IT news in your industry sector

Australian council removes costly bottleneck with traditional storage architecture

Redland City Council chose to return to a traditional storage architecture when it was struggling to get rates notices out in good time Continue Reading

By

• Stuart Kennedy

CIO interview: Neil Pearce, Travis Perkins

Retailer Travis Perkins’ largest IT transformation programme to date is a challenge CIO Neil Pearce is more than happy to take on Continue Reading

By

• Mark Samuels

The grubby day-to-day frustrations of digital change in Whitehall

Change is hard. Few business or IT leaders would disagree with such a statement. But learning the lessons from change should be the easy and obvious outcome. Failing to learn the lessons from ... Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Dell Technologies to cut up to 3,000 jobs

Creating the world’s largest privately controlled tech company is to come at the price of up to 3,000 jobs following Dell’s acquisition of EMC Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Insurance brokers count cost of lost business as SSP SaaS platform outage enters second week

SSP confirms to Computer Weekly it has no clear idea when all brokers will be able to continue doing business via its SaaS platform, two weeks on from Solihull datacentre power outage Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Bank IT spending to hit $241bn across four major global regions

IT spending across four major economic regions will increase by around 4% in 2016, but Europe is the least certain Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

A new nearshoring game is emerging

Countries selling themselves as nearshore business services locations need to change their sales pitches to avoid becoming like all the other countries doing the same Continue Reading

By

• Ilan Oshri

Barclays uses blockchain for trade finance transactions

Barclays Bank has successfully tested the use of blockchain technology to complete a large trade finance agreement, which promises huge efficiencies Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

NSA used Iraq war to develop surveillance capability, documents show

As the controversial Investigatory Powers Bill inches closer to becoming law, NSA documents reveal that the agency used the Iraq war to develop and expand its surveillance infrastructure Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Basic security could have prevented OPM breach, says report

Basic security controls and malware-detection tools could have prevented the breach of more than 21 million records at the US Office of Personnel Management in 2015, claims a congressional report Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

A quarter of local council procurement policies do not support use of G-Cloud, research shows

Latest research by public sector-focused IT provider Eduserv sheds further light on reasons why local councils have been slow to adopt the G-Cloud procurement framework Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Use ransomware to get security buy-in, says Trend Micro CTO

Ransomware is one of the top cyber threats to business, but organisations should use that to engage stakeholders and review processes and defences, says Trend Micro CTO Raimund Genes Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

DWP "seriously considered" suing IT suppliers over Universal Credit failure

Institute for Government report reveals that during the 2013 “reset” of Universal Credit, the Department for Work and Pensions pointed fingers at suppliers Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Mobile device use feeds card fraud in Asean region

Card fraud is rising in Asean countries, with the high use of mobile devices a contributing factor. Continue Reading

By

• Ai Lei Tao

Silverstone Circuit pilots smart transport service at 2016 British MotoGP

Silverstone Circuit tests InterDigital’s oneTransport traffic flow management service at the 2016 British Grand Prix MotoGP Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Banks should avoid customer service robots for a few more years

Banking sector should not use software robots to automate customer services such as chat because consumers expect better service levels when it come to their finances Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Cloud collaboration boosts Cumbria County Council's disaster response abilities

How Cumbria County Council tackled the unsanctioned use of cloud services within its organisation and improved the robustness of its disaster response in face of December 2015's Storm Desmond Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Lessons from the Dropbox breach

Dropbox is the latest major company to confirm a data breach, albeit four years old, but – as with all recent data breaches by cloud-based services – it highlights some key security lessons Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

IoT will help ease transition to renewables, says National Grid chief

The National Grid’s chief executive, Nicola Shaw, wants to use the internet of things to balance energy demand as the UK transitions to renewable energy sources Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Evidence of DNS tunnelling in two-fifths of business networks

Cyber criminals are capitalising on the failure of many businesses to examine their DNS traffic for malware insertion and data exfiltration, according to Infoblox Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Westpac bank launches Databank data protection service

Australia's Westpac bank is offering organisations that share customer data a service that it says securely locks down personal information Continue Reading

By

• Stuart Kennedy

Cloud firm Backbone relegates X-IO SAN with Atlantis tiered storage

London-based Backbone uses Atlantis USX as storage virtualisation layer on top of PCIe flash and X-IO and as a stepping stone to hyper-converged infrastructures Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Encryption hiding malware in half of cyber attacks

Cyber attackers are using encryption to hide malicious activity, making it increasingly difficult to find as more organisations turn to encryption to protect data, a study has revealed Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Get protected: The importance of security

It is not uncommon for computer systems to be compromised by a company’s own employees. In this week’s issue we look at the Sage data breach, which highlights the risk every organisation faces from its staff. Staff are often motivated by revenge, but sometimes internal logins can be compromised, enabling hackers to circumvent firewalls. Our CIO interview is TalkTalk’s CTO, Gary Steen, and we have a report from the Intel Developer Forum on the chipmaker’s future plans. Continue Reading

VMware to help enterprises manage AWS, Azure and Google cloud deployments

Virtualisation giant VMware offers enterprises a helping hand with managing multi-cloud environments, spanning AWS, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud Platform Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Law firms planning litigation market for GDPR

Businesses should be preparing for the storm of litigation that is likely to be unleashed when the GDPR goes into force, warns Stewart Room of PwC Legal Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Computing GCSE continues to rise in popularity, but grades drop

The number of girls taking computing at GCSE level has more than doubled with more students taking the subject than ever before, but grades are dropping Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Apple iPhones plagued by device failure and crashing apps, report claims

A report on mobile device performance produced by Blancco Technology Group says the performance of Apple iPhones is flagging compared with Android-based devices Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

French submarine maker data breach highlights challenges of IP security

French naval contractor data breach proves that protecting intellectual property is challenging, say security experts Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

London datacentre market enjoys pre-Brexit surge in demand for colocation space

CBRE's pre-Brexit look at the European datacentre market sees London reap the benefits of a surge in demand for colocation space during the second quarter Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

UK second only to US in DDoS attacks

Distributed denial of service attacks on UK organisations have eased from a peak in the fourth quarter of 2015, but the UK remains the world’s second most targeted country Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Singapore models entire country in 3D with smart map

Singapore authorities are creating 3D maps of the entire country to help organisations in the public and private sector make better planning decisions. Continue Reading

By

• Ai Lei Tao

Interim Gov.uk Verify boss sets out future priorities

Jess McEvoy looks at potential for re-use of the government’s identity assurance platform in both public and private sector Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Projected gains: Odeon and UCI cinemas adopt hybrid cloud

In this issue, we profile Odeon and UCI Cinemas Group’s use of hybrid cloud as part of a digital transformation programme aimed at enhancing customer experience and staving off competition from on-demand streaming. We also look at the summertime game of musical chairs at the Government Digital Service, and at 50 years of business software. Continue Reading

There is life in Finland’s IT sector despite Nokia and Microsoft layoffs

Regional development organisations in Finland describe how despite massive job cuts Nokia and Microsoft have provided the foundations for IT industry development Continue Reading

By

• Eeva Haaramo

How to break up GDS without breaking up GDS

The Cabinet Office and its latest recruit – new Government Digital Service (GDS) chief Kevin Cunnington – are adamant that GDS will not be broken up. Cunnington told us so in his first blog post of ... Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Bangkok Hospital recognised for its use of electronic records

Private hospital in Thailand is recognised for its effective use of IT by a global accreditation body Continue Reading

By

• Ai Lei Tao

Expect ransomware arrests soon, says bitcoin tracking firm Chainalysis

Law enforcement organisations are set to ramp up arrests of cyber criminals behind ransomware attacks, according to financial technology startup Chainalysis Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Police arrest woman in connection with Sage data breach

A woman has been arrested on suspicion of fraud in connection with a data breach at accounting software firm Sage Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

HPE boosts MSA and StoreVirtual with sub-$10,000 flash storage options

HPE launches new StoreVirtual 3200 entry-level array that can cost as little as $6,000, plus the SME-focused MSA 2042 array which has 800GB of flash embedded Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

GDS loses another senior exec with departure of Gov.uk Verify’s Janet Hughes

Following the departure of GDS boss Stephen Foreshew-Cain earlier this month, Gov.uk Verify director Janet Hughes has announced she’s leaving too Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

TfL’s 24-hour tube API retains app compatiblity

TfL extends its open data API to support London’s 24-hour tube service, with TfL saying the API won’t break existing apps Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Cerber ransomware service reaps $195,000 profit in a month

Franchises such as Cerber are making highly profitable ransomware available to a broader range of cyber criminals, according to a report by security firm Check Point Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Case study: Improving food safety and traceability

We look at how Transparency-One is using a Neo4j graph database to deliver traceability across the global food supply chain Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

HMRC ramps up digital tax plans

HM Revenue and Customs launches six consultations on its plans to digitise the tax system and promises free software to small businesses Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Financial sector faces era of cyber mega heists

Banks and other financial institutions are threatened by a new breed of elite cyber criminals running professional operations that will use any means to achieve their goals, says Barclays security chief Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Sage data breach underlines insider threat

Organisations need to take insider threats more seriously say security experts, as Sage warns that a data breach using an internal log-in may have compromised employee data at nearly 300 UK firms Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Care charity Avante enhances unified communications capabilities with 3CX

Kent-based residential care charity Avante Care and Support installed an IP PBX to manage telephony across multiple sites and a mobile workforce Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Russia competition watchdog fines Google $6.8m over Android

As Google faces a fine of around $3bn for anti-competitive practices in Europe, Russian authorities have ordered the internet giant to pay $6.8m for abusing its dominant position with Android device makers Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Nimble adds to all-flash arrays with entry-level AF1000

Nimble made its debut in all-flash in February 2016, but now adds an entry-level array, the AF1000, plus upgrades to its hybrid flash array products that up performance and capacity Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Google Fiber to expand tests of gigabit-speed wireless broadband

Google Fiber plans to expand tests of wireless broadband to accelerate the roll-out of low-cost superfast internet across the US Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

South East Coast Ambulance Service deploys EPR on iPads

The South East Coast Ambulance Service has implemented the Evolve electronic patient record (EPR) system from Kainos to let staff look up and enter patient data while attending emergencies Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

MI5 staff repeatedly overrode data surveillance rules

Security service MI5 is responsible for 210 “clear contraventions” over five years for the way it accessed private internet and telephone data Continue Reading

By

• SA Mathieson

PwC Australia uses gamification to teach cyber security lessons

With the number of cyber incidents identified by Australian organisations more than doubling in the past year, PwC is using an online game to give enterprises first-hand experience of what it means to face a cyber attack Continue Reading

By

• Beverley Head

Will Rio’s 4G networks sink or swim?

The Rio Olympic Games are meant to be the fastest ever – not just for the athletes, but also for mobile data speeds, as users seek to upload photos and videos in real time. In this week’s Computer Weekly, we investigate how operators are working around Brazil’s patchy 4G. We also find out how Glasgow’s smart city initiatives are evolving following its Future City projects in 2014, and assess how Google and Microsoft are lining up to take on the might of Amazon Web Services. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

IT failure grounds Delta flights worldwide

US airline Delta has temporarily grounded flights worldwide after a power failure took key IT systems offline in its home base of Atlanta, Georgia Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Strider cyber attack group deploying malware for espionage

Symantec security researchers have uncovered a spying campaign by a previously unknown group using modular malware as stealthware Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

RBS abandons IT project for hiving off 300+ bank branches

RBS has abandoned a project to create an IT platform to support the sell-off of more than 300 bank branches Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Banner Health cyber breach underlines need for faster intrusion detection

A data breach at Banner Health has highlighted the importance of intrusion detection and prompted calls for greater cyber security investment in the increasingly targeted healthcare industry Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Artificial intelligence takes centre stage in cyber security

Artificial intelligence-led cyber security technology has been in the spotlight at two major industry conferences in Las Vegas, signalling a firm trend in cyber defence research Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Italian-based Android RAT spies on mobiles in Japan and China, say researchers

Researchers discover an Italian-based Android RAT designed for spying that is targeting mobile devices using their unique identification codes Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Singapore’s DBS Bank signs up to Amazon cloud

The latest move in the cloud journey of DBS bank in Singapore is an agreement with Amazon Web Services Continue Reading

By

• Ai Lei Tao

One in five businesses hit by ransomware are forced to close, study shows

More than half of UK companies have been hit by ransomware in the past year, a study on the impacts of this popular attack method has revealed Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Will Whitehall power struggle cripple Government Digital Service?

After losing its second leader in less than a year, does the Government Digital Service stand any chance of a successful future? Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Giving fashion a digital makeover

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we find out how one of the UK’s biggest mail order retailers – N Brown, owner of JD Williams and Simply Be – is moving to digital. We examine the growing importance of network function virtualisation and what it means for CIOs. And a year after Microsoft turned Lync into Skype for Business, we assess how the unified communications product is faring. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Broadband connection voucher SMEs generate substantial ROI

London SMEs that received help in getting online through the government’s broadband connection voucher scheme in 2015 are generating much more money, according to a report Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Stephen Foreshew-Cain confirms he is leaving GDS

Head of Government Digital Service is leaving after nine months in the role, to be replaced by the Department for Work and Pensions’ Kevin Cunnington Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Barclays to use voice recognition for phone banking

Retail bank says technology will provide secure verification by recognising the unique characteristics of each person’s voice Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

IT boss Mark Dearnley to leave HMRC

HMRC’s chief digital and information officer is returning to the private sector in the midst of the department’s Aspire contract exit Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Uber plans own Google Maps amid merger with rival in China

Uber forges ahead with own digital mapping project as it cuts its losses in China by merging with local rival Didi Chuxing Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

DWP director Kevin Cunnington set to take over as new head of Government Digital Service

Kevin Cunnington, currently director general for business transformation at DWP, is taking over as the new head of the Government Digital Service Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

AWS vs Google vs Microsoft: How the enterprise cloud war is hotting up

With Amazon, Google and Microsoft all reporting strong growth on the back of cloud, we take a closer look at how they have achieved it Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

No matter what happens next, GDS's long-term future is not assured

No matter what happens next for the Government Digital Service (GDS), you can assume three things will be true: 1 - The Cabinet Office will make an announcement full of praise for GDS and express ... Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Mobile and video pay off for Google’s parent company Alphabet

Alphabet ascribes strong second quarter financial results to long-term investments in mobile and video as demand for advertising through these channels increases Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

German digital bank Fidor acquired by French banking giant

Fidor CEO says merger with BPCE will allow challenger to continue its international expansion Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Nordic CIO interview: Vesa Erolainen, Pöyry

Doubts were raised when Vesa Erolainen, CIO at Finnish engineering and consulting company Pöyry, outlined his IT transformation plan, but he ended up winning an award for it Continue Reading

By

• Eeva Haaramo

Consumer identity management is the core of real CRM

IAM + CRM is much more than simply IAM for external users, says Ivan Niccolai Continue Reading

By

• Ivan Niccolai

Revealed: The battle for GDS – how Whitehall mandarins are trying to carve up digital strategy

Insiders say senior civil servants want to break up the Government Digital Service and return IT to its previous departmental model Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Six essential processes for keeping data secure

Data security is increasingly vital for organisations as the countdown begins for compliance with new rules imposed by the EU’s general data protection regulation Continue Reading

By

• Christine Andrews

BT sales increase 35% in 2016 Q2 with EE and broadband boosts

BT Group reported a 35% increase in revenue as it benefits from its EE acquisition and a large share of the broadband market Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

UK’s top security judges struggle to assess privacy threats

Technological advancements make it difficult for the Investigatory Powers Tribunal to assess privacy threats, say the tribunal’s own judges Continue Reading

By

• Fiona O'Cleirigh

UK education system failing to support cyber security profession

Countries and companies must act quickly to address the cyber security skills shortage through improvements in education, workforce diversity, training opportunities, security technology and data collection, a report says Continue Reading

Digital Greenwich joins forces with University of Surrey for 5G smart city tests

Collaboration will investigate “smarter” ways to cope with challenges related to transport, health, energy and the built environment Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Interview: Jon Page, head of operations, BBC R&D

As the way people consume media content is changing, so the BBC is adapting to new audiences, as Jon Page, head of operations for BBC Research and Development, describes Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Accenture to move HMRC tax system to private cloud

HMRC has awarded Accenture a contract that will run until 2020 to digitise the UK tax system Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Apple highlights services revenue and future bets as iPhone sales decline

Apple share price up on strong performance in services and investments in augmented reality and artificial intelligence, despite 27% year-on-year decline in quarterly profit Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Date set for landmark hearing into EU-US data transfers

Irish court hearing triggered by Austrian law student Max Schrems could have huge implications for EU-US trade and the data privacy rights of millions of EU citizens Continue Reading

By

• Computer Weekly Reporters

Tel Aviv Stock Exchange centralises functions with ERP

The Tel Aviv Stock Exchange has installed first ever ERP system. CIO Eldad Hershtig explains his strategic choices and implementation path Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Enterprise Applications Editor

Government tests use of social media accounts for verifying online user identity

Online public service users may be asked to allow access to their Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter accounts to help prove they are who they say they are Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Skills shortage and poor IT infrastructure hinder tech adoption by Asean governments

EIU report highlights governments’ desire for better use of data, including cloud access Continue Reading

By

• Ai Lei Tao

Estonia seeks UK datacentre to protect citizens' personal data from hackers - report

The Baltic state is reportedly in early stage talks with the UK and Luxembourg governments about setting up a backup site in either country to protect citizens’ data from risk of hackers Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Security industry welcomes cyber crime’s inclusion in official stats

The security industry welcomes the inclusion of cyber crime statistic in official crime reports to highlight the size and nature of the threat Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Mobile payments get Isaca’s security approval

Mobile contactless payments enable three key security controls that make them more secure than physical and e-commerce payments, according to a report by Isaca Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

CW Middle East: July-September 2016

In this issue of CW Middle East, we look at how CIOs in the region are formulating their virtualisation strategies as organisations warm to the benefits of cloud computing. Today, virtualisation in the Middle East has gone beyond a shoddy virtual private network (VPN) installed on a desktop, to more sophisticated cloud-based technologies that are enabling a more mobile, more agile workforce. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

How digital will Theresa May's government be?

Now that the UK government – well, apart from the Labour party - seems to be returning to some semblance of business as usual following the extraordinary political upheavals of recent weeks, the ... Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

BBC+ app tailors content to individuals

Users of BBC app can shape their experience based on the content they want to consume Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Benelux CIO interview: Paul Elich, CIO at KLM

Paul Elich, CIO at Dutch airline KLM, tells Computer Weekly about building innovation into IT departments and the ongoing de-duplication of internal systems since its merger with Air France Continue Reading

By

• Jasper Bakker

Microsoft reports strong quarter driven by cloud

Microsoft reports quarterly profits of $3.12bn, largely driven by the success of its focus on cloud services Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Carbon Black bets on next-generation antivirus

Carbon Black is betting on next-generation antivirus technology by acquiring Confer to extend the capability and appeal of its endpoint protection offerings Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Case study: Rémy Cointreau boosts security and productivity

Drinks firm Rémy Cointreau uses Centrify’s identity and mobile management to simplify security, improve business agility and reduce IT costs Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst