IT news in your industry sector

Lloyds bank staff will move to IBM in outsourcing deal

About 1,500 IT staff at Lloyds Banking Group will join IBM as part of an IT infrastructure outsourcing agreement Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

HSBC launches global social network for businesses

HSBC Bank is helping its business customers connect with potential partners through a digital hub Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Virtual reality as a healthcare tool

Virtual reality is being used as a treatment tool across healthcare, tackling issues such as mental health, phobias and chronic pain management Continue Reading

By

• SA Mathieson

Mainframe blindspots expose companies to insider threats

More than three-quarters of CIOs say their mainframe is more secure than other systems, but most admit they are still exposed to insider threats Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

British Airways IT glitch caused by human error, says IAG CEO

Airline’s datacentre power failure was caused by an engineer accidentally switching the power off and on again, says parent company Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Digital economy to contribute 7% of Australia’s GDP

Besides improving living standards, digital technologies could also lead to a resurgence of manufacturing in Australia Continue Reading

By

• Beverley Head

UK firms stockpiling bitcoins for ransomware attacks

Large UK firms are prepared to pay out more than £136,000 on average to cyber criminals who launch ransomware attacks, a survey has revealed Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Europe faces shortage of 350,000 cyber security professionals by 2022

European companies are expected to go on the world’s biggest cyber security hiring spree in the next 12 months, driving demand for cyber talent that will far outstrip supply, a report has revealed Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Telefónica increases use of renewable energy to fight climate change

Telecoms operator behind UK’s O2 mobile network doubles down on existing commitments to renewable energy sources in the fight against climate change Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

GDPR about change management, says startup DPO

There are threats and risks associated with the GDPR, but one data protection officer believes organisations should focus on the business opportunities instead Continue Reading

Whoever wins election 2017, it's time for a digital minister with real authority

You would expect, of course, that a publication such as Computer Weekly would call on whoever wins the 2017 general election to put the digital economy on its list of immediate priorities. While ... Continue Reading

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• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

IR35 reforms: HMRC denies claims that online tax status assessment tool returns unreliable results

HM Revenue & Customs hits back at research that suggests its IR35 online assessment tool is hindering public sector organisations in determining the tax status of off-payroll staff Continue Reading

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• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Enterprises struggle with emergency patching

Companies are struggling to maintain emergency patch cycles, despite the fact that enterprise reliance on legacy systems often means emergency patches are an everyday fact of life, a survey shows Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Australia’s Icon Group taps IBM Watson to boost cancer care

Watson for Oncology will provide oncologists with medical information and treatment options to support clinical decision making Continue Reading

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• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

WannaCry shows validity of risk-based security, says RSA head

WannaCry and other recent cyber attacks underline the importance of adopting a risk-based approach to security, says RSA president Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Hundreds of sub-postmasters have applied to join IT-related legal action since March

The number of sub-postmasters who claim to have suffered as a result of a faulty Post Office IT system has reached 1,300 Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

IR35 reforms: NHS revises stance on contractor tax status assessments

National Health Service’s U-turn over IR35 assessments could prompt other public sector bodies to follow suit, say experts Continue Reading

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• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Norwegian bakery chain gets the taste of mobile reporting

Baker Brun, a bakery company in Norway, is modernising its business processes through the latest technologies Continue Reading

By

• Eeva Haaramo

Shadow Brokers prepares zero-day subscription service

Businesses may face an onslaught of zero-day attacks soon as the group that leaked the NSA exploits used in the WannaCry ransomware attacks prepares to release more stolen code Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Singapore to pave the way for tech startup IPOs

The agreement between the Singapore government and the local bourse will lower barriers to capital markets and make the city-state a more attractive destination for startup fundraising Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

ICC brings drones, smart bats and virtual reality to international cricket

International Cricket Council teams up with Intel to transform the cricketing experience for fans and players with drones, smart connected bats and virtual reality Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Quantum computing drives the future for Volkswagen

In this week’s Computer Weekly, Volkswagen’s global CIO explains how the car giant is using quantum computing to drive the future of transport. We examine how to make data analytics programmes work and deliver business value. And SAP’s CEO reacts to controversy around the software supplier’s indirect licensing policies that led to recent high-profile court cases. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Taiwan’s OwlTing taps blockchain to improve food safety

The e-commerce company is using blockchain technology to provide consumers with greater transparency on food sources and production processes Continue Reading

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• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

People can be strongest link in cyber security, says NCSC

People are often seen as the weakest link when it comes to cyber security, but that must change, says the National Cyber Security Centre Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Swedish government agencies join IT spending benchmarking service

Government agencies in Sweden are using a tool by Apptio to help them gain a better understanding of IT costs Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

EternalRocks author throws in the towel after media attention

Security researcher who discovered worm that could have bigger impact than WannaCry says the author seems to have given up Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

CW Nordics: The trouble with connected things

In this issue, Finnish cyber security expert Mikko Hyppönen talks about security in the Nordics, Russia and the trouble with connected devices. Also read how Icelandic airline Wow Air averted disaster through the use of application performance monitoring software when it embarked on a major expansion. And find out how, since December 2015, anyone playing popular sandbox game Minecraft has been able to build their worlds on the actual map of Sweden. Continue Reading

Gatwick launches augmented reality airport navigation

Gatwick has installed 2,000 beacons to help passengers find their way around the airport using augmented reality maps Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Finding customer data is big hurdle to meeting GDPR right to erasure

Global organisations do not know where customer data is stored and use unreliable data removal methods to erase content, a study shows Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Dubai financial services regulator launches temporary licence aimed at fintechs

Dubai is making it easier for financial technology companies to test out their ideas through a temporary licence Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

SAP aligns with Saudi Arabia’s IT transformation agenda

Global software giant SAP sees an opportunity for its wide portfolio in Saudi Arabia as the Middle Eastern country transforms Continue Reading

By

• Edward Banda

Singapore government to spend S$2.4bn on technology initiatives

Funding will go towards building a national sensor platform, boosting the government’s cyber security capabilities and driving the use of robots Continue Reading

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• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Racetrack Memory products in five years, says IBM fellow

Millennium Prize winner Stuart Parkin says flash and 2D methods of storage are fatally limited – Racetrack Memory offers 100x the capacity without flash’s wear issues Continue Reading

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• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Audit Scotland shares lessons learned from failed IT projects

In a ‘lessons learned’ report, Scottish auditor sets out five principles that should be considered when managing government IT programmes Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Economic and political uncertainty drives organisations to rethink IT strategies

CIO job satisfaction reaches a three-year high as organisations hire more IT staff and invest in innovative digital technology Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

EternalRocks worm combines seven leaked NSA attack tools

Hard on the heels of the WannaCry ransomware attacks, a researcher has found a worm that combines four NSA exploits and associated attack tools, including EternalBlue used by WannaCry Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Dutch railway uses IoT to reduce people jams

Railway stations in The Netherlands are monitoring the movement of travellers to manage traffic flow and reduce people jams Continue Reading

By

• Jasper Bakker

HSBC voice authentication tricked by twins

Twin brothers managed to trick HSBC’s voice recognition security system into giving account access to the wrong person Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Windows 7 accounts for most WannaCry infections

Statistics show that computers running Windows 7 accounted for the biggest proportion of machines infected with the WannaCry ransomware, while NHS suppliers are blamed for hampering patching by NHS trusts Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Manx Telecom streamlines its business with VMware NFV

After deploying an NFV platform to replace its IMS service, Isle of Man-based telco has seen substantial improvements to its business agility and processes Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Command and control communications key to detecting threats

Malware command and control (C&C) communications are key to detecting advanced threats, according to a security researcher Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Conservative Party manifesto promises to ‘face up to fast-changing technology’

Tories aim to create a digital charter, continuing a “digital by default” government and a dynamic digital economy Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Strong cyber security posture reduces impact of breaches

There is a direct correlation between data breaches and falls in stock prices, but the impact is lighter on companies with good cyber security, a study has revealed Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Organised crime exploiting new technology

European law enforcement is to focus on collaborating with industry around cyber crime as organised crime groups increasingly exploit new technologies, according to a regional crime threat report Continue Reading

By

• Peter Ray Allison

Dell EMC all-flash XtremIO X2 gains I/O boost via software upgrade

Dell EMC’s XtremIO X2 all-flash arrays got a performance jump from ungraded hardware, but the real performance boost comes from changes to the way I/O is dealt with Continue Reading

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• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Customer experience transformation at Macquarie bank brings legacy system retirement as a bonus

Australia’s Macquarie bank builds a data layer on top of legacy IT systems to transform customer experience Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Political turmoil threatens global IT services sector

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we examine the threats to the global IT services sector caused by US president Donald Trump’s protectionist rhetoric, and by the UK’s planned departure from the EU. Home Office IT chief Sarah Wilkinson discusses the challenges of digital transformation in a large government department. And we find out how business leaders need to improve their digital skills. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

UK government, NHS and Windows XP support - what really happened

In all the debate about the NHS ransomware attack, much has been made of a government decision in 2015 to end a contract with Microsoft to provide support for the ageing Windows XP operating system ... Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Attackers have no need of zero-days, breach data shows

Cyber attackers do not have to use previously unseen or extremely sophisticated attacks to bypass defences, analysis of publicly reported breaches in the past year reveals Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Manchester trams halted by communications failure

A communications systems fault at Transport for Greater Manchester halted Metrolink tram services across the city on Sunday 14 May Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Toys R Us introduces tablets for store staff

Toy and games retailer Toys R Us is trialling the use of tablets for store assistance to provide a better customer service experience Continue Reading

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• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

NHS hospitals hit in global ransomware attack

Hospitals across England are reporting problems with IT systems that are affecting healthcare treatment, caused by what could be a global ransomware campaign enabled by a leaked NSA exploit Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Five cyber security imperatives for all companies

There are five things all companies should ensure they are doing in terms of cyber security Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Tech packages to help Singapore SMEs go digital

Small and medium-sized enterprises in Singapore can now take advantage of a slew of pre-approved IT products to stay competitive Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

BBC signs five-year enterprise ICT deal with Atos

As part of the broadcaster’s Aurora programme, it has signed up to five years of Atos as its technology services provider Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Made.com trialling real-time chat for customer advice

Online retailer Made.com has partnered with Hero so showroom staff can chat live with online shoppers to help with queries and shopping decisions Continue Reading

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• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

CW Benelux: 3D printing on the rise

This quarter’s CW Benelux looks at the practical use of 3D printing in the Netherlands. It seems the technology has found its home, at least initial home, in manufacturing, with the early buzz around its consumer potential now a reality in the enterprise sector. The possibilities have not escaped government attention. The Dutch ministry of economic affairs last year unveiled an action plan for smart industry to boost development and standards for smart industrial applications, including 3D printing. Also read how PostNL is using IT to help its business to prosper in a transformed mail industry, find out how businesses in the Netherlands are getting their heads around blockchain technology, and see what KLM is doing with virtual reality technology. Continue Reading

Nordic region competes for datacentre dominance

The Nordic region is an attractive region for datacentres as demand for cloud services in the area grows Continue Reading

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• Eeva Haaramo

Durham Police to use artificial intelligence to help decide if suspects should be held in custody

Durham Police are to use artificial intelligence to help them decide whether or not to keep suspects in custody Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Blockchain economy on the horizon

Blockchain technologies will enable many new and disruptive business models than the internet itself, an expert predicts Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Cognitive security is the future, says Martin Kuppinger

Modern computing capabilities combined with cognitive technology has huge potential for tackling unknown attack patterns and addressing the security skills shortage, says Martin Kuppinger Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Highly skilled professionals at risk of being replaced by computers

Highly skilled jobs will be replaced by artificial intelligence by 2022, says Gartner Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Large UK businesses increasingly want CEOs to have IT background

More large businesses in the UK want a CEO that has a good understanding of IT Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Barclays launches £10m UK digital safety campaign

Barclays is to lead a £10m campaign against digital fraud as research reveals London, Bristol and Birmingham are scam hotspots, with young adults most at risk Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Ex-government privacy advisor calls for 'fundamental review' of Gov.uk Verify identity scheme

Former Cabinet Office privacy group co-chair says the Verify identity assurance programme needs 'honest and fundamental reset' Continue Reading

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• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Gov.uk Verify and identity assurance - it's time for a rethink

The government's Verify identity platform is not meeting user needs - it's time to step back and review how best to make online identity for public services work Continue Reading

By

• Jerry Fishenden

SAP goes after world’s largest brewing company in $600m licence dispute

Belgian brewer Anheuser-Busch InBev says it intends to defend “vigorously” against software licensing claims by SAP Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Testing is key to IoT security, says researcher

Building an effective testing process across all elements associated with a product is key to securing the internet of things, according to a researcher in the field Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

NHS Digital picks up pace on paperless healthcare

NHS Digital’s director of digital transformation, Beverley Bryant, says the organisation needs to demonstrate pace and agility and highlights plans for improving interoperability, standards and collaboration with suppliers Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Metropolitan Police to hit massive IT overspend

The Metropolitan Police Service is set to massively overspend on IT as it attempts to improve digital policing Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Facebook revenues, profits and users up in first quarter

Despite a strong first quarter, investors are nervous about the future profitability and growth of Facebook as it indicates it is starting to hit advertising revenue limits Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Mayor of London seeks chief digital officer

Capital’s first-ever chief digital officer will oversee the digital transformation of public services across London Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Government privacy advisor quits and slams Cabinet Office for lack of support

Co-chair of Privacy and Consumer Advisory Group resigns and criticises officials for ignoring its advice and attempting to smuggle “inadequate proposals past ministers” Continue Reading

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• Lis Evenstad

UBS applies data protection for compliance and competitive advantage

Swiss bank UBS aims to get greater value out of investments in sensitive data protection systems by using its security capabilities as a differentiator Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Cisco buys SDN business Viptela

Cisco says its acquisition of supplier Viptela will enhance its own SDN functionality Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

How to deal with data under GDPR

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we take an in-depth look at GDPR – the new EU General Data Protection Regulation - with only 12 months left for organisations to prepare for significant changes in data management. We hear how one firm is using machine learning to revolutionise online fashion retail. And we examine how CIOs can apply lessons from buying software to improve digital transformation. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Intel urges business to patch critical remote-execution flaw

Intel advises business customers to apply a security update for some versions of its administration firmware for vPro processors to fix a remote execution flaw Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

IT outsourcing going strong in the Nordics

IT outsourcing is popular among companies in the Nordic region, but the market is changing Continue Reading

By

• Eeva Haaramo

CIO interview: Mark Foulsham, chief digital officer, Scope

The charity’s chief digital officer is implementing a three-stage plan to transform the organisation through building internal capabilities and technology stack, as well as creating a digital framework Continue Reading

By

• Mark Samuels

UBS reduces legacy dependence with Microsoft Azure

Swiss bank begins its strategy of moving core systems into the cloud Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Nordea strikes partnership with Swedish mobile payment startup

Nordic bank links up with payments startup in its latest fintech project Continue Reading

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• Eeva Haaramo

Forge ahead with GDPR, says ICO

UK organisations cannot afford to lose the public’s trust in their ability to safeguard personal data and should be working to ensure they have that capability, says the Information Commissioner’s Office Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Case study: Specsavers furthers digital transformation with single customer view

UK retailer Specsavers has been in the process of digital transformation for several years, and has now partnered with Fujitsu to eliminate disparate systems and create a single customer view Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Demo shows GPUs are more than simple accelerators

Graphics processor units have helped to accelerate a reservoir simulation program, showing that the technology could be applied to complex code Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Can DWP meet its revised 2022 target for completion of Universal Credit?

In the run-up to the last UK general election in 2015, the Labour Party’s then shadow employment minister Stephen Timms pointed out that the target completion date for the Universal Credit welfare ... Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

UK trade department in New York to promote fintech firms

Group of financial technology firms taken to New York to show off their knowledge of regulatory compliance software Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Huddle needs $5m equity injection or to find a buyer, as investment declaration deadline looms

Companies House documents reveal Huddle needs to raise $5m or more by the end of April or find a buyer to meet its financial obligations for the next 12 months Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

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

Cancer researcher gets Nodeum LTFS tape NAS

Belgium-based OncoDNA replaces IBM tape library with flash-powered Nodeum LTFS to provide file access to backup and archive tapes at approaching nearline timescales Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Motorola brings big data digital evidence service to UK police forces

Motorola is launching a digital evidence management service to UK police forces, backed off into AWS cloud infrastructure Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Consortium hopes to drive autonomous car from London to Oxford

The Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles has awarded an £8.6m grant to back a consortium attempting the UK’s first Level 4 autonomous vehicle test run, to take place within the next two-and-a-half years Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

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

Mastercard integrates biometric technology into cards

MasterCard tests out biometric technology embedded into payment cards, with further trials in Europe planned Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

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

Human interaction still key to cyber attacks, study reveals

An analysis of threats faced by organisations in the first quarter of 2017 reveals that cyber attackers still rely heavily on user interaction Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst