IT management

Blockchain expands reach beyond finance

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we find out how blockchain, the distributed ledger technology behind bitcoin, is extending its reach beyond financial services into new industries such as healthcare, energy and education. We hear from software developers about the pros and cons of componentizing application software. And we examine what a recent court case shows about Oracle’s controversial software licensing policies. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Cyber security centre of excellence to open at Cardiff University

Cardiff University and Airbus have launched the first centre of its kind in Europe to tackle cyber attacks on critical infrastructure Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Criminal Courts Review Commission appoints forensic accountants for Post Office IT system cases

Investigation into claims of miscarriages of justice in relation to a Post Office accounting system has appointed a forensic accountant firm Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Public safety ‘imperilled’ by lack of functional and interoperable police IT, says report

Use of technology in the country’s police forces remains poor, according to chief inspector of constabulary Thomas Winsor, who is calling for a decision-making mechanism procuring, establishing and running police IT Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Don't expect much that's new from political parties' digital manifestos in General Election

Like it or not, necessary or not, we have another General Election, and while nobody will decide their vote based on a party’s digital policies, the imminent poll will raise important questions ... Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

PAC concerned Emergency Services Network will be undeliverable

The new Emergency Services Network could be delayed until September 2020, which could lead to the country being without the service for six months as a post-March 2020 extension of the current contract may not be possible Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

How to ensure tech staff gain ‘essential soft skills’

Nottingham Trent University’s infrastructure services manager explains how she has made sure her technology team have the essential soft skills they need to support users Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Banks suffer average of 85 attempted serious cyber attacks a year, and one-third are successful

Banks face daily cyber attacks, many of which succeed in stealing data, research finds Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

InterContinental Hotel Group reveals extent of malware attack

Hotel group InterContinental (IHG) reveals that malware attempting to glean payment card details sat undetected on its network in the US for three months Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

CW ANZ: Immersed in cloud

In this month’s CW ANZ, we find out more about Australian marketing company Salmat’s plans to embrace a cloud-only operation after a successful project to replace highly customised on-premise systems with cloud-based software. Also, learn more about the problems that crowdsourcing service AirTasker had faced with its NAS systems, and the benefits it has reaped from its move to cloud storage. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

CW ASEAN: Singapore to guide neighbors to digital peak

In this month’s CW ASEAN, we take a look at how Singapore can play an important role in driving digital advancement across the ASEAN region with its pioneering attitude toward business and technology. We also find out why 3D printing is revolutionizing manufacturing and supply chain management in the region. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

How Dutch university quickly connected thousands of students to new learning management system

Dutch university TU Delft is replacing its legacy learning management system after 17 years Continue Reading

By

• Rian van Heur

How Oracle tackles licensing discrepancies

The recent publication of court filings from a licence dispute case shows a catalogue of 'damaging' techniques the supplier used following an audit Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Enterprise adoption of encryption accelerating, study shows

Cloud adoption and escalating threats are accelerating adoption of encryption, a study has revealed Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

CW Middle East: UAE faces IT recruitment challenge

In this issue, read how organisations in the UAE face a challenge to attract and retain top-quality CIOs and other key IT staff as the region seeks to tackle a technology skills gap. Also, Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority has revealed that plans to unveil passenger-flying cars are in the final stages, with the initiative expected to launch in July 2017. Meanwhile, the UAE is mirroring global trends by eagerly adopting virtual reality technology. Continue Reading

Chatbots, Fitbits and AI: IT suppliers identify the top trends in HR technology

Businesses are using Fitbits, artificial intelligence and chatbots to improve working life as competition increases to recruit talented ‘millennials’ Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Investigations Editor

Security as a service on the rise in the UAE

Organisations in the United Arab Emirates are increasingly turning to security services Continue Reading

By

• Alicia Buller

‘Can do’ attitude of DevOps teams is driving cloud-first strategies

The cloud-first strategies of businesses across sectors are maturing, with DevOps teams playing a leading role Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Virtual reality in healthcare

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we find out how virtual reality technology is starting to be used to improve health and patient care. We examine the new UK tax laws that are causing IT contractors to quit government digital projects. And we analyse the software licensing issues arising from SAP’s recent court case over indirect access to its applications. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Spending forecast shows early signs of on-premise server demise

The datacentre equipment market appears to be indicating the long-term impact of cloud computing on server sales Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Wonga warns 245,000 UK customers of cyber breach

Loan firm urges customers to be vigilant after data breach that may have exposed personal details, including some financial information Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Interview: Dave Perry, chief technology officer, DVLA

DVLA’s CTO talks about the agency’s plans to become a hub for digital motoring, the importance of culture, and moving away from legacy IT Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

MEPs call for European Commission to reassess Privacy Shield

European parliamentarians have called for an immediate review of the Privacy Shield EU-US data transfer framework due to concerns about privacy protections being undermined in the US Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

CIO interview: Richard Sharp, CTO, Shazam

We speak to the new chief technology officer at music discovery service Shazam about how to foster an innovation culture Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

IR35 reforms: Stakeholders warn of risk to public sector IT projects as contractors walk

With the IR35 reforms coming into force today, 6 April, contracting stakeholders warn of the widespread threat the changes pose to the delivery of public sector IT projects Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Sweden’s Bisnode consolidates outsourced IT

Swedish firm Bisnode brings multiple IT services contracts under one roof Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Interview: F-Secure’s Mikko Hyppönen on the Nordics, Russia and the internet of insecure things

Computer Weekly sat down with Finnish cyber security expert Mikko Hyppönen to talk about security in the Nordics, Russia and the trouble with connected devices Continue Reading

By

• Eeva Haaramo

Middle East enterprises urged to embrace governance, risk and compliance

The enforcement of corporate governance issues is still variable throughout the Middle East and making a strong business case for investment in GRC can be a challenge. Continue Reading

By

• Edward Banda

How to implement a low-power WAN to support the IoT

We explore the options and the implementation process for an LPWAN to support internet of things projects in the enterprise Continue Reading

By

• Rene Millman

Technology investments core to JP Morgan Chase success

US investment bank is reaping the benefits of its $9.5bn annual technology spend Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Dutch IT companies introduce unlimited staff holidays

IT firms in The Netherlands are leading the way with strategies to give employees control of how much time they take off work Continue Reading

By

• Kim Loohuis

Chocolate maker Barry Callebaut gets sweet on cloud

Chocolate maker Barry Callebaut is increasingly using cloud-based apps to improve productivity and reduce costs Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

How to apply DevOps practices to legacy IT

The one constant in legacy systems is that they can’t just be switched off. We find out how Ticketmaster has adapted its legacy IT to DevOps Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Australia’s Commonwealth Bank unveils data analytics platform

Free platform made available to bank’s customers at a time when only 34% of the country’s SMEs are making data-driven decisions Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Analytics, internet of things to drive data volumes to 163ZB by 2025

IDC study predicts consumers as creators of data will decline as the enterprise, analytics and “life critical” scenarios push total volumes to a tenfold increase by 2025 Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

UK tech braced for Brexit

In this week’s Computer Weekly, as the UK government invokes Article 50 to leave the EU, we find out the tech sector’s concerns over two years of Brexit uncertainty. Our latest buyer’s guide looks at how to deploy SAP Hana, the software giant’s in-memory database suite. And we ask CIOs what they think about blockchain, the distributed ledger technology that’s generating so much excitement (and hype) in the IT community. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Treasury Committee 'confidence collapse' in HMRC customs IT system

The Treasury Committee is concerned HMRC’s new customs check system won’t be ready to go live by the time the UK leaves the EU Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Can GDS avoid becoming just another Whitehall silo? Analysing the NAO's scathing critique

Prior to this week’s publication of the latest National Audit Office (NAO) report on the Government Digital Service (GDS), rumour had it the Whitehall watchdog had pulled back from serious ... Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

First cyber security startups graduate from GCHQ accelerator

The first group of companies has completed a government-led cyber accelerator programme aimed at helping UK startups take the lead in producing the next generation of cyber security systems, with another round to be announced in 2017 Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

HMRC contractors leave over inside IR35 ruling

HMRC has begun classifying its public sector contractors as "inside IR35", prompting fears of a digital "brain drain" at the organisation Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

GDS digital transformation delivers mixed results, says NAO

National Audit Office report examines Gov.uk Verify uptake, GDS strategy changes, spending controls and collaboration with departments Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Russian Airline at home in the cloud

S7 Airlines in Russia looks set to move more of its IT to the cloud after successful infrastructure-as-a-service project Continue Reading

By

• Vladimir Kozlov

GDS needs a clearer role, NAO is expected to say

Although the Government Digital Service has done well to change the government’s approach to digital transformation, there is a risk that its remit is still too broad, the National Audit Office is expected to say in a report due out tomorrow Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

The digital revolution is unstoppable, inevitable - and bigger than Brexit

Let’s start with the disclosure. I voted for the UK to remain in the European Union (EU). My reasoning at the time was that the EU is an over-bureaucratic, dysfunctional organisation that ought to ... Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Uber shuts down in Denmark after less than three years

Changes in Denmark’s taxi legislation force transportation network company to cease its operations in the country Continue Reading

By

• Eeva Haaramo

Threats grow in Saudi Arabia’s cyber sector

Saudi Arabia's wealth makes it an attractive target for cyber criminals, but what have been the recent trends in cyber crime? Continue Reading

By

• Triska Hamid

1,000 sub-postmasters apply to join IT-related group litigation against Post Office

Group legal action against Post Office relates to allegedly faulty Horizon computer system Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Making the UK fit for 5G

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we look at the government’s new 5G strategy and assess whether it’s enough to stimulate development of next generation mobile networks. We meet some of the Silicon Valley startups hoping to revolutionise big data analytics. And we examine how to prevent the move to DevOps from harming work-life balance for IT professionals. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

UK business least likely to offer rewards to infosec professionals

UK firms need to rethink incentives to attract and retain people with cyber security skills, according to the findings of a recent global study Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Time to restore from backup: Do you know where your data is?

Making a backup is only the start of the process. You must be sure you can restore, that backups contain what you need, and that they will work with the applications that need them Continue Reading

By

• Greg Schulz, The Server and StorageIO Group

Ofcom scuppers BT’s ‘deemed consent’ ploy

Telco regulator fines BT for abuse of an opt-out clause that avoids service level fines on delays to Ethernet installations Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

AI and robots will 'create political instability' until humans find new occupations

The belief that advances in technology will create more jobs than they replace may no longer hold true Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Inside the well-planned metro network: how CityFibre does it

Computer Weekly met metro network builder CityFibre to find out why, and how, the organisation believes it can mount a credible challenge to Openreach’s dominance of wholesale fibre Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Serco uses HR technology to cut recruitment bill

International outsourced services supplier Serco is investing in HR recruitment technology to help it hire 15,000 to 20,000 people a year Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Investigations Editor

CIO interview: Martin Hofmann, Volkswagen Group

Volkswagen Group recently demonstrated how it was working with D-Wave to research uses for quantum computing. We find out what the car maker is hoping to achieve Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Digital transformation of infrastructure key to UK’s future, says report

The infrastructure sector needs to take advantage of digital technology to keep up with the pace of change, according to the Institution of Civil Engineers Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Google power – how the internet giant builds datacentres

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we hear from Google executives about how the firm builds, tests and secures its global datacentre estate. We analyse the implications for the UK’s broadband infrastructure after the BT and Openreach split. And we find out how artificial intelligence and the internet of things are coming together to deliver new technologies. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Global business leaders hail UK tech sector’s innovation potential

KPMG report reveals global confidence in UK tech sector’s ability to create innovative products and services that are keenly adopted across the world Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

How composable applications can improve software development

We speak to experts in the field of software development about the pros and cons of componentising application software Continue Reading

By

• Adrian Bridgwater

Government to ramp up help for UK cyber security industry

Government, in partnership with industry, is pursuing a range of initiatives aimed at establishing a UK cyber security ecosystem, developing skills and products and boosting exports, says DIT’s Conrad Prince Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

CIO interview: Jon Cheyne, IT director, National Theatre

We speak to the IT head at the National Theatre about what it means to have a 99% cloud strategy Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

CW ASEAN: Raising national security standards

In this month’s CW ASEAN, we describe how Singapore is improving its cyber security defenses and preparations through a partnership with British security company BAE Systems. We also find out why the Thai military plans to recruit civilian cyber warriors and we take a look at evolving security approaches. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

CW ANZ: Take cover from cyber threats

In the latest issue of CW ANZ we focus on security, with analysis of why Australian organisations are not sold on cyber insurance. It certainly isn’t a lack of cyber attacks – Australia is, in fact, making cyber security headlines for the wrong reasons. We also take a look at the need for organisations to meet IoT security challenges head-on. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

IR35 research: 85% of contractors will quit public sector if tax status changed

Research by tax advisers QDos Contractor suggests few public sector off-payroll workers would be willing to stick around if made to pay the same tax as salaried staff Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Digital Economy Bill amended to protect Openreach pensions

The government introduces an amendment to the Digital Economy Bill to protect the pensions of BT employees transferring into the newly independent Openreach business Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

UK digital strategy lacks vision and ambition

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we examine the UK government’s new digital economy strategy and find out why critics labelled it unambitious and lacking imagination. The recent Amazon Web Services outage puts the spotlight on cloud and disaster recovery. And we look at the next generation of storage technology. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

CIO interview: Simon McCalla, Nominet

Nominet, the registry for more than 10 million of the UK’s internet domains, is expanding into the internet of things and internet security services Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Investigations Editor

Portakabin’s biggest-ever IT investment unifies CRM

Modular construction firm is moving to a single source of business information through cloud technology and services Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Vodafone brings offshore contact centre work to UK

Mobile operator Vodafone is creating 2,100 jobs in the UK by reducing the amount of call centre work done offshore Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Danish shipping company uses blockchain in IBM partnership

Maersk and IBM test out the application of blockchain technology to track and manage the paper trail of shipping containers around the world Continue Reading

By

• Eeva Haaramo

MSC Cruises goes digital with Deloitte, Samsung and HPE

MSC Digital has worked with Deloitte, HPE and Samsung to build a digitally powered passenger services using tablets, kiosks, bluetooth and facial recognition Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Scottish police’s i6 project failed due to loss of trust and disagreements, auditor finds

Police Scotland’s IT systems replacement programme failed because of loss of trust and underestimation of its complexities, according to an Audit Scotland investigation Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

CW Europe: Technology poses new risks to jobs, economies and society

Rapid advances in technology could have destabilising effects on employment and economic growth, and could exacerbate social unrest, the World Economic Forum (WEF) warned. Society’s failure to keep pace with technology change was a key risk under discussion at Davos in January. Continue Reading

Centrica eliminates more than 20 IT systems after replacing SAP with cloud HR technology

Energy and services company claims major savings in IT costs after moving its HR services to the cloud Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Investigations Editor

Country as a service becoming reality in Estonia

Programme to help foreigners set up businesses in Estonia through virtual residency is gathering pace Continue Reading

By

• Tarmo Virki

IR35 reform will have ‘significant delivery impact’, says Home Office CIO

New regulations for public sector contractors are needed but will lead to a period of “significant pain”, according to Home Office tech boss Sarah Wilkinson Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Escaping waterfall government and the myth of 'digital transformation'

An agile approach to digital programmes will not transform Whitehall unless the waterfall approach to policy and decision-making is overhauled too Continue Reading

By

• Jerry Fishenden and Cassian Young

ZF Group opens doors to Hyderabad tech centre

German car parts manufacturer ZF Group opens a technology centre in India to focus on software lead innovation Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Industrial control systems pose big risk to security

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we examine the risks to critical national infrastructure from security vulnerabilities in legacy industrial control systems. DevOps is growing in popularity – we find out about the organisational, process and cultural approaches to make it succeed. And we ask CIOs how they are becoming hybrid IT and digital leaders. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

CIO interview: Sarah Wilkinson, Home Office

The Home Office tech boss shares her views on Brexit challenges, collaborating with GDS and running large government IT programmes Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Virtual reality simulation helps KLM engineers escape in an emergency

Dutch airline KLM develops virtual reality simulation to show engineers what to do if a maintenance hangar catches fire Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Investigations Editor

Thorough network upgrade underpins University of Law’s IT

Legal education specialist the University of Law has undertaken a multi-million pound future IT project to refresh its networks, Wi-Fi and datacentre infrastructures across multiple locations Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Deutsche Bank creates group-wide CIO role

New chief will drive technology transformation across the bank Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

AWS outage shows vulnerability of cloud disaster recovery

The recent outage at Amazon Web Services has highlighted the risks of using any public cloud for disaster recovery IT Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

MoD ditches spreadsheets for SaaS-based collaboration tool

The Ministry of Defence is taking advantage of G-Cloud for collaboration software to manage its global activities Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Gov.uk Notify ready for use across government digital services

The notification platform is now ready to be used by all central government services needing electronic progress updates for users Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

MWC 2017: Barcelona trial uses IoT and big data to manage tourists

Barcelona, the host city for Mobile World Congress, has been demonstrating its use of the internet of things and big data to help manage visitors to Antoni Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Navigating software licences

In this week’s Computer Weekly, after SAP won a court case against a major customer, Diageo, over £58m in charges for indirect use of its software, we look at what this means for users. We talk to the IT consultancy that recruits only autistic IT professionals. And we look at the CIO’s big challenges for the year and find out what CEOs expect of their IT leaders. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Hundreds more sub-postmasters apply to join group action against Post Office

Initial hearing regarding sub-postmasters who say they were wrongly punished for false accounting reveals admission by Post Office legal team Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Citizen Love: the story of an ordinary family's fight with the US government

Finnish documentary makers Raimo Uunila and Lauri Danska tell the behind-the-scenes story of activist Lauri Love’s battle with the US government – and the impact of the case on his family Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Investigations Editor

Greenpeace calls for sustainable smartphone manufacturing

Electronic waste and the carbon emissions from manufacturing are among the areas smartphone makers must address, says environmental organisation Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

NHS needs single point of access for data

A report has found that clinicians struggle with access to basic data and recommends a single online point of access for healthcare datasets Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

BDUK head Chris Townsend to step down

Government executive Chris Townsend, who oversees the DCMS-run BDUK rural broadband programme, is to step down in April Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

CW Nordics: Top IT priorities for Nordic CIOs in 2017

In this first issue of CW Nordics in 2017 we take a look what CIOs in the region are expecting in the year ahead. We asked a select group of CIOs and analysts in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden what IT projects are at the top their priority lists. Also read about the Nordic region as a hotspot for IT startups, with Sweden punching above its weight in financial technology. And find out how board executives at healthcare company Elekta are analysing workforce data to make better strategic decisions. Continue Reading

Corporate IT Forum aims to fill gap in discipline of SRM

Forum to fill supplier relationship management gap opened up by growing centrality of IT to business, and transitions to cloud Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Enterprise Applications Editor

How to develop mobile apps for business

In this week’s Computer Weekly, our latest buyer’s guide examines the emerging innovations and best practice in mobile app development. We find out how Microsoft and Amazon are opening up their artificial intelligence tools to developers to expand take-up of the technology. And GE’s CIO talks about the digital transformation of one of the world’s industrial giants. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

The changing shape of mobile apps

We find out how organisations can gain the agility they need to keep pace with mobile app innovation Continue Reading

By

• Jim Mortleman

Software asset management maturity in the age of SaaS

For asset tracking, software as a service is no different from any other type of software licensing – but the process of software asset management needs adapting Continue Reading

By

• Rory Canavan, SAM Charter

HPE services and CSC to become DXC Technology

The merger between HP's services division and CSC will launch in April 2017 and is expected to save the companies billions Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

CW ASEAN: On-premise vs cloud creates storage balancing act

Storage is gradually moving to the cloud in ASEAN. According to Computer Weekly/TechTarget’s annual IT Priorities research, 40% of ASEAN-based IT decision makers are planning a cloud storage initiative in 2017 and 40% are planning a cloud backup initiative. To answer this growing demand for cloud storage, many new cloud players are setting up datacenters in the region. Southeast Asia’s cloud market is already teeming with all the big players – AWS, Microsoft, IBM, HP, Oracle – and a host of other providers of datacenter services and managed IT services, so how will newcomers, including Alibaba Cloud and Google, affect the cloud storage market? And what does this mean for the on-premise storage market? We speak to storage experts, analysts and suppliers to bring you an exclusive analysis of the fast-evolving storage market in the Southeast Asian region. Continue Reading