IT news in your industry sector

Corporate networks vulnerable to insider attacks, report finds

Researchers found that 100% of corporate networks tested in 2017 were vulnerable to insider attacks, with Wi-Fi networks and employees among the top areas of weakness Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

NIC calls for nationwide broadband plan

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

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Cyber crime: why business should report it as soon as possible

Cyber crime is affecting a growing number of businesses, yet few are reporting it. Computer Weekly lifts the veil on cyber crime reporting, looking at the who, what, when, where, how and why Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security Think Tank: Some basic password guidelines

In light of the fact that complex passwords are not as strong as most people think and that most password strategies inevitably lead to people following them blindly, what actually makes a good password and when is a password alone not enough? Continue Reading

By

• Petra Wenham

Tackling the digital identity problem

In this week’s Computer Weekly, as UK government attempts to create a digital identity standard flounder, we examine progress on establishing the online ID system the digital economy needs. Barclays Bank talks about its move to DevOps and public cloud with Amazon Web Services. And we find out how using AI and chatbots could help improve IT service management. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Jeremy Wright appointed DCMS secretary of state in Cabinet reshuffle

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

By

• Lis Evenstad

Singapore to build speech recognition system to speed up emergency response

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

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Analysts question Australia government’s IBM deal

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

By

• Beverley Head

UK slips down broadband speed league table

Although average broadband speeds in the UK have improved in the past year, other countries are moving faster, according to new data from comparison site Cable.co.uk Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Holiday Extras uses machine learning and artificial intelligence for personalisation

Travel firm Holiday Extras has introduced machine learning and artificial intelligence into its smartphone app to give users a more personalised experience Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Dutch government IT projects run €1bn over budget

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

By

• Tijs Hofmans

Casino group bets on Pivot3 hyper-converged infrastructure for surveillance

Caesars’ ageing digital video recording equipment risked running foul of court and police requirements, and cost tens of thousands annually, so it switched to Pivot3 hyper-converged infrastructure Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Government needs to improve its outsourcing approach

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

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Superbike team adds managed UC to support racers

Crescent Racing, Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team has enhanced its existing relationship with MSP GCI to include new unified comms and Skype for Business elements Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Collaborative taskforce launches security intelligence network

BAE Systems, Vodafone, cyber security incubator CyLon and other partners have joined forces in unveiling a manifesto for safeguarding society in the digital age Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security Think Tank: Passwords alone are not good enough

In the light of the fact that complex passwords are not as strong as most people think, and that most password strategies inevitably lead to people following them blindly, what actually makes a good password and when is a password alone not enough? Continue Reading

By

• Emma Bickerstaffe, Information Security Forum (ISF)

Three chooses SSE for 5G fibre backhaul

SSE Enterprise Telecoms will connect Three’s mobile network into BT’s local telephone exchanges as the mobile operator ramps up its preparation for 5G Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

London NHS organisations pick Kcom for HSCN

Network services supplier Kcom has been named as the preferred bidder for the Once for London Health and Social Care Network contract Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Nurses held back by poor IT and lack of support, RCN report finds

Nurses think technology could improve health and care services, but are held back by barriers such as inadequate IT systems, a lack of support and digital skills Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Infosec community welcomes bank sector focus on cyber resilience

The information security community has welcomed regulators’ call on the banking industry to demonstrate their capability to respond to cyber attacks because it highlights the importance of cyber resilience for all businesses Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security Think Tank: Firms need to support good password practices

In the light of the fact that complex passwords are not as strong as most people think and that most password strategies inevitably lead to people following them blindly, what actually makes a good password and when is a password alone not enough? Continue Reading

By

• Mike Gillespie

Investment flows into Nordic startups from all directions

The Nordic tech startup scene is attracting funding from a variety of sources, with private equity firms, banks and traditional IT companies all keen to put money in Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

HSBC previews the banking staff of the future

The digital revolution in banking is set to create previously unknown jobs, and HSBC has outlined three of the job roles that will be created in the future Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

ICO Grants Programme launches second round of funding

The ICO is inviting a second round of applications for funding to promote and support independent, innovative research and solutions focused on privacy and data protection Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

European Parliament calls for suspension of Privacy Shield

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

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Banks given three months to report on how they respond to outages

UK financial services regulators get tough on banks over their ability to recover from IT outages Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

How changes in retail law could affect customer experience

New payments regulations could increase the amount of times customers will need to use two-factor authentication to make a purchase, potentially putting a strain on customer experience, according to MasterCard Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

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

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

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

UK labour market could be harmed by private sector roll-out of IR35 reforms, consultancy warns

As the government continues to consult on extending the IR35 reforms to the private sector, research suggests contractors will not take kindly to the move Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Construction sector gets £420m investment for tech and innovation

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

By

• Lis Evenstad

Security Think Tank: How to create good passwords and add security layers

In light of the fact complex passwords are not as strong as most people think and most password strategies inevitably lead to people following them blindly, what actually makes a good password - and when is a password alone not enough? Continue Reading

By

• Simon Persin, Turnkey Consulting

UK joins forces with France on artificial intelligence and data

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

By

• Lis Evenstad

Beware blockchain security blindspots, warns RSA

Companies need to ensure that rushed blockchain and other new technology projects are not introducing security vulnerabilities by gaining granular visibility of network activity, according to RSA Security Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Local Digital Declaration sets out how to transform local public services

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

By

• Lis Evenstad

DevOps done right: Securing grassroots support for a top-down DevOps enterprise push

As more and more enterprises rush to join the DevOps movement, practitioners share details of how they secured grassroots support for their senior leadership team's top-down agile adoption mandates Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Australian startups team up to keep wind turbines humming

Using acoustic sensors and nanosatellite connectivity, two Australian startups hope to identify potential turbine problems before they occur to secure the country’s wind energy Continue Reading

By

• Beverley Head

Annual IPA report shows state of major government IT projects

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

By

• Lis Evenstad

Dell/VMware and Nutanix dominate a growing hyper-converged market

As hyper-converged system revenues get set to overtake those of converged systems, Dell/VMware and Nutanix are dominating the market for combined server and storage nodes Continue Reading

By

• Christophe Bardy

Slow broadband fuels a post-Brexit storm for rural communities

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

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Industry bets on fixed wireless access for first 5G deployments

Separate tests in Romania and the UK have been demonstrating the potential of fixed wireless access as a component of 5G Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Siri, show me a threat to national security

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

By

• Ryan Priest

London fintechs managed by Oracle's Brussels arm: a shock a few years ago, but not today

Not that surprising in this day and age that a large software company puts its European fintech resources in a city other than London Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Security Think Tank: Complex passwords provide a false sense of security

In the light of the fact that complex passwords are not as strong as most people think, and that most password strategies inevitably lead to people following them blindly, what actually makes a good password and when is a password alone not enough? Continue Reading

By

• Tim Holman, 2-sec

European banks need to balance fintech strategies

European Banking Authority highlights the risks of banks taking up fintech too quickly, and of ignoring it Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Software firm Clevermed enhances NHS user experience on Health and Social Care Network

Clevermed, a supplier of maternity and neonatal care record software to the NHS, reveals how users are benefiting after it switched to the new Health and Social Care Network Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Israel accuses Hamas of using spy apps to target soldiers

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

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Singapore company turns to blockchain to improve food security

SMC Nutrition is using a blockchain distributed ledger developed by a Singapore-based company to gain visibility across its supply chain and ensure food security Continue Reading

By

• Kimberly Chua

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

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

By

• Brian McKenna, Enterprise Applications Editor

Security Think Tank: Use pass phrases and 2FA to beef up access control

In light of the fact complex passwords are not as strong as most people think, and that most password strategies inevitably lead to people following them blindly, what actually makes a good password – and when is a password alone not enough? Continue Reading

By

• Paddy Francis

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

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

By

• Lis Evenstad

Government welcomes Lords AI report, vaunts industrial strategy

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

By

• Brian McKenna, Enterprise Applications Editor

Feds expand Facebook data sharing probe

The US federal probe into Facebook’s data sharing practices is expanding and MEPs are considering new measures as the firm reveals it granted extended access to 61 companies and admits to another data sharing software bug Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Government launches G-Cloud 10

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

By

• Lis Evenstad

Food Standards Agency pilots blockchain in slaughterhouse

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

By

• Lis Evenstad

UK financial services firms up tech investments to fuel new services

Driven by the need to offer new services, as well as meet industry regulations, UK financial services firms are increasing spending on IT Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Case study: Logistics firm GWC moves from paper to digital HR in three months

Qatar-based logistics firm Gulf Warehousing Company introduced smart appraisals for employees, cut the time it takes to recruit, and gave staff and managers access to accurate HR data by replacing paper systems with human resources software Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Security Think Tank: Put more layers around passwords to up security

In light of the fact that complex passwords are not as strong as most people think and most password strategies inevitably lead to people following them blindly, what actually makes a good password and when is a password alone not enough? Continue Reading

By

• Maxine Holt, Omdia

Linux targeted by illicit cryptocurrency miners

Cryptojacking is increasingly being used by cyber criminals to raise funds, Watchguard report reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

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

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

By

• Lis Evenstad

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

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

By

• Lis Evenstad

Bolloré Group partners with Alibaba for cloud and co-development

French transportation conglomerate will use Alibaba cloud, and Alibaba will look at using Bolloré's battery technology in its datacentres Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

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

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

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

HMRC deactivates record number of fake websites

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

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Singapore’s Fullerton Health gears up for the cloud

Private healthcare service provider Fullerton Health is moving business applications to Microsoft’s cloud services before rolling out data analytics and artificial intelligence to enhance operations and patient care Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Australian government grappling with digital transformation woes

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

By

• Beverley Head

UK government cyber security standard welcomed

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

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

GDPR exposes breach reporting flaws

In the month since the GDPR compliance deadline, it has become clear that many organisations are not well prepared for personal data breach notifications, says PwC’s data protection lead Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Home Office criticised over ESN review progress

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

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

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

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

By

• Lis Evenstad

Openreach starts full-fibre roll-out in Exeter

Network builder Openreach adds Exeter to its Fibre First FTTP broadband roll-out Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

NHS Digital signs three-year cyber security partnership with IBM

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

By

• Lis Evenstad

UK biometrics strategy criticised for lack of content

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

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

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

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

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Manufacturers, technology and the fourth industrial revolution

A look at some of the innovations and technology investment focus areas for today’s manufacturing industry Continue Reading

By

• Ben Sillitoe

TfL partners with Siemens to revamp traffic network for connected cars

A traffic control system being developed by Siemens and TfL will propel traffic management into the era of the internet of things Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

First Lorca cohort to focus on security orchestration

The first companies to benefit from the new London cyber innovation centre will focus on cyber security orchestration and automation Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Google courts Hollywood creative community with Los Angeles cloud datacentre region

Google is making a concerted effort to win over the media and entertainment industry with its cloud offerings by pairing the opening of a new datacentre region with services tailored towards Hollywood creatives Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Significant challenges remain with HMRC’s customs IT system, says NAO

HM Revenue and Customs has reduced “some risks” in its customs declaration service’s readiness for Brexit, but the tight timetable remains a “major challenge”, says National Audit Office Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Two further regions join care record exemplar programme

Yorkshire and Humber and Thames Valley have been chosen by NHS England to join the three other care record exemplars, each receiving up to £7.5m to speed up delivery of integrated health and care Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Ticketmaster warns of third-party data breach

Ticketmaster has warned of a potential data breach through malware found in a third-party customer support service, underlining the importance of supply chain security Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

PizzaExpress launches augmented reality football game

Italian restaurant chain PizzaExpress has launched an augmented reality football game for customers to play during meals Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Nationwide Building Society to fund tech startups to the tune of £50m

With an available fund of £50m, Nationwide Building Society is the latest traditional financial services provider to support tech startups Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Lorca will help drive UK cyber exports, says ex-GCHQ boss

New London cyber security innovation centre will help to boost exports of UK cyber security expertise, says former GCHQ director Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

BBC launches online archive for 1980s Computer Literacy Project

Archive will enable people to read up on a 10-year project developed by the BBC in the 1980s Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Government must challenge popular smart city misconceptions

A report by the All Party Parliamentary Group on Smart Cities says many people feel alienated by the concept, and calls on the government to challenge some popular misconceptions Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Cyber criminals 'infect and collect' in cryptojacking surge

Illicit cryptocurrency mining offers cyber criminals lower risk, higher efficacy and greater ease of making money, adding passive exploitation to ransomware extortion, data breach theft and fraud, a report reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Brent Council tenants to receive full-fibre broadband service

Borough-wide FTTP broadband roll-out could address up to 100,000 homes and businesses in North London Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Technology key to keeping staff happy

Giving employees access to the latest technologies will improve their satisfaction and increase productivity, survey shows Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

AI and other tech key to post-Brexit success, says Matt Hancock

Digital secretary Matt Hancock highlights the importance of emerging technologies to the future of the UK at the opening of London’s cyber security innovation centre Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

GDS is trying to democratise digital, says Cunnington

GDS boss Kevin Cunnington offers departments help with Brexit and says GDS is working to solve the “hardest problems”, as well as mapping innovation across government Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

SSE Enterprise Telecoms bids to solve UK’s backhaul problem

By layering Infinera technology over its existing network, SSE Enterprise Telecoms plans to deliver what it refers to as a ‘dark fibre-like’ access product for communications services providers Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

British Muslim challenges use of intelligence databases for repeated police stops

Muzaffar Abdullah is challenging police use of intelligence databases to repeatedly stop and question Muslims, after being arrested for refusing to answer questions under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000. His lawyers say he had been stopped at least 10 times before and the police should have known he had no connection to terrorism Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

High-Tech Bridge bets on machine learning capabilities

Machine learning has a great potential to drive the automation of some security tasks to free up information security professionals to do more strategic work, says High-Tech Bridge founder Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Hospitality industry under siege from botnets

The hospitality industry, including hotels, airlines and cruise lines, is the biggest target for cyber criminal botnet attacks that abuse credentials and overwhelm online systems, a report reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

NHS collaborates with private health on sharing patient data

Work has begun on establishing a set of data standards to enable private healthcare patients’ data to be shared with the NHS Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Liberty Global picks Cisco to transform customer service ops

Virgin Media parent enlists Cisco in a bid to transform its customer service experience across Europe Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

London cyber innovation centre opens

The government-funded London cyber innovation centre is set to open today and welcome the first cyber security businesses as a study reveals that a quarter of UK firms lack the right security technology Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Projects receive funding to help digitise manufacturing

Following recommendations from the Industrial Digitisation review, the EPSRC is funding AI and process automation projects Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

VM-aware storage pioneer Tintri on verge of bankruptcy

Recent first-quarter results by the VM-aware storage pioneer throw light on a fragile financial situation that needs new funds or a buyer to avoid bankruptcy by the end of June Continue Reading

By

• Christophe Bardy

Nordic and Baltic states agree on joint approach to AI

The governments of the Nordic and Baltic region want to work closer together to further increase the status of artificial intelligence in business and society Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer