IT news in your industry sector

BDUK has £200m to kick-start rural full-fibre network build

Government plans to use money from the BDUK superfast broadband programme to drive the roll-out of full-fibre broadband to underserved rural areas Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Government spend with SMEs down in 2016/17

Government figures show direct and indirect spend on small to medium-sized enterprises by government departments in the 2016/17 financial year have fallen Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Zero trust security model boosts business confidence

Organisations that combine the zero trust security model with next-gen access are more confident about meeting access control challenges, a study shows Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Cyber security: A work in progress

Piers Wilson, director of the Institute of Information Security Professionals, reflects on the findings of the latest IISP industry survey and suggests there is still more work to do Continue Reading

By

• Piers Wilson, IISP

Full-fibre broadband for all to cost £30bn

The government has released its Future Telecoms Infrastructure Review, setting the stage for the national roll-out of a full-fibre broadband network Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

IBM results leave Watson thinking

Artificial intelligence is at the heart of IBM's long-term strategy, yet its cognitive solutions business experienced a slight decline. Oh dear, Watson Continue Reading

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• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Barclays to open tech hub in Glasgow

Banking group’s campus in Glasgow will host technology and operations teams using the latest technologies Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Huge Singapore data breach shows need for new approach

A major data breach in Singapore underlines the need for a new approach to protecting critical data and applications, say security experts Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

GDPR drives down UK insider threat

The insider threat in European countries is falling post-General Data Protection Regulation, but continues to rise in the US, a study has revealed Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Brussels aims to become an insurtech hub

Belgian capital is calling on startups as it eyes up the huge opportunities in the insurance technology sector Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

NCSC report underlines cyber threat for legal firms

Legal firms are a top target for cyber attackers, the latest report from the National Cyber Security Centre shows, emphasising the need for comprehensive cyber defence capabilities Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Uptick in UK privacy awareness, says ICO

The UK’s privacy watchdog, the Information Commissioner’s Office, reports increased public awareness of privacy and information rights issues Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Confusion reigns over value of 5G, says report

An Analysys Mason report commissioned by the Broadband Stakeholder Group has highlighted some of the challenges facing the deployment of 5G mobile networks in the UK Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Cisco and UCL to open AI research unit in $100m digital economy boost

Cisco has extended its ongoing Country Digital Acceleration programme in the UK with a further $100m investment, part of which will go towards a new AI research centre Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

PAC doubts justice system transformation programme will be a success

Public Accounts Committee says it’s difficult to see how the government’s “extremely challenging" £1.2bn project to overhaul courts through use of technology “will ever work" Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Cloud sales stoke Microsoft’s strong growth

Microsoft says cloud-based Office products made a huge contribution to sales growth Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Interview: Dan Phelps, chief architect, Travelex

Travelex is changing the way it works by combining people, processes and technology to transform the company and by setting up a digital platform Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

UK alerted to potential cyber risks of Huawei equipment

A report has raised concerns about the shortcomings of Huawei engineering processes, which it says could put UK telecommunications networks at risk Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Matt Hancock to promise £487m for NHS tech

In his first speech as health secretary, Matt Hancock will continue to fly the flag for digital Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Cyber criminals use fake domains to scam businesses

UK police are warning businesses that cyber criminals are using fake domains to scam businesses out of hundreds of thousands of pounds Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

CNI sector lacks cyber security skills, government warned

The UK’s critical national infrastructure sector is being negatively impacted by the lack of cyber security skills, a report warns Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Digital consortium aims to develop digital inclusion project

A consortium of firms has come together to develop a project involving technology and local government partnerships to promote digital inclusion for those who are not digitally capable Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Chitty Chitty Bond Bond

Aston Martin unveiling plans for a “sports car of the skies” will presumably cause some headaches for those James Bond fans of the school of thought that nothing about the franchise should ever ... Continue Reading

By

• Ryan Priest

Just Eat on the lookout for 150 tech professionals

Online food marketplace Just Eat has announced it is on the lookout for talent to fill 150 technology roles, 80 of which have been recently created Continue Reading

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• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Collaborative alliance to advance UK’s cyber security profession

Leading UK organisations in cyber security have united to develop a national professional body in the field Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Uber appoints first privacy and data protection chiefs

Uber is getting its privacy and data protection house in order in the wake of damaging data breaches and in anticipation of the company’s planned stock market launch in 2019 Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Committee proposes new laws for immigration of skilled workers after Brexit

The Science and Technology Committee has released a report proposing new rules surrounding the immigration of skilled workers once Brexit has come into force Continue Reading

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• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Orange starts 5G tests in Paris

After successful trials in Romania, Orange begins testing 5G use cases in its home country Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Heathrow flights grounded by IT failure

Aircraft unable to take off at airport following failure of an IT system at one of BA's suppliers, that even led to the temporary closure of the control tower Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

CW ASEAN: Defend against disruption

The security of industrial control systems (ICS) has come under the spotlight with several high-profile incidents affecting power plants and other critical infrastructure in recent years. What are the threats to these systems in ASEAN, and what is the common approach to securing ICS systems? In this month’s issue of CW ASEAN, we take a closer look at how ICS operators are improving the visibility of ICS environments without jeopardizing operations, addressing security vulnerabilities and enhancing cooperation between IT and operational technology teams. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

NHS on the hunt for chief data officer

The NHS CDO will report directly to NHS Digital CEO Sarah Wilkinson, get paid up to £176,750 and be responsible for a budget of around £57m Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Walmart and Microsoft partner to boost digital in retail

US retail giant Walmart has signed a five-year partnership with Microsoft, with the aim of speeding up its digital transformation Continue Reading

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• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Retail cyber security spending ineffective as breaches rise

Cyber attacks on the retail sector are increasing, and although most retailers plan to increase cyber security spending, planned investments are unlikely to be effective, a report reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Global trading infrastructure firm opens office in Ireland because of Brexit

Financial services firms are attracted to Ireland as the UK prepares to leave the EU, leading to the creation of IT jobs in the Emerald Isle Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

CIO interview: Jon Marchant, CIO, PayPoint

PayPoint CIO describes the company’s shift to retail services and how it went from knowing very little about electronic point of sale system software to creating its own Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

London Fintechs: Could Saudi Arabia be your next stage growth opportunity?

Saudi Arabia is selling itself as a fintech hub with an environment for startups to flourish, but are fintechs ready to set up there? Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Cyber security top priority for aircraft makers, says Airbus

There is a high level of collaboration in the aircraft industry on cyber security, but not all other industries are at the same level, according to an industry veteran at multinational aerospace and defence firm Airbus Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Era of the Smart Factory: how can manufacturers get to the future quicker?

This is a guest blogpost by Antony Bourne, Industries President at IFS Businesses are constantly told they will go bust if they do not digitally transform and quick, but for manufacturers it’s not ... Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Enterprise Applications Editor

Nordic CTO interview: Martin Whitlock, Telenor Connexion

Norwegian telco is growing its global reach through its internet of things business unit Continue Reading

By

• Jane Hamrin

Saudi Arabia entices UK fintechs to its shores

Saudi Arabia is offering fintechs from other countries the opportunity to access its large internal market Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Cryptominers plateau while backdoors shoot up

Illicit cryptocurrency mining appears to be slowing down, but backdoors increased rapidly in the second quarter of the year, a report warns Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Spectrum costs hit the world’s poorest hardest

The inflated cost of radio spectrum to support mobile network roll-out is harming the economic and social welfare of billions of the world’s poorest people, says the GSMA Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

JWT slashes server estate in move to Ctera cloud appliances

Marketing agency deploys Ctera cloud-attached NAS for 10,000 employees to simplify IT infrastructure, cutting server count and slashing software and hardware costs Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Kcom secures second aggregate HSCN contract

Network services provider Kcom will supply broadband connectivity over the Health and Social Care Network to 10 health organisations in the north-east of England Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Expect jobs equilibrium if government sticks with AI plan

If the government keeps to its artificial intelligence sector deal, the number of new jobs created through the use of AI and automation will balance the job losses Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

How container technology is evolving

In this week’s Computer Weekly, as adoption of containers grows rapidly, we look at the choices and potential benefits of the technology. We examine the efforts being made to secure internet of things devices and ask if legislation is needed. And we assess how the government’s latest Brexit plans will affect the UK tech sector. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Rio Tinto transports iron ore with autonomous train

The 280km journey in Western Australia was made under Rio Tinto’s autonomous train programme aimed at improving the productivity and safety of workers Continue Reading

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• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Mobile devices lost in London underline security risk

The security risk of lost mobile devices is underlined by the fact that almost 26,000 mobile phones and computing devices were lost in London in the past year alone Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Disaster recovery as a service: what you need to know 

Technological advances make disaster recovery as a service possible, but Computer Weekly investigates whether it is practical option for all businesses Continue Reading

By

• Rene Millman

Russian cyber attacks show need for international rules

Russian cyber attacks aimed at influencing foreign elections highlight the need for the international community to agree on rules of conduct and punitive consequences Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

A quarter of Brits think they already have full-fibre broadband

CityFibre research commissioned to support its campaign for more clarity in broadband advertising appears to show widespread misunderstanding of what fibre is or what it means Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Matching disaster recovery to cyber threats

While it is important to take steps to prevent cyber attacks, they can still happen. That is why disaster recovery practices are equally critical Continue Reading

By

• Nicholas Fearn

Flexible IT contracts generate savings for HMRC

HMRC’s annual report and accounts show transformation savings are slightly lower than planned as Brexit work means other projects are put on hold, but it’s making significant savings from smaller and more agile IT contracts Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Venture capitalists fears for London’s fintech future is the starkest of warnings

Fintech is nothing without VC funding and the UK risks losing a significant share Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Hackers increasingly targeting cloud infrastructure

Cloud infrastructure is a growing target for cyber attackers because of available computing resources, as well as the repositories of valuable data, a report reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Half of young girls don’t think tech careers are exciting

Young women are put off of technology careers because they don’t perceive them to be exciting, according to research Continue Reading

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• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Security Think Tank: A good password policy alone is not enough

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

• Bruce Beam , (ISC)²

Traders may not be compliant with new customs IT system by end of March 2019

PAC hearing reveals several issues with getting the Customs Declaration Service ready on time, including that traders probably won’t have enough time to get their systems compatible and compliant with the new IT system Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Broadcom acquires enterprise business with CA Technologies deal

Broadcom buys into the enterprise software infrastructure arena, announcing $19bn acquisition of CA Technologies Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

CIO interview: Gideon Kay, European CIO, Dentsu Aegis Network

Dentsu Aegis’s European CIO, Gideon Kay, talks about how to transform the organisation into a “digital economy business”, dealing with M&A activity and creating a centralised approach Continue Reading

By

• Mark Samuels

Cyber attackers cashing in on ‘hidden’ attack surface

Cyber attackers are cashing in on organisations’ lack of visibility into all online interactions that can involve multiple third parties, a report reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Three-quarters of consumers have interacted with artificial intelligence

Capgemini survey finds 55% of people prefer a mix of AI and humans when they interact with organisations Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

An exciting time to be in cyber security innovation

Cyber security innovation has received a £1.35m shot in the arm from the UK government with the opening of a new innovation centre in London. Computer Weekly looks at why now is a good time to be working and innovating in this industry Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

The analogue minister

When Theresa May’s unstoppable reshuffle tour eventually reached as far as grinning app namesake Matt Hancock, he found himself thrust from his role as secretary of state for digital, culture, ... Continue Reading

By

• Ryan Priest

The sacking of a robot revealed the need for robot probation periods

Businesses need to give robots a probabtion period for different roles andd must be prepared to bring out the P45 Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Siemens and Alibaba Cloud eye Chinese IoT market

The two bigwigs will develop industrial internet of things offerings for China’s manufacturing industries that are being digitised through various state-led initiatives Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Russian startup event more international than ever

This year’s Startup Village in Moscow was attended by more international companies and investors than ever before Continue Reading

By

• Vladimir Kozlov

White-hat hackers find record number of vulnerabilities

White-hat hackers are finding more vulnerabilities than ever before, with crowdsourced security testing continuing to gain popularity, a report reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Swedish state-private partnership will use advanced IT to secure cities

Swedish authorities are working with the private sector to develop geo-fencing technology to protect cities from vehicle-related terrorist attacks Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

Security Think Tank: Cracking the code – what makes a good password?

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

• Ramsés Gallego, Isaca

UK firms too confident about cyber security

Three-quarters of UK companies say their cyber protection is above average, and nearly half think they are a “top performer” despite the growth in data breaches Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Give Jeremy Wright the chance to get digital right

The new DCMS secretary of state may not have much experience when it comes to digital, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't give him a chance. One thing's for sure though: Whether you want to call it ... Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

UK fintech industry fears Brexit-induced talent squeeze

London’s financial technology community warns of problems ahead as the reality of the UK leaving the EU unfolds Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Mind your drone business

Amazon is just the tip of the iceberg – companies are pouring hundreds of millions into the development of commercial drones Continue Reading

By

• Joe Austin , Livingstone

Facebook could face ICO fine of up to £500,000

Facebook could face the maximum fine provided by the UK’s previous data protection laws for lack of transparency and security issues relating to the harvesting of data, the UK’s privacy watchdog has revealed Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Hidden costs of data breaches difficult to manage, study finds

The full cost of “mega breaches” can be up to £264m, with the average UK data breach costing £2.69m, a study has revealed Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Lords urge Brexit negotiators to reach agreement on security

Time is running out for the UK and EU to agree on a future security relationship and if negotiators fail to find common ground, all stakeholders stand to lose, warns a Lords’ committee Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK falling behind European competition in efforts to produce powerhouse tech companies

Several European-based tech companies are on the way to competing with major US and Chinese counterparts, although the UK is falling behind in this race Continue Reading

By

• Zach Emmanuel, Computer Weekly

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

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• 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, Informa 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