IT news in your industry sector

Skype most popular communication channel for cyber criminals

The cyber criminal network is truly global and collaborative, making use of popular messaging services, a study has revealed Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

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

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

By

• Rian van Heur

What to do first when hit by a cyber attack

What actions should organisations take if they suspect they have suffered a cyber security incident? Continue Reading

By

• Gemma Moore

Kone brings elevator maintenance online with IBM Watson and Salesforce

Lift manufacturer is using sensors and artificial intelligence to support its maintenance staff Continue Reading

By

• Eeva Haaramo

Enterprise adoption of encryption accelerating, study shows

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

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

CW Middle East: UAE faces IT recruitment challenge

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

Six key security weaknesses in industrial systems

Organisations should mitigate six key vulnerabilities in industrial control systems to reduce the risk of cyber attack, warns security firm FireEye Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

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

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

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

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

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

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Virtual reality in healthcare

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

IR35 reforms: HMRC 'delays' blamed for last-minute public sector compliance panic

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IAM a core building block for GDPR compliance

Identity and access management is key to enabling organisations to become compliant with the GDPR, increase security and improve customer relationships, according to a senior analyst at KuppingerCole Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

The Graze journey: from pureplay to multi-channel

Health food retailer Graze began as an online subscription platform, but has used customer data to successfully cross the boundary into the physical retail space, says CEO Anthony Fletcher Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Customer expectation is biggest problem for retail, says panel

As retailers increasingly try to serve consumers across online, in-store and mobile, the main challenge they face is consumer expectation, according to a panel of experts Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Outsourcing service left Scottrade Bank customer data exposed

Mistake by outsourcing service provider left the details of 20,000 Scottrade Bank customers vulnerable to theft Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Wonga warns 245,000 UK customers of cyber breach

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

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Home Office U-turn over IR35 contractor classifications prompts IT project delay fears

IT project delays predicted at Home Office, following reports of last-minute departmental U-turn over contractors' IR35 status classifications Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

GDS changes start from the top

Last week’s highly critical National Audit Office (NAO) report highlighted the need for change at the Government Digital Service (GDS). The NAO “found widespread views across government that GDS ... Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

How Game used data to transform store experience and drive personalisation

Group insight director at video games retailer explains how customer interaction data has been used to create a personalised experience in-store Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

How UK organisations are leaving themselves open for cyber attack

UK organisations are leaving themselves wide open to cyber attack despite huge investments in cyber security systems, according to two former hackers now working in cyber defence Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Interview: Dave Perry, chief technology officer, DVLA

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

By

• Lis Evenstad

MEPs call for European Commission to reassess Privacy Shield

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

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

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

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

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Telenor launches IoT pilot in Norway

Telenor is opening up its IoT infrastructure in Norway to encourage students and entrepreneurs to develop IoT products and services Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Research fires warning at banks over branch closures

Traditional retail banks cannot rely on customer loyalty if service levels drop as a result of branch closures and staff cuts Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

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

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

By

• Eeva Haaramo

NHS Digital plans September go-live for citizen identity service

Health and social care patients will have a single online identity verification log-in to use across health and care by autumn 2017 Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

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

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

By

• Rene Millman

Technology investments core to JP Morgan Chase success

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

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Dutch IT companies introduce unlimited staff holidays

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

By

• Kim Loohuis

Northern Ireland schools to continue with Capita IT services

Two-year, £60m contract extension covers ICT services for 1,100 schools Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Australia’s Commonwealth Bank unveils data analytics platform

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

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Chinese hacking group targeted firms through IT MSPs

Security researchers have uncovered a China-based cyber espionage campaign that targeted IT services firms and their customers, underlining the need for supply chain security Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

IR35 reforms: HMRC 'delays' blamed for last-minute public sector compliance panic

Public sector stakeholders claim the late release of HMRC's online tax status assessment tool and its supporting IR35 legislation is causing contractors to leave projects in their droves Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

UK tech braced for Brexit

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

Less than 8% of retailers respond to customer queries across all channels

The omni-channel environment of the retail industry is raising customer service expectations, but very few retailers are responding to consumers on all of the channels they offer Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Blockchain starts to prove its value outside of finance

Technology behind bitcoin is being adopted in supply chains, power networks and even to support independent musicians Continue Reading

By

• SA Mathieson

Treasury Committee 'confidence collapse' in HMRC customs IT system

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

By

• Lis Evenstad

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

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

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

GDS builds DDaT jobs framework

The Government Digital Service has created a framework to build common skills and capability across digital, data and technology roles Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

First cyber security startups graduate from GCHQ accelerator

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

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

HMRC contractors leave over inside IR35 ruling

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

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

GDS digital transformation delivers mixed results, says NAO

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

By

• Lis Evenstad

Thorn CEO on using machine learning and tech partnerships to tackle online child sex abuse

The CEO of US-based no-profit Thorn explains how cross-industry collaboration and machine learning is helping her organisation stay one step ahead of online child sex abusers Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Russian Airline at home in the cloud

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

By

• Vladimir Kozlov

GDS needs a clearer role, NAO is expected to say

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

By

• Lis Evenstad

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

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

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Non-malware attacks pose bigger threat than malicious software

Malware-free cyber attacks are on the rise and artificial intelligence in cyber security is still far from replacing humans, according to most cyber security researchers Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Are ethical questions holding back AI in France?

France has been slow to create a strategy around the use of artificial intelligence, partly due to questions around ethics Continue Reading

By

• Pat Brans, Pat Brans Associates/Grenoble Ecole de Management

Uber shuts down in Denmark after less than three years

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

By

• Eeva Haaramo

Threats grow in Saudi Arabia’s cyber sector

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

By

• Triska Hamid

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

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

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Making the UK fit for 5G

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

UK business least likely to offer rewards to infosec professionals

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

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

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

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

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Serco uses HR technology to cut recruitment bill

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

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

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

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

By

• Lis Evenstad

NHS launches projects to increase digital health tech skills

NHS England aims to create digital academy to up-skill CIOs and CCIOs, while NHS Digital has launched a three-year public digital participation programme Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Singapore startup partners IBM to pilot blockchain technology

Invictus’ distributed ledger prototype will offer financing options for small and medium-sized enterprises Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Government to ramp up help for UK cyber security industry

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

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

US accuses Russian spies of directing Yahoo breach

US authorities have arrested a man in Canada who has been charged alongside two Russian intelligence officers and a Russian hacker in connection with a 2014 data breach at Yahoo affecting 500 million accounts Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Derbyshire NHS Trust takes simple BI approach to secure patient safety

Derbyshire NHS Foundation Trust opts for a simple, clinician and business-led approach to business intelligence to secure patient safety, using MicroStrategy Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Enterprise Applications Editor

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

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

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

CIO interview: Simon McCalla, Nominet

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

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Vodafone brings offshore contact centre work to UK

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

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Nearly 2,000 Lloyds bank IT jobs set to move to IBM in £1.3bn outsourcing deal

Around 2,000 IT staff at Lloyds Banking Group are set to transfer to IBM as part of a seven-year IT outsourcing deal, says union Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

NCSC to educate UK politicians on the cyber threat

The National Cyber Security Centre is to deliver tailored seminars for politicians on how to protect their email communications and voters’ data to defend against cyber threats to the political system Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Danish shipping company uses blockchain in IBM partnership

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

By

• Eeva Haaramo

Paying ransomware attackers perpetuates attacks, says researcher

Continually evolving ransomware is among the threats organisations need to factor into their cyber defences in 2017, but only once they have taken care of the basics, says Kaspersky Lab researcher Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Singapore’s maritime sector facing talent shortages in big data

The skills gap in Singapore is putting big data analytics out of reach for port and logistics companies Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Birmingham Airport uses sensor tracking to reduce queue times

Birmingham Airport has installed Wi-FI and Bluetooth sensors to gather valuable information on how long travellers are taking to move through the immigration process at the UK Border Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

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

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

By

• Lis Evenstad

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

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

Nordea brings social aspect to saving with fintech startup Spiff

Nordea launches a mobile savings app from Norwegian finanical technology company Spiff Continue Reading

By

• Eeva Haaramo

Case study: Tamer Group boosts bandwidth and network connectivity

Saudi Arabian firm chooses point-to-point wireless to ensure it provides the connectivity required for a fast-growing business Continue Reading

By

• Edward Banda

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

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

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

WhatsApp, Signal, ProtonMail safe from CIA hacking tools

Top secure messaging and email apps are said to be safe from CIA hacking tools, but organisations are urged to assess their own vulnerability if the tools were to fall into the hands of cyber criminals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

HPE buys Nimble Storage to fill an all-flash and hybrid gap

Hardware giant buys Nimble Storage for $1.2bn and plugs a gap below its high-end flash retro-fitted 3PAR arrays with ground-up solid state-based hardware Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Country as a service becoming reality in Estonia

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

By

• Tarmo Virki

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

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

By

• Lis Evenstad

Escaping waterfall government and the myth of 'digital transformation'

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

By

• Jerry Fishenden and Cassian Young

ZF Group opens doors to Hyderabad tech centre

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

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Retail industry steps up the fight against rising cyber threats

UK retail body BRC publishes the first of its kind step-by-step guide on how to manage cyber security threats Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Industrial control systems pose big risk to security

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

CIO interview: Sarah Wilkinson, Home Office

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

By

• Lis Evenstad

Virtual reality simulation helps KLM engineers escape in an emergency

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

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Thorough network upgrade underpins University of Law’s IT

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

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Deutsche Bank creates group-wide CIO role

New chief will drive technology transformation across the bank Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

3D printing gets serious in the Netherlands

3D projects abound in the Netherlands, with the technology being applied to canal bridges, bicycles, ship components and buildings Continue Reading

By

• Jasper Bakker

More than a million Gmail and Yahoo account credentials on sale

Usernames, email addresses and plaintext passwords of more than a million Yahoo and Gmail accounts are reportedly on sale on the dark web, posing a threat to corporate security Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Cyber attack on Barts NHS trust exploited zero-day vulnerability

A cyber attack that forced parts of Barts NHS trust offline in January 2017 has been blamed on previously unknown malware that was able to bypass the antivirus systems, highlighting a common weakness in cyber defences Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK sailing team picks BT to help beat Oracle at America’s Cup

BT is to supply a 4G wireless and fixed network to support the Land Rover BAR America’s Cup team, led by Olympian Ben Ainslie, in its bid to win the 35th America’s Cup Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Businesses blame rivals for DDoS attacks

Industrial sabotage is considered to be the most likely reason behind a distributed denial of service attack, a study has revealed Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

MoD ditches spreadsheets for SaaS-based collaboration tool

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

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Gov.uk Notify ready for use across government digital services

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

By

• Lis Evenstad

Yahoo breaches underline executive role in cyber security

Yahoo's data breaches cost its top lawyer his job, CEO Marissa Mayer millions in bonuses, and $350m off its sale price, highlighting the importance of executive involvement Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

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

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

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Alibaba runs academy to find future e-commerce leaders

Online marketplace firm Alibaba launches a global academy designed to find and train young people to join the e-commerce landscape Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

The internet of things: an overview

Despite security and other concerns, there are many benefits associated with embracing the internet of things Continue Reading

By

• Bruce Hughes, KuppingerCole

Santander bank to work with IBM developing mobile apps for staff

Santander bank wants to make its staff more productive through mobile apps, which it will create alongside IBM Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA