acronym in a US defence contract provided the clue that established the role of the UK’s telecoms infrastructure in US drone flights Continue Reading

By

• Mark Ballard

UK telecoms infrastructure used to support controversial US drone operations

The UK’s telecommunications infrastructure is being used as part of a global defence network the US government uses for drone operations Continue Reading

By

• Mark Ballard

GDS working to secure Google Apps for government

The Government Digital Service (GDS) is in talks with CESG, the IT security arm of GCHQ, to get approval for using Google Apps within government. Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Case study: How the BBC uses cloud to process media for iPlayer

The BBC has taken its iPlayer video-on-demand service to the cloud and cut media processing time from 9-10 hours to 20-30 minutes Continue Reading

By

• Archana Venkatraman, Datacentre Editor

Infosec 2014: Threat knowledge is key to cyber security, say experts

Business should improve awareness of cyber risks to stay ahead of criminals, say experts Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Interview: Nick Roberts, president of Socitm and IT group manager

This month, Nick Roberts, IT group manager at Surrey County Council, took over as president of Socitm, the association of IT and digital professionals working in and for local public services Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Software developers suffer as IT companies endure rising insolvencies

Increase in the number of IT insolvencies expected as the economy improves Continue Reading

By

• Tim Wood and Henry Kirby

Berlin: A hotbed of European technology startups

Berlin is one of the hottest new places to be an entrepreneur with technology startups from all over the world heading to the German capital Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

UK and Ireland cyber attacks up 300% in 2013, says FireEye

UK and Ireland enterprises were hit by an average of more than 70 new infections a day in 2013, a report shows Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Cyber threat detection paramount, says SANS fellow

Cyber threat prevention is ideal, but detection is a must, says Eric Cole, SANS Institute fellow Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Heartbleed prompts tech firms to pledge open-source support

Top tech firms have joined forces to support open-source software to help prevent future bugs like Heartbleed Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Talent shortage is threatening growth of London’s technology sector

A shortage of talent and immigration legislation has been blamed for hampering technology growth in London Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Centerprise ICT 2015 Treasury contract guarantee of SME commitment

HM Treasury has handed a four year media and wireless contract understood to be worth around £2.5m to Hampshire-based services provider Centerprise, under the auspices of its ICT 2015 contracts Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

EU data privacy authorities approve Microsoft Azure, Office 365 cloud services

The European Union's data privacy authorities have given approval to Microsoft's cloud services including Windows Azure and Office 365 Continue Reading

By

• Archana Venkatraman, Datacentre Editor

Government pledges to reduce digital divide by 25%

The government has launched a Digital Inclusion Strategy to reduce the number of offline people in the UK by 25% Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Microsoft halts Windows 8.1 update for businesses due to bug

Microsoft has suspended the Windows 8.1 update for business users because of a bug. Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

TCG releases TPM 2 specification for improved security

The Trusted Computing Group has published an updated specification for the Trusted Platform Module Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

DWP should scrap existing Universal Credit IT, say MPs

Department for Work and Pensions should consider scrapping its existing IT for Universal Credit and focus solely on the new digital solution, say MPs Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Workday sees opportunity for cloud financial management in Europe

Workday plans to push cloud finance and accounting services to enterprise in Europe, but observers say its background in HR technology may prove an obstacle Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Investigations Editor

Cabinet Office vetoed Home Office plans for 'critical' e-Borders replacement

Home Office plans for IT systems to replace ageing border security systems that contain “critical vulnerabilities” were vetoed by the Cabinet Office Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Turkey lifts Twitter ban

Turkey has lifted a ban on Twitter after the constitutional court ruled that the block breached freedom of expression Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Why have organisations failed to make PSN compliance deadline?

A number of organisations have failed to meet the PSN security compliance deadline despite the threat of being cut off from critical services Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Government signs £5.5m Microsoft deal to extend Windows XP support

The government has signed a deal with Microsoft to support Windows XP across the UK public sector for 12 months after 8 April deadline Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Study alleges deeper NSA influence on RSA

RSA adopted a second NSA-developed encryption tool, increasing the agency's spying capabilities, a study claims Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK update to copyright law imminent

The UK is to update its 1988 copyright law for the digital age in line with a nearly three-year-old review Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Government failed at promoting competition over BDUK, say MPs

The government has consistently failed to promote competition during the roll-out of rural broadband across the UK, according to the PAC. Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Where next for the NHS Care.data programme?

In this week’s Computer Weekly, healthcare IT experts talk about the next steps for the controversial NHS Care.data plan to create a database of medical records. Is Moore’s Law running out? We hear about the future of processor technology. And our latest buyer’s guide looks at how data analytics can improve IT security. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Google says government data requests are up 120% since 2009

Government requests for information about Google customers, have increased by 120% since 2009 Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security an unnecessary expense, say one in six techies

One in six IT professionals see security as an unnecessary expense, a study has revealed Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

TechUK criticises OFT's reporting of IT cartel accusations

TechUK criticises a report from the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) alleging anti-competitive behaviour and collusion between public sector IT suppliers Continue Reading

Target data breach: Why UK business needs to pay attention

Late last year, US retailer Target was hit by one of the biggest data breaches in the industry's history. So what happened and why is it relevant to UK businesses? Continue Reading

By

• Lee Munson

Get kids coding

In this week's Computer Weekly, we examine the latest moves to encourage children to learn to code, to help avoid future skills shortages. Facebook's Open Compute Project is bringing open source to the datacentre – we look at what it means for IT. And we profile Salesforce.com as the SaaS firm celebrates its 15th birthday. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Analysis: Care.data – where next?

Following the public debate surrounding the NHS Care.data plan, it was unsurprising the topic dominated the UK’s largest health IT event Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Customer privacy an ongoing challenge, says Unilever

Unilever has set up a programme to address the continually evolving challenge of privacy issues relating to customer data Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Pirated software malware to cost business $491bn in 2014, study shows

Malware deliberately loaded into pirated or counterfeit software is expected cost enterprises $491bn in 2014 Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Firms urged to take tough action on Unix-based cyber attack

Security researchers have urged businesses to take action on a cyber criminal campaign that has seized control of 25,000+ Unix servers worldwide Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Committee report calls for “presumption of openness” with public data

The government should have a “presumption of openness” when it comes to public data, the Commons Public Administration Select Committee (PASC) said Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Three-quarters of UK charities are failing to adapt to digital

Charities in the UK are failing to adopt digital agendas in their organisations Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

SMEs believes they are immune to cyber attack

Most SMEs believe they are not at real risk of cyber attack, a survey has revealed Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Hacktivism: good or evil?

IT lawyer Dai Davis looks at the rise of hacktivism and its impact on business and international politics Continue Reading

By

• Dai Davis, Percy Crow Davis & Co

Government finally ends e-Borders programme

The government has formally ended the troubled e-Borders programme, with its intended functions merged into a new project Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

More than 162,000 WordPress sites used in DDoS attack

Security researchers have uncovered a DDoS attack that used more than 162,000 legitimate and unwitting WordPress websites Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Tim Berners-Lee calls for internet users’ "bill of rights"

World Wide Web creator marks its 25th anniversary by calling for a “free, open and truly global internet” enshrined in a "bill of rights" Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Dark web key enabler for cyber criminals, say McAfee researchers

The dark web is a key conduit for the malware industry to refine and distribute its products and services, say security researchers Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Cabinet Office completes first user trial of consumer technologies

The Cabinet Office has completed its first user trial of consumer technologies within the department Continue Reading

Liverpool council to end BT IT joint venture

Liverpool City Council is to cancel a £70m-a-year IT joint venture deal with BT and bring services back in-house Continue Reading

HP Autonomy unveils healthcare analytics system for textual data

HP has unveiled a new healthcare analytics product to enable medical staff to interrogate text and data in relational databases Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Enterprise Applications Editor

Microsoft takes aim at passwords

Microsoft says it is determined to solve the problem of ineffective authentication that relies on usernames and passwords Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Atos to distance itself from controversial DWP contract

Atos is trying to exit its disability testing contract with the Department for Work and Pensions early as the controversial contract enters its final 18 months Continue Reading

PSN gets encryption for higher security levels

An encryption service has been announced by the Cabinet Office which will enable public sector staff to share information at the IL3 security level over the Public Services Network (PSN) Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Employee mobiles expose firms to attack, says Webroot

Employees mobile devices expose companies to malicious applications and attacks, according to the latest mobile threat report from Webroot Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Gloucestershire County Council replaces Capita with Steria to transform IT delivery

Gloucestershire County Council has signed a five-year ICT managed service deal with Steria to support a major change to IT delivery Continue Reading

Essex CC sets upon IT transformation project after £16.6m deal with Fujitsu

Essex County Council has partnered with Fujitsu as part of a £16.6m deal to transform its corporate systems estate Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

UK firms see 1,000+ internal data breaches a day, study finds

Internal threats are not a high priority for UK firms despite more than 1,000 internal data breaches a day Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

NHS England puts patient database on hold

NHS England is to delay by six months the roll-out of its controversial Care.data scheme for sharing patient records through a central database Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Cut Microsoft admin rights to mitigate 92% of threats, study shows

Removing Microsoft admin rights from employees mitigates 92% of critical vulnerabilities reported in 2013 Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Roaming costs lose mobile operators 300 million users

A new survey by the European Commission shows 94% of citizens limit their mobile use when in another state to save on roaming charges, meaning mobile operators could be missing out on big revenues Continue Reading

By

• Jennifer Scott, TechTarget

NHS Scotland awards SWAN contract to Capita

Capita wins the £110m contract for the Scottish Wide Area Network project, while BT continues to seek damages for losing out Continue Reading

By

• Jennifer Scott, TechTarget

Searching for the signal of open standards amid the growing noise of agile

For all its undeniable strengths, the use of agile in government is in danger of becoming a fetish Continue Reading

By

• Mark Thompson, Exeter Business School and DIGITLab

BBC starts search for suppliers to replace £2bn Atos outsourcing deal

The BBC is moving away from its single-supplier outsourcing deal to a multi-sourced 'tower' approach for its technology services Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

BT sues NHS Scotland for £20m over SWAN project

After losing its bid for the Scottish Wide Area Network project, the telecoms giant is suing the NHS National Services Scotland Continue Reading

Rights groups call on White House to open privacy review

A coalition of 25 rights groups is calling for a 90-day US government review of big data and the future of privacy to be opened up to the public Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

CIOs lack confidence in government to deliver NHS IT innovation

CIOs in the healthcare sector are not confident in the government’s ability to deliver IT innovation in the NHS. Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

UK among targets of 'Mask' advanced cyber espionage campaign

The UK has been hit more than 100 times in an advanced global cyber espionage campaign that has gone undetected for more than five years Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Barclays bank leaks thousands of customer records

Regulators investigate Barclays after a whistleblower claims the bank leaked 27,000 customer records Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Met Police releases ‘Total Technology’ IT strategy

The Metropolitan Police Service has released a three to four-year plan on how to transform the use of technology in the organisation Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

UK critical infrastructure at risk of cyber attack, says IET report

UK critical national infrastructure is at risk of cyber attack, says a report by consultancy Atkins for the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) Continue Reading

The BBC DMI project - what went wrong?

The BBC and its former CTO have engaged in tit-for-tat allegations over its failed £100m digital media project. But who was right? Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

NHS site malicious redirects are a warning to developers

A coding error that redirected NHS website visitors to malicious content should be a warning to developers, say security experts Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

BBC DMI row continues as Linwood defends “working technology”

Former BBC CTO John Linwood was scrutinised by a public accounts committee yesterday during a hearing about the failed BBC Digital Media Initiative Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

A preview of the new TfL HTML5 website

Transport for London is getting ready to launch a complete refresh of its website, optimised for mobile access from tablets and smartphones. Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Hackers access Yahoo Mail with stolen passwords

Yahoo has revealed that hackers have tried to access some Yahoo Mail accounts with stolen passwords Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Lenovo buys Google’s Motorola Mobility in $3bn deal

Google has announced the sale of its Motorola Mobility unit to Chinese computer maker Lenovo in a $3bn deal Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

BBC CTO John Linwood defends role in failed £100m digital project

Former BBC CTO John Linwood defends his role in the failed £100m DMI project, citing changing business requirements as a key factor Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief