IT news in your industry sector

UK privacy groups join call on EU to halt comms data collection

UK-based privacy groups have joined calls for a halt to the collection of communications data by European Union member states Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Openreach extends Gfast broadband roll-out

Openreach commits to rolling out Gfast broadband services to 59 new locations in the next phase of its ultrafast deployment plan Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Most infosec pros would trust hacker-tested products

Information security professionals are more likely to trust a product or company tested by hackers and most would respond to security reports from this community, a survey has revealed Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

CCS cancels Crown Marketplace tender, but says programme continues

The Crown Commercial Service has cancelled a tender for an element of the Crown Marketplace, but insists the programme continues as the organisation has made “important decisions” to clarify scope and focus Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Mobile spectrum sharing is vital for UK 5G roll-out, says report

A report commissioned by independent network builders’ body Inca has warned that current approaches to how spectrum is apportioned are leaving vast amounts unused, and this needs to change Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

UK Space Agency offers £4m fund for using space tech in the NHS

The UK Space Agency is giving £4m to innovators working to adapt space technology to improve medical treatment and care in the NHS Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Assessing the hyperscale squeeze on G-Cloud's SMEs

The latest government spend data suggests public sector IT buyers are increasingly using G-Cloud to procure services from the hyperscale cloud community, prompting concerns about the impact this might have on the SME-friendly framework Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

BEIS and DfE not addressing Brexit impact on Stem skills, says PAC

A Public Accounts Committee report has raised concerns that government departments are not doing enough, quickly enough, to understand how Brexit will affect the supply of science, technology, engineering and maths skills in the UK Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

UK cyber skills in demand, says Dorset firm C3IA Solutions

UK cyber security skills are in demand and there is a bright future in exporting them, according to Dorset-based firm C3IA Solutions Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Brexit-induced immigration law shake-up ‘could spur tech startup growth’

By rebuilding immigration laws after it leaves the EU, the UK could make it easier for foreign workers to get visas and join startups, House of Lords committee hears Continue Reading

By

• Zach Emmanuel, Computer Weekly

IBM early findings on disastrous TSB core banking system migration released

Report released by Treasury Committee criticises lack of rigour in preparation for core banking system migration, but TSB says report’s content is out of date Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

SME provider takes on Cambridgeshire public sector network contract

Managed network services provider MLL Telecom has been awarded the EastNet contract to run WAN services across Cambridgeshire, replacing a legacy Virgin Media Network Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

How do e-commerce returns affect reverse logistics management?

Customers expect to return purchases, which means you need to be proactive in your approach to reverse logistics. Here are some things to think about. Continue Reading

By

• Scott Koegler

A dozen councils get tech innovation funding

The councils will use the funding, awarded by NHS Digital and the Local Government Association, to pilot how technology can improve social care services Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Infosec pros expect increase in nation state cyber attacks

Most information security professionals expect a rise in nation state cyber attacks, with more than two-thirds preparing to defend against them Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

L is for the way you look at renewable heating technology

A civil servant has swapped her job at the Department for Education for a stint on ITV’s hit reality show Love Island. Zara McDermott, who had previously been developing government policy on ... Continue Reading

By

• Ryan Priest

CDO interview: Andrei Belevtsev, Gazprom Neft

Russian oil giant will harness the latest technologies right across its business, says chief digital officer Continue Reading

By

• Vladimir Kozlov

Nokia outsources IT infrastructure and application services to HCL

Five-year deal will bring together the services delivered by four different IT companies. Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Government sponsors diversity cyber academy

The UK government has awarded a grant for the establishment of a cyber academy to promote neurodiversity in the industry Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Lloyds Bank cuts 450 jobs to make way for digitisation roles

Lloyds Banking Group has axed 450 jobs to create 255 digital-focused roles as it adapts to changes in customer banking habits Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

HR projects are leading company moves to digital tech, say business leaders

Business leaders say their human resource IT programmes are leading the way to the wider deployment of digital and cloud technology across their organisations Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

How NHS visa cap exemption could help boost tech sector

The government has announced that NHS doctors and nurses will no longer be subject to Tier 2 visa caps, but what does this mean for the technology industry? Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Need for speed: designing a modern campus LAN

Just like datacentres before them, campus LANs are increasingly being defined by virtualisation and software-based controls. Next to this shift, the hardware also continues to improve as network owners look to keep pace with user demand Continue Reading

By

• Christian Annesley

Vodafone to start 5G trials this autumn

MNO announces 5G trials in seven UK cities, with new mobile network infrastructure to be rolled out from October Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Mobile operators appeal for dark fibre access to back 5G

O2, Three and Vodafone unite in calling for more to be done to open up dark fibre networks to supply desperately needed capacity for their future 5G networks Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

CIO interview: Mike Young, Centrica

We speak to the CIO whose CEO recently met with the head of Microsoft to talk about strategy Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

San Francisco 49ers add pace to the team with NVMe flash from Datrium

US NFL football team plans high-performance NVMe flash to power in-game statistics and video decision-making, plus access for scouts to player databases during draft Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Banks already looking for EU-based IT staff for post-Brexit operations

UK banks already have plans to move some of their operations to the EU, with the search for EU-based IT professionals under way Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Nine out of 10 enterprises will use robotic process automation by 2020

Robotic process automation take-up expected to reach 92% of European enterprises within two years, finds ISG survey Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Oracle full-year results show 6% growth, but cloud revenue opaque?

Oracle’s full-year results for 2017-18 reveal total revenue of $39.8bn, up 6%, but reporting of cloud with on-premise revenue under “bring your own licence” policy has raised qualm over cloud weakness obfuscation Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Enterprise Applications Editor

CIO interview: Taavi Kotka, former CIO, Estonian government

Estonia’s former CIO talks to Computer Weekly about how to make services work for people, why the skills gap shouldn’t be an excuse not to digitise, and the importance of going to the gym Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

More APAC consumer goods firms expected to adopt blockchain

The adoption of blockchain technology is likely to increase in the consumer goods industry as more businesses use the technology to address fraud and improve supply chain management Continue Reading

By

• Kimberly Chua

Dutch organisations must unite to fight DDoS attacks

Experts in the Netherlands call on Dutch corporations and institutions to work together to help prevent distributed denial of service attacks Continue Reading

By

• Tijs Hofmans

Most small businesses fail to act after a cyber attack  

Nearly half of small businesses have suffered at least one cyber attack in the past year, yet most fail to take action afterwards, citing lack of budget at the biggest challenge Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Fintech takes headlines but Insurtech is a huge opportunity

Insurtech doesn't have the ring of Fintech but the opportunity to personalise insurance through tech is huge Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Debit card payments surpassed cash for first time in 2017

For the first time, UK customers used debit cards to make more payments than cash in 2017, a change which has come a year earlier than expected. Continue Reading

By

• Zach Emmanuel, Computer Weekly

Visa reveals 'rare' datacentre switch fault as root cause of June 2018 outage

Visa has offered a retrospective analysis of what went wrong in its datacentre during its UK-wide outage on Friday 1 June, in response to a request from the Treasury Select Committee for more detail about the downtime Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Surface web used in private data sales

The surface web plays an integral role in the selling of personal information, a report on identify fraud has revealed Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Young generation tempted by Amazon bank-like services

Tech firms offering banking services will be inevitable in the future as more than half of young people are tempted by such a prospect Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Government’s broadband service obligation derided by industry

As Ofcom starts the process of finding a provider willing to step up to manage the government’s 10Mbps broadband universal service obligation, the project has been derided by network builders and stakeholders alike Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

CIO interview: Michael Cole, European Tour and Ryder Cup

Michael Cole, chief technology officer at the European Tour and Ryder Cup, discusses how he is helping the sport of golf broaden its appeal through his “connected course” digital transformation vision Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

NHS trust dumps creaking EMC SAN for Nutanix hyper-converged

Derbyshire-based NHS trust had reached end-of-life with Dell servers and EMC SAN, so it took the plunge with Nutanix hyper-converged to reap space, power and reliability gains Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

MPs see risk to critical infrastructure as top threat

A majority of MPs are concerned about the cyber threat to critical national infrastructure, a survey has revealed Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Technology can help solve some of society’s pressing social and environmental problems

A recent initiative on using technology to tackle the illegal wildlife trade shows how much the tech sector can contribute to solving some of society's biggest challenges Continue Reading

By

• Julian David, TechUK

An audience with Matt Hancock, secretary of state for digital, culture, media and sport

Matt Hancock is the first Cabinet minister with a digital background, and he's keen to impress on the tech sector that he’s on their side. Continue Reading

Theresa May gives NHS £20bn birthday gift and says tech is key

The prime minister promises to increase NHS funding by an extra £20bn a year by 2023, and highlights importance of tech in improving care and enabling earlier diagnosis Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Bank uses AI to select job candidates

Singapore’s DBS Bank is using artificial intelligence to automate parts of its recruitment process Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

IPsoft’s digital worker is part of a shift in human productivity

IPsoft used its annual user summit to allow customers to update themselves on the career of its cognitive digital agent Amelia Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

DeepMind Health must be transparent to gain public trust, review finds

Independent review of DeepMind Health says the company should provide more clarity on data and business plans, while legal audit finds its controversial data-sharing deal with Royal Free is lawful Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Universal Credit value for money ‘unproven’, says NAO

National Audit Office is uncertain DWP’s flagship benefits reform programme will ever achieve value for money, but says it’s too late to turn back Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

The next moves by DCMS on data and digital identity must lay foundations for UK's digital economy

Matt Hancock, the secretary of state for digital, culture, media and sport (DCMS), is not everyone’s cup of tea – especially when that cup is Matt Hancock branded. But regardless of whether you’re ... Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

How Ocado built an online grocery delivery platform business

Ocado has used open source tools and a cloud-native approach to develop its fully automated warehouse management platform Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Nordic healthcare services provider outsources IT infrastructure

Healthcare service provider Falck is planning to transform its business with a standardised and simplified IT infrastructure at the core Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Encryption is under attack, says Venafi CEO Jeff Hudson

Encryption is one of the fundamental principles on which the internet is built, but this vital technology is under threat from criminals and ill-advised government policies, says Venafi CEO Jeff Hudson Continue Reading

By

• Peter Ray Allison

Government Geospatial Commission opens up OS MasterMap data

The Geospatial Commission, announced by chancellor Philip Hammond in his 2017 Autumn Budget, has opened up some Ordnance Survey MasterMap data to boost small businesses Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Enterprise Applications Editor

AI is key to keeping IBM compliant with GDPR

Artificial intelligence is vital for keeping IBM compliant with the principles of the General Data Protection Regulation, which, in turn, provides opportunities for business, says the company’s data protection officer Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Case study: Mercedes F1 team makes gains with Pure Storage all-flash

Two years ago, the Mercedes AMG Formula 1 team deployed Pure Storage all-flash arrays in its datacentre and in mobile racks out on the circuit. It’s a bet that has paid off for the racing team Continue Reading

By

• Christophe Bardy

Ofcom satisfied with progress on BT Openreach split

Ofcom has published its first annual report on the legal separation of BT and Openreach, and said it is broadly satisfied with progress to date, despite hiccups relating to the BT pension scheme Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Government launches £50m competition for digital pathology and imaging

The government will provide funding for up to six specialist centres focusing on digital pathology or medical imaging, as part of the drive to make the UK a world leader in the field Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Cyber attack warnings highlight need to be prepared

Fresh warnings about the vulnerability of national infrastructure to cyber attacks show the need for securing and monitoring associated control systems connected to the internet Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

CW Europe: Lufthansa’s HR IT project takes off

Lufthansa says it is confident of landing a company-wide HR IT project after having to go back to the drawing board. Also in this issue, read about the ComputerWeekly/TechTarget IT Priorities survey’s findings that many European technology leaders are expecting to increase IT spending through 2018, and how a major report has reassured Swedish society that artificial intelligence will be a positive force for change despite fears of job losses. Continue Reading

GP at Hand service will destabilise GP practices, says Unite

Union calls on government to scrap on-demand GP app, saying it threatens the future of NHS GP practices and is eroding the personal relationship between patients and clinicians Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

NCSC urges action after Dixons Carphone breach

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) is urging UK business to improve data protection capabilities after Dixons Carphone revealed that millions of payment card and personal data records may have been compromised in a cyber breach Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Take-up of Transport for London’s BYOD scheme leapt last year

TfL staff are increasingly using their own mobile devices in the workplace, figures reveal Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Bank of England to set minimum service requirements after TSB and Visa outages

The Bank of England is planning new rules for the minimum service levels that financial service providers must offer, even during IT outages Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Advanced network supports new learning model at Northampton Uni

The University of Northampton is preparing to open a new campus at a cost of £330m, and has turned to Cisco to supply an intelligent, secure network to support its innovative learning model Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

DCMS sets out plans for National Data Strategy

A new centre for data ethics and innovations will drive UK government policy making regarding data sharing and use of public data Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Dixons Carphone admits 'falling short' on data protection

Dixons Carphone has warned that millions of credit card and personal data records may have been compromised in a cyber breach Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

CogX AI show opens with debate on Europe’s lack of dominance

European researchers have made significant breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, but the dominant players all seem to be based in Silicon Valley Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Prime minister announces new visa for startups

The government promises new “startup” visa for entrepreneurs, a £2.5bn British Patient Capital fund to support UK companies going global, and plans for two international tech hubs Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

CIO interview: Richard Gifford, CIO, Wincanton

The CIO of logistics firm Wincanton, Richard Gifford, is in the process of improving its digital propositions and developing a digital supply chain, while dealing with legacy systems Continue Reading

By

• Mark Samuels

Mayor Khan bids to make London the world’s smartest city

At London Tech Week, mayor Sadiq Khan launched a city-wide initiative to harness the capital’s technology talent to address London’s most pressing problems Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

CityFibre wins key decision in fake fibre case

CityFibre has been granted permission to proceed with a judicial review of the ASA’s November 2017 decision about the use of the term fibre in broadband ads Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Insurer Beazley meets global challenge to secure mobile workforce

Beazley has stolen a march on other London-market insurers by implementing a versatile global digital workspace with improved security Continue Reading

By

• Christian Annesley

Wales to launch £100m transformation fund for health and social care

Welsh government promises to increase investment in digital technologies and infrastructure, improve digital leadership and establish a national data resource to share information Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Privacy Shield under threat by US non-compliance

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

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Investigators close Nokia extortion probe without finding a motive or making an arrest

New details of €2m blackmail of Nokia in 2007 emerge as Finland’s NBI calls a halt to its investigation Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

BT announces “unhackable” quantum-secured network

In the face of the threat that quantum computers could crack many of the encryption methods used to protect highly sensitive data, BT has developed a “quantum-secured” network Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Email-based cyber attacks gathering momentum

Email-based cyber attacks are gathering momentum and the cost of these attacks are rising, with several hidden costs, a survey of IT professionals in Europe, Middle East and Africa reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Industry must do more to open up cyber security profession

Talented and successful cyber security researcher and passionate advocate for the profession, James Lyne reveals that he fell into security more by accident than design, and says training and recruitment must change to find and develop talented individuals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Artificial intelligence names London as UK’s top innovation hub

An AI tool from Data City and the Open Data Institute has ranked the best clusters of cities for innovation across various technologies Continue Reading

By

• Zach Emmanuel, Computer Weekly

Is 5G more than just another generation of mobile?

Although several mobile network operators have announced launch dates for 5G services, many people remain unsure about the aspirations for 5G, what it means for users, its monetisation and its timescales Continue Reading

By

• Tim Wright, Institute of Telecommunications Professionals

Security Think Tank: Data flow visibility is essential to security

Why is it important to know where data flows, with whom it is shared and where it lives at rest, and what is the best way of achieving this? Continue Reading

By

• Elisabetta Zaccaria, Secure Chorus

Coinrail cyber heist highlights need for exchange security

A cyber heist at South Korea’s Coinrail has prompted fresh calls for industry regulations to drive better cyber security at cryptocurrency exchanges Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

An audience with Matt Hancock, secretary of state for digital, culture, media and sport

Matt Hancock is the first Cabinet minister with a digital background, and he's keen to impress on the tech sector that he’s on their side Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

APAC remains a hotbed for software piracy

The Asia-Pacific region is still seeing the highest use of unlicensed software installations globally, making enterprises more susceptible to cyber attacks from malware Continue Reading

By

• Kimberly Chua

GDS loses digital identity policy to DCMS

The move follows DCMS taking over data policy from GDS and means Cabinet Office is no longer responsible for relations with private sector ID ecosystem Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Parliamentary computers at risk after staff targeted by phone phishing

Police are investigating phone phishing attacks targeted against Parliament. Staff warned not to disclose details of their computers to fraudulent callers. Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

BYOD for mobile ‘a year away’ for Williams F1

Companies in the Williams Group – the Formula One racing operation Williams Grand Prix Engineering and its high-growth sister operation Williams Advanced Engineering – are investing with mobile security front-of-mind to enable more agile working practices within 12 months Continue Reading

By

• Christian Annesley

Security Think Tank: Focus on data protection, but do not rely on DLP alone

Why is it important to know where data flows, with whom it's shared and where it lives at rest – and what is the best way of achieving this? Continue Reading

By

• Emma Bickerstaffe, Information Security Forum (ISF)

Thriving fintech, AI sectors give boost to UK tech funding

British technology businesses have received £5bn worth of venture capital funding since June 2016 – more than France, Germany and Sweden put together – with fintech and AI startups standing out Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Medical firm puts vTax and SAN to sleep to save £30,000 with Scale

Penlon replaces HPE servers and storage and VMware virtualisation to escape the high costs of licensing, and deploys Scale Computing hyper-converged appliances at two UK datacentres Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

BT’s Gavin Patterson quits under shareholder pressure

Patterson’s resignation comes just weeks after he announced 13,000 redundancies across BT Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Businesses must report cyber crime, panel urges

By reporting cyber crimes, private enterprise can help improve national and international cyber defences and bring criminals to justice, according to an expert panel Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

DWP finally publishes Universal Credit business case

Published eight years after the programme began, the business case states that Universal Credit will generate £8bn a year in “economic value” once it is in a “steady state” Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Cyber security focus too much on tech, says Domino’s CISO

Many organisations are still focusing only on technology and compliance, which means their cyber defences are not as solid as they think, according to Domino’s Pizza chief information security officer Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

IT spending reaches 10-year high as CIOs struggle with digital technology strategy

IT leaders have seen their budgets and headcounts rise for the first time in 10 years, but face challenges implementing their digital strategies Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Nation state cyber attacks affect all, says former GCHQ boss

Cyber attacks by nation states used to be a small part of the problem for state authorities to address, but now all organisations are potential targets of nation state attacks, according to former GCHQ head Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Newcastle Council to show off smartest street in Britain

The Great Exhibition of the North will see Mosley Street in Newcastle upon Tyne transformed into Britain’s smartest street as part of a demonstration of IoT technology Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

5G transformative for UK plc, but potential impacts still vague

5G mobile technology looks set to transform the UK economy for the better, but the immaturity of the technology and lack of standards makes its true impact harder to judge, according to a report by Deloitte Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor