IT management

Inside Oman’s new tech startup drive

Oman is aspiring to be a tech startup hub and is on a mission to compete with its neighbours in the Gulf Continue Reading

By

• Alicia Buller

Smart meter roll-out delayed to 2024

The government has been forced to put the planned completion date for its Smart Meter Programme back from the end of next year to 2024 Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Network Rail to use automation and analytics in tunnel examinations and station security

Operator Network Rail will tap into its £357m R&D fund to back innovation competitions aimed to improve assessment of more than 600 rail tunnels and station surveillance Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Ecuador citizens’ data breach holds lessons for enterprises

What caused the mass breach of Ecuadorian citizens’ data, and what can businesses learn from it? Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Why CIOs must digitise internal IT processes to keep pace with change

Nothing ever stands still, and IT is now expected to be more adaptable than ever before to help businesses keep in step with the pace of innovation Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Top five cloud storage pitfalls

Cloud storage offers apparent simplicity, but unexpected costs, complexity, data movement and integration challenges can arise. We look at how to avoid common cloud storage pitfalls Continue Reading

By

• Paul Stringfellow, Gardner Systems

CIO interview: Network Rail plans digital factory to accelerate modernisation

The operator will enhance its multimillion-pound IT strategy with a sharper focus on areas including mobile, data and cultural change for digital transformation. Continue Reading

The £1bn IT plan to modernise UK railways

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we talk to Network Rail’s CIO about the £1bn IT plan that underpins the modernisation of UK railways. As 5G roll-outs begin, we look at the likely enterprise applications of the new mobile network technology. And we examine the progress of cloud computing in financial services. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

US lawmakers demand internal Facebook, Google, Apple and Amazon documents in antitrust probe

US lawmakers have given big tech companies a deadline to disclose a wide range of documents as the House Judiciary Committee’s bipartisan investigation into competition gathers pace Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Investigations Editor

Gartner Catalyst: Prepare for web giants crushing your industry

Companies like Amazon and Alibaba are taking a bigger chunk of the customer journey, but they are also spreading across industry sectors Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Research explores economic benefits of full-fibre and 5G at local level

The Broadband Stakeholders Group (BSG) has published research by Oxera to help local authorities understand the benefits of full-fibre and 5G Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton , Senior reporter

Councils awarded funding to boost online services

Local authorities received more than £750,000 in the second round of the Local Digital Fund, aimed at improving citizen offerings in areas such as housing and payment Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

NHSX emphasises need for ethical patient data access

The health service's digital unit welcomed the launch of Health Data Research hubs, but stressed that it will control the design of research collaborations Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Police use of algorithms needs stronger safeguards to prevent bias, report says

A study by the Royal United Services Institute calls for new code of practice to guide use of algorithmic tools in policing Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton , Senior reporter

Inside blockchain and its various applications

We explore the technology around blockchain shaping how businesses use data Continue Reading

By

• Bob Tarzey

Ditch hoodies and hackers to encourage diverse security recruitment

The cyber security industry needs to address a systemic image problem if it is to succeed in recruiting more diverse teams Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

When AIs go to war: Autonomous cyber weapons ‘inevitable’

CISOs must start thinking about how to engage with intelligent, adaptive, non-human attackers, says Trend Micro’s Rik Ferguson Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Dutch banks to work together in fight against money laundering

Dutch banks are sharing expertise and resources to help reduce money laundering through their accounts Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Justice system transformation sees delays and reduction of scope

“Ambitious” timescales and scope for £1.2bn modernisation of services had to be scaled back, says NAO report Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Fintech lender increases loan limit as customer demand accelerates

Small business lender Esme Loans has increased its loan limit to quarter of a million pounds as businesses are drawn to its simple and fast digital platform Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Industry opposition to no-deal Brexit hardens, says TechUK

A survey of TechUK members has found that 71% believe a no-deal Brexit at the end of October will negatively affect them in spite of their preparations Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

The right way to get on with building UK tech success is to get a Brexit deal now

The UK technology sector does not want a no-deal Brexit, and recognises the damage it would cause. If we're leaving the EU, the Prime Minister needs to get a deal Continue Reading

By

• Julian David, TechUK

Government seeks views on post-Brexit security alignment

The government has called for views on its proposals to align the UK’s post-Brexit cyber security policy to that of the European Union Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Less than quarter of fintechs prepared for no-deal Brexit

A survey reveals that less than a quarter of UK fintech companies have their businesses prepared for the UK's exit from the EU Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

ICO to probe government over Gov.uk data collection plan

The ICO is to look into the government’s leaked data collection plans over fears they may breach the law Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

UN agency Unicef praised for response to accidental data leak

The UN’s children’s agency has disclosed an inadvertent leak of personal data belonging to users of its online learning platform Agora Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

5G takes off at Gatwick Airport

Vodafone’s 5G network goes live in airport’s South Terminal Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

CW Europe: Dutch authorities call temporary halt to datacentre construction

Two Dutch municipalities are putting all datacentre construction on hold while they put together a strategy to help them control developments. A local alderman said datacentres take up a lot of space and place a large burden on the electricity grid. Also read how France is racing ahead of Germany in making the most of service companies in India, and about Google’s plans for a new datacentre and technology training hub in Finland. Continue Reading

IBM introduces z15 mainframe with security data passport

In the new z15 enterprise server, IBM has focused on making data secure and auditable wherever it resides. Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Mirai descendants dominate IoT threat environment

Attacks leveraging compromised IoT devices are growing in size, scale and frequency, report security experts at F-Secure and Trend Micro, with Mirai-related botnets a major source of trouble Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Government departments urged to publish R&D spending roadmaps

Issues including funding concentration in the “golden triangle” of London, Oxford and Cambridge must be addressed, according to a Science and Technology Committee report Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Regulators globally are shaping up to rein in Facebook

We need to move fast and fix Facebook, before it breaks us Continue Reading

By

• Leighton Andrews , Cardiff Business School

UK consumers want biometrics but fear driverless cars and AI

Report also shows many adults across the country have never heard of the internet of things or big data Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Digital transformation requires a continuous approach to change

There is no such thing as a one-shot business transformation. It's an on-going approach to deploying new ideas and technologies that grow the business Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Nordic countries deepen collaboration with Estonia-based cyber security operation

Nordic countries are now working closer with Nato’s Estonia-based centre of excellence in cyber security Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O’Dwyer

How SATS is using digital twin tech to improve operations

Singapore-based SATS has been using a digital twin platform to model food production processes to improve in-flight catering operations Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

GDPR non-compliance worse than feared

Over half of UK businesses do not yet appear to be fully GDPR-compliant, and many have de-prioritised their compliance efforts Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

UK calls for cyber capacity-building at UN security group

The UK’s representative to a United Nations cyber security working group has called for increased investment in capacity around cyber security Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Spectra tilts at HSM with StorCycle storage management software

Spectra Logic unveils newly-developed storage management platform and two-tier file access and object storage with all data visible to all users for restore Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Tech startups can boost UK shipping market after Brexit

Increased connectivity and propositions based on tools such as AI and blockchain can provide opportunities to the shipping sector after Brexit, says report Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Brexit disrupts FCA exploration into data use in wholesale banking

The extra work for banks due to Brexit preparations has caused a delay to FCA work on the use of data in the wholesale banking sector Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Inside NatWest Ventures

NatWest Ventures is helping NatWest bank to remain relevant to its SME businesses customer community through digital innovation Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

BT gears up to take on rogue drones

BT’s Enterprise unit is offering customers an anti-drone security solution to protect their physical sites from intrusion Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Nokia, NTT Docomo and Omron to test 5G at factory floor

Three firms – Nokia, NTT Docomo and Omron – have banded together to test the feasibility of running a layout-free production line operated by 5G-connected robots and human technicians Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Why it makes sense to use a third party to keep the IT lights on

Keeping operational systems running is a full-time job, but as systems get older, they end up being out of support Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Ministry of Defence unveils innovation priorities

Artificial intelligence and 3D printing are among the key areas of focus for the Ministry of Defence's latest approach to emerging tech Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

A tech boost for social care

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we explore how local authorities across the UK have been looking at assistive technologies, ranging from collaborative robots to voice assistants, to support delivery of adult social care services. We also look into the ramifications of HMRC targeting 1,500 GlaxoSmithKline IT contractors. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

How Zuellig Pharma is fighting fake drugs with blockchain

The Asia-Pacific pharmaceutical giant is using a blockchain platform from SAP to help consumers identify the provenance of medicine Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Brain-computer interfaces: Promising tech needs regulating

Connecting a computer directly to the brain could revolutionise healthcare, but the tech giants might monopolise data and application areas Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

HMRC under fire over 'scaremongering' IR35 clampdown letters targeting GSK IT contractors

GSK contractors that have received “scaremongering” letters from HMRC, urging them to review their engagements with the company from an IR35 perspective, are being urged not to panic, as the missives have no legal basis, claim experts. Continue Reading

Terror watchlist faces reform after court rules it violates rights of people entering US

A secret US terrorist database containing information on more than 1.2 million people – who face repeated interrogations, detentions and electronic searches – violates constitutional rights, a US judge said last week Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Investigations Editor

IT leaders need to speak up about the voice channel

Voice assistants represent the next frontier, and a range of new skills will be needed to move beyond pilot projects to a true voice channel Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Loyal Dutch IT professionals not being rewarded enough, survey shows

Companies warned they could lose loyal IT staff because salary rises do not match those on offer from rival employers Continue Reading

By

• Kim Loohuis

Blockchain: hype vs reality

Blockchain technology presents a number of complex challenges that must be overcome before it can truly deliver on its promises Continue Reading

By

• Stuart Burns

Data-driven marketing, the real risk boards are missing

Boards need to act to break the cycle of privacy compliance failures, and shift focus to aligning business purpose with privacy and dealing with the real risk of data driven marketing, warns PwC’s GDPR and data protection lead Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Towns invited to bid for connectivity boost

Some 100 places in England are eligible to get resources from the £3.6bn fund aimed at creating local jobs and economic growth, with broadband as a key priority Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Telenor collaborates with Norwegian education providers on digitisation

Educational institutions in Norway are working with telecoms supplier Telenor to help businesses better understand technology Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

Royal Navy readies autonomous technology push

A competition ran by new accelerator NavyX will seek to find mature ideas around the approach to improve operations and increase efficiency in maritime operations Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Security pros doubt officials can enact effective security laws

Elected officials cannot be trusted to enact effective cyber security legislation and social media firms should be subject to strict privacy regulation, according to most information security professionals in a survey Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Cutting the cord: Negotiating cloud contracts with problematic customers

How accountable should cloud firms be for the actions of the customers that use their platforms, and how much thought should they give to aligning themselves with problematic brands before hosting them? Continue Reading

By

• Sooraj Shah

National Rail Enquiries hit by rush hour real-time information outage on mobile app and website

National Rail Enquiries confirms it is waiting on a third-party supplier for an update on when access to real-time train departure and arrival information will be restored on its website and mobile app Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

New funding announced to tackle online child abuse

Government announces £30m of new cash to tackle online child harm as part of Spending Review 2019 Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Check Point warns of Android phishing attacks

Researchers at Check Point have identified a security flaw in Android-based smartphones that exposes vulnerable users to phishing attacks Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Businesses need to keep investing in tech and hope to avoid a no-deal Brexit

A no-deal Brexit could have serious consequences for the UK tech sector and skills base, making it more difficult to recruit technology specialists and hire freelancers Continue Reading

By

• Albert Ellis, Harvey Nash Group

Gartner: Eight ways blockchain can support governments

Distributed ledgers are not just limited to finance and smart contracts. Gartner explores how blockchain can tackle government inefficiencies Continue Reading

By

• David Furlonger, Gartner

Lack of executive leadership lowers digital project success rate

A new survey has found that IT may be working on projects that do not deliver tangible business benefits Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Danish MobilePay app moves away from mainframe

Danske Bank’s popular mobile payment app moves from mainframe to open source DataStax Enterprise built on Apache Cassandra Continue Reading

By

• Alex Cruickshank

Nationwide Building Society harnesses low-code platform

Software development platform makes it quicker to build apps Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Virtual Instruments brings automated VM right-sizing in v6.2

Storage and app performance specialist can now change virtual machine compute and network resources according to workload, with increased shift to analytics and proactive monitoring Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Allied Irish Banks selects cloud platform for digital transformation

Bank is streamlining its operations through a cloud platform from nCino Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Post Office changes IT leadership reshuffle decision

The Post Office has changed its IT leadership reshuffle weeks after announcing its original plan Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Aberdeen Standard Investment deploys Igel for VDI

The investment management group is rolling out virtual desktop infrastructure globally and will use the secure Linux platform Igel to manage the VDI environment Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

From IT disaster to digital innovation at RBS

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we meet the man brought in to turn around the technology at RBS Group after its catastrophic IT outage. We examine the latest best practice in securing mobile devices in the enterprise. And we look at progress towards “passwordless” security. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Assessing China’s machine learning platforms

In a new market research report, technology analyst firm IDC offers insights on key suppliers of machine learning platforms in China Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Nearly £1m of EU funding to boost tech skills in UK SMEs

An initiative led by the Department for Work and Pensions will focus on enhancing skills in rural locations to unleash competitiveness in areas such as agritech and biorenewables Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Interim GDS boss gives preview of priorities

Alison Pritchard sets out key areas of attention for the digital service, from analytics to Brexit work Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Dutch virtual reality can help reduce teacher shortage worldwide

Dutch lecturer uses virtual reality to improve teaching and developments are being watched by the Teachers Task Force of Unesco Continue Reading

By

• Kim Loohuis

TSB works with Silicon Valley tech firm to help SME customers take card payments

UK bank will offer its small business customers card-processing and point-of-sale technology by partnering with a fintech set up by Twitter CEO Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Nordic greentech attracts investment

The Nordic region is seeing digital innovation across a diverse range of sectors and, not surprisingly, a region known for its green credentials also has a burgeoning green technology (greentech) sector Continue Reading

By

• Matthew Staff

Government confirms GDS minister

Simon Hart appointed minister for implementation, with responsibility for the Government Digital Service Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency hit by IT workers’ strike

DVSA tech staff are on a month-long strike over working conditions and expect their action to affect the IT workload at the government agency Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

UK firms getting on top of IT downtime costs

Despite data breach headlines, UK firms are generally improving in their data protection, business continuity, cyber preparedness and understanding of downtime costs, study shows Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Dutch regulator reveals potential Microsoft privacy breach

Netherlands privacy watchdog has revealed potential breaches while testing Microsoft software changes Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Microsoft claims AI breakthrough in Chinese game of Mahjong

An artificial intelligence system trained by Microsoft Research Asia is now nearly as good as human players in the ancient Chinese game of Mahjong Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Government investigates matching geospatial data with AI

Report looks into the commercial opportunities of matching location data with a number of emerging technologies Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

5G standards show how tech increasingly needs one global market

The US has a problem: its military owns the spectrum everyone else will be using for 5G. It’s why the US cannot become a global leader in 5G – and why Huawei doesn’t care Continue Reading

By

• Tim Worstall, Adam Smith Institute

IBM and Vodafone offer National Express a smooth ride to hybrid cloud

Coach operator National Express signs eight-year IT modernisation deal with IBM and Vodafone to provide it with a cloud platform to underpin future digital transformation plans Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Building a 5G city: Bristol’s valuable lessons for the UK’s digital future

West of England Combined Authority is taking part in DCMS’s 5G Testbeds and Trials programme, exploring applications for tourism and entertainment. We find out how it is applying its learnings to life in Bristol and Bath Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

HMRC under fire over 'scaremongering' IR35 clampdown letters targeting GSK IT contractors

GSK contractors that have received “scaremongering” letters from HMRC, urging them to review their engagements with the company from an IR35 perspective, are being urged not to panic, as the missives have no legal basis, claim experts Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

CIO interview: Network Rail plans digital factory to accelerate modernisation

The operator will enhance its multimillion-pound IT strategy with a sharper focus on areas including mobile, data and cultural change for digital transformation Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Councils deliver savings through digital initiatives

Projects under the Digital Channel Shift programme reported fivefold return on investment Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Government to ease planning laws for mobile networks

Westminster is seeking input on four key proposals to make it easier to build and operate 5G mobile networks Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

ASX partners VMware and DA on digital ledger tech

The Australian Securities Exchange is working with VMware and Digital Asset to replace its Chess clearing and settlement system with digital ledger technology Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

IR35 reforms: HMRC defends off-payroll rules guidance against "woeful" IPSE jibes

HMRC promises there are more preparatory materials in the pipeline to help the private sector prepare for the April 2020 IR35 rules, after IPSE brands its current guidance "woeful" Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Gigging for robots

A few months ago Automation Anywhere began collaborating with freelance software developer recruitment platform, Toptal, on robotic process automation in the human workforce. The concept is called ... Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Human rights group challenges police over counter-terrorism powers

Bringing into question the effectiveness of terror laws, a report by human rights group Cage highlights poor conviction rates and the discriminatory application of police powers at the border Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

How IT departments can upskill in the new economy

There is a skills crisis. Traditionally, IT has outsourced to fill the skills gap, but in the gig economy, there are new approaches to sourcing technical skills Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Student Loans Company appoints chief information officer

Stephen Campbell will be leading a complex transformation programme and handling problems including high staff turnover Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

NHSX aims for mental health services transformation

Digital unit of the NHS has started a discovery process focused on children and young people Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

5G testbed brings Li-Fi broadband to Orkney

A number of homes on the remote island of Graemsay in the Orkneys are testing so-called Li-Fi technology as a broadband delivery mechanism Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor