IT news in your industry sector

CW Europe – May 2014 Edition

This issue of CW Europe looks at how European Union (EU) countries vary in sharing patient records and exchanging data. Continue Reading

Co-operative Bank report reveals challenge of legacy IT replacement

A report into the £1.5bn losses at Co-operative Bank reveals numerous failures in a project to replace core banking systems Continue Reading

GDS working to secure Google Apps for government

The Government Digital Service (GDS) is in talks with CESG, the IT security arm of GCHQ, to get approval for using Google Apps within government. Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Case study: How the BBC uses cloud to process media for iPlayer

The BBC has taken its iPlayer video-on-demand service to the cloud and cut media processing time from 9-10 hours to 20-30 minutes Continue Reading

By

• Archana Venkatraman, Datacentre Editor

British Gas brings central heating control to smartphones with AWS

British Gas used public cloud IT to enable people remotely control their homes’ central heating with smartphone apps and save on utility bills Continue Reading

By

• Archana Venkatraman, Datacentre Editor

Infosec 2014: Threat knowledge is key to cyber security, say experts

Business should improve awareness of cyber risks to stay ahead of criminals, say experts Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Interview: Nick Roberts, president of Socitm and IT group manager

This month, Nick Roberts, IT group manager at Surrey County Council, took over as president of Socitm, the association of IT and digital professionals working in and for local public services Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Software developers suffer as IT companies endure rising insolvencies

Increase in the number of IT insolvencies expected as the economy improves Continue Reading

By

• Tim Wood and Henry Kirby

Oracle updates Solaris, but is its server strategy sound?

Oracle has released a beta versdion of Solaris 11.2. But does Solaris and the Sparc server platform have a future? Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

SDL turns to cloud HR to join up businesses in 40 countries

The technology is central to the company’s strategy to integrate formerly autonomous businesses in 38 countries into a single operation Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Investigations Editor

Case study: How big data powers the eBay customer journey

With 50TB of machine-generated data produced daily and the need to process 100PB of data, eBay has an astronomic data challenge Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Berlin: A hotbed of European technology startups

Berlin is one of the hottest new places to be an entrepreneur with technology startups from all over the world heading to the German capital Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

UK and Ireland cyber attacks up 300% in 2013, says FireEye

UK and Ireland enterprises were hit by an average of more than 70 new infections a day in 2013, a report shows Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Fiat and Chrysler to integrate separate IT systems

Car manufacturing group Fiat and Chrysler have contracted IBM to integrate their separate IT infrastructures into a single global operation, following the companies coming together after Chrysler applied for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Continue Reading

Gartner: CIOs spend more on BI as business growth returns

The return to business growth is driving IT spending among UK and Irish CIOs, according to Gartner's 2014 CIO Agenda survey Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Cyber threat detection paramount, says SANS fellow

Cyber threat prevention is ideal, but detection is a must, says Eric Cole, SANS Institute fellow Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Heartbleed prompts tech firms to pledge open-source support

Top tech firms have joined forces to support open-source software to help prevent future bugs like Heartbleed Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Obituary: Pioneering Computer Weekly journalist Ron Coates

Former Computer Weekly deputy editor Ron Coates died recently after a period of ill health. Continue Reading

By

• John Lamb

Facebook reports strong quarter driven by mobile ads

Facebook has beaten analyst expectations with first-quarter profits of $642m and revenues of $2.5bn, up 72% Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Six Degrees datacentre suffers outage for more than 12 hours

Customers using Six Degrees’s datacentre and hosting services faced downtime as the hosting and managed services provider suffered an outage for over 12 hours Continue Reading

By

• Archana Venkatraman, Datacentre Editor

HP firmware bricks ProLiant server models

HP has released a server patch which it has admitted will kill 100 of its server models and 14 network adapters. Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Talent shortage is threatening growth of London’s technology sector

A shortage of talent and immigration legislation has been blamed for hampering technology growth in London Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Centerprise ICT 2015 Treasury contract guarantee of SME commitment

HM Treasury has handed a four year media and wireless contract understood to be worth around £2.5m to Hampshire-based services provider Centerprise, under the auspices of its ICT 2015 contracts Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has his Trustworthy Computing moment

In 2002, Microsoft chief Bill Gates sent out the Trustworthy Computing memo to staff. Microsoft’s new CEO, Satya Nadella, had his Trustworthy Computing moment this week. Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Q&A: SAP's Mike Ettling discusses SuccessFactors cloud HR strategy

Computer Weekly talks to Mike Ettling, global head of cloud and on-premise HR at SAP, about the company’s strategy for its SuccessFactors cloud HR technology Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Investigations Editor

EU data privacy authorities approve Microsoft Azure, Office 365 cloud services

The European Union's data privacy authorities have given approval to Microsoft's cloud services including Windows Azure and Office 365 Continue Reading

By

• Archana Venkatraman, Datacentre Editor

Government pledges to reduce digital divide by 25%

The government has launched a Digital Inclusion Strategy to reduce the number of offline people in the UK by 25% Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Are retailers using data analytics to their advantage?

Computer Weekly looks at the challenges the retail sector faces in taking advantage of data analysis Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Co-op Bank plans to 'fix the fundamentals' and invest in IT

The Co-operative Bank intends to invest in IT systems following a troubled year Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Endless aisle solution helps Crocs cope with small retail space

Footwear retailer Crocs has implemented an endless aisle solution in its 200-plus stores in the US which helps overcome small store space Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Microsoft halts Windows 8.1 update for businesses due to bug

Microsoft has suspended the Windows 8.1 update for business users because of a bug. Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

TCG releases TPM 2 specification for improved security

The Trusted Computing Group has published an updated specification for the Trusted Platform Module Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

DWP should scrap existing Universal Credit IT, say MPs

Department for Work and Pensions should consider scrapping its existing IT for Universal Credit and focus solely on the new digital solution, say MPs Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

EasyJet flies with HR software in the cloud

Airline easyJet is moving to cloud-based human resources software from Workday to manage its 8,000 employees Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Workday sees opportunity for cloud financial management in Europe

Workday plans to push cloud finance and accounting services to enterprise in Europe, but observers say its background in HR technology may prove an obstacle Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Investigations Editor

Law Society advises legal industry's IT teams over cloud

The Law Society has published best-practice advice for legal firms' IT teams that are considering using cloud computing, following increased use of the cloud to store data Continue Reading

Haatch and Eccomplished launch retail tech startup investor forum

Retail technology accelerator Eccomplished and digital innovative and investment hub Haatch have launched an investment forum for retail technology startups Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

CIO interview: Leandro Balbinot, global CIO, HJ Heinz

Food giant HJ Heinz is gearing up to expand its international presence with a technology modernisation programme encompassing 23 countries Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

John Lewis and Waitrose move to Google Apps for collaboration

John Lewis and Waitrose have adopted Google Apps for sharing ideas, managing information and receiving real-time updates on the business Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Cabinet Office vetoed Home Office plans for 'critical' e-Borders replacement

Home Office plans for IT systems to replace ageing border security systems that contain “critical vulnerabilities” were vetoed by the Cabinet Office Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Test drive: Is Microsoft Office for iPad a strong start for mobile Office?

Microsoft unveiled Office for iPad on 27 March 2014, with immediate availability in Apple’s App Store. Continue Reading

By

• Tim Anderson

RWE signs seven-year network deal with Vodafone to improve efficiency

Utility provider RWE has signed a seven year, multi-million pound contract to run its network, to reduce cost and gain greater efficiency Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Turkey lifts Twitter ban

Turkey has lifted a ban on Twitter after the constitutional court ruled that the block breached freedom of expression Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

RBS IT head Mike Errington retires

Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) IT head Mike "Offshore Errington" is to retire after months of speculation during the bank's cost-cutting operation Continue Reading

Why have organisations failed to make PSN compliance deadline?

A number of organisations have failed to meet the PSN security compliance deadline despite the threat of being cut off from critical services Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Pharmaceuticals company turns to cloud HR technology

Astra Zeneca CIO Dave Smoley turns lessons learned from an earlier cloud HR implementation to use at the pharmaceuticals giant Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Investigations Editor

Government signs £5.5m Microsoft deal to extend Windows XP support

The government has signed a deal with Microsoft to support Windows XP across the UK public sector for 12 months after 8 April deadline Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Study alleges deeper NSA influence on RSA

RSA adopted a second NSA-developed encryption tool, increasing the agency's spying capabilities, a study claims Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK update to copyright law imminent

The UK is to update its 1988 copyright law for the digital age in line with a nearly three-year-old review Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Government failed at promoting competition over BDUK, say MPs

The government has consistently failed to promote competition during the roll-out of rural broadband across the UK, according to the PAC. Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Where next for the NHS Care.data programme?

In this week’s Computer Weekly, healthcare IT experts talk about the next steps for the controversial NHS Care.data plan to create a database of medical records. Is Moore’s Law running out? We hear about the future of processor technology. And our latest buyer’s guide looks at how data analytics can improve IT security. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Can the mainframe remain relevant in the cloud and mobile era?

IBM mainframes run more than 1.1m transactions per second, yet the mainframe has remained largely unfashionable. We investigate Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

M&S uses social media to make customers happy and drive sales

Marks and Spencer has been using social media to engage with its customers and has seen a significant increase in sales from its marketing campaigns Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Google says government data requests are up 120% since 2009

Government requests for information about Google customers, have increased by 120% since 2009 Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Security an unnecessary expense, say one in six techies

One in six IT professionals see security as an unnecessary expense, a study has revealed Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

TechUK criticises OFT's reporting of IT cartel accusations

TechUK criticises a report from the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) alleging anti-competitive behaviour and collusion between public sector IT suppliers Continue Reading

Using NoSQL databases to gain competitive advantage

NoSQL is attracting growing interest from businesses - we examine three case studies: Amadeus, i2O and Temetra Continue Reading

By

• Lindsay Clark

Target data breach: Why UK business needs to pay attention

Late last year, US retailer Target was hit by one of the biggest data breaches in the industry's history. So what happened and why is it relevant to UK businesses? Continue Reading

By

• Lee Munson

Grant Thornton spends £3m in move to cloud HR services

Financial advisory firm invests in cloud talent management as it gears up to expand its operations in the UK Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Investigations Editor

Get kids coding

In this week's Computer Weekly, we examine the latest moves to encourage children to learn to code, to help avoid future skills shortages. Facebook's Open Compute Project is bringing open source to the datacentre – we look at what it means for IT. And we profile Salesforce.com as the SaaS firm celebrates its 15th birthday. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Analysis: Care.data – where next?

Following the public debate surrounding the NHS Care.data plan, it was unsurprising the topic dominated the UK’s largest health IT event Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Customer privacy an ongoing challenge, says Unilever

Unilever has set up a programme to address the continually evolving challenge of privacy issues relating to customer data Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

The digital CIO: How digital technology will change the way organisations work

If you are an IT leader, digital technology is likely to be a pivotal factor in your career over the next five years Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Investigations Editor

Application support and maintenance costs increase 29%

The cost of supporting and maintaining applications is increasing every year for Global 2000 companies in the US and UK, according to a study of 300 CIOs Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Mine machine data to boost business value

Businesses risk losing their competitive edge if they are unable to drill down into the information captured by machine-generated data Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Pirated software malware to cost business $491bn in 2014, study shows

Malware deliberately loaded into pirated or counterfeit software is expected cost enterprises $491bn in 2014 Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Firms urged to take tough action on Unix-based cyber attack

Security researchers have urged businesses to take action on a cyber criminal campaign that has seized control of 25,000+ Unix servers worldwide Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Case study: How John Lewis conquered the web

An in-depth look at the inside story of John Lewis' £40m e-commerce strategy. Continue Reading

Oracle pushes Exadata servers aggressively against IBM PureSystems

IDC’s latest market share data for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), has shown that Oracle is beginning to grow its server business Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Committee report calls for “presumption of openness” with public data

The government should have a “presumption of openness” when it comes to public data, the Commons Public Administration Select Committee (PASC) said Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Three-quarters of UK charities are failing to adapt to digital

Charities in the UK are failing to adopt digital agendas in their organisations Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

SMEs believes they are immune to cyber attack

Most SMEs believe they are not at real risk of cyber attack, a survey has revealed Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Red Bull ramps up network for 2014 F1 championship

An extended relationship with AT&T will support RedBull Infiniti Racing on and off the track as it prepares its 2014 championship bid Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Hacktivism: good or evil?

IT lawyer Dai Davis looks at the rise of hacktivism and its impact on business and international politics Continue Reading

By

• Dai Davis, Percy Crow Davis & Co

Amazon Web Services reaches its 8th birthday

On March 14 2006 Amazon expanded from its retail heritage and launched its IT services business with the birth of Amazon Web Services (AWS) Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Heroes of the web

Tim Berners-Lee published his proposal for the web 25 years ago. We trace back the major developments that made it worldwide. Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Government finally ends e-Borders programme

The government has formally ended the troubled e-Borders programme, with its intended functions merged into a new project Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Case study: Footwear company Deckers takes e-commerce sites into the cloud

The company behind shoe brands including Ugg Australia and Teva is using a cloud-based digital commerce platform to support global expansion Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

More than 162,000 WordPress sites used in DDoS attack

Security researchers have uncovered a DDoS attack that used more than 162,000 legitimate and unwitting WordPress websites Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Tim Berners-Lee calls for internet users’ "bill of rights"

World Wide Web creator marks its 25th anniversary by calling for a “free, open and truly global internet” enshrined in a "bill of rights" Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Analytics across the ecosystem

Analytics is a key enabler for life sciences and healthcare organizations to create better outcomes for patients, customers and other stakeholders across the entire healthcare ecosystem, according to this research from IBM. Continue Reading

Case study: BG Group turns to cloud HR to reach staff in multiple countries

Gas exploration and production company replaces SAP HR technology with Oracle Fusion in the cloud. Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Investigations Editor

Dark web key enabler for cyber criminals, say McAfee researchers

The dark web is a key conduit for the malware industry to refine and distribute its products and services, say security researchers Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

CIOs hold fire over datacentre decisions

When it comes to devising datacentre strategies, are CIOs paralysed like rabbits in the headlights, or playing a calculated game of wait and see? Continue Reading

By

• Jim Mortleman

Cabinet Office completes first user trial of consumer technologies

The Cabinet Office has completed its first user trial of consumer technologies within the department Continue Reading

John Lewis sees omni-channel growth in yearly results

John Lewis has seen growth from both its in-store, online and mobile channels across its John Lewis and Waitrose branches. Continue Reading

Thames Water pilots smart analytics with Accenture

Thames Water is six months into an 18 month pilot with Accenture Smart Grid to pilot real time monitoring to deliver an improved service Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Channel 4 CTO Bob Harris leaves to set up consultancy firm

Channel 4 chief technology officer Bob Harris is leaving the broadcaster at the end of March to set up his own consultancy business Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

No more email? Why companies are turning to collaboration technology

Collaboration technologies are helping companies improve their employees' work-life balance Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Investigations Editor

IT sector sees sharper rise in insolvencies than overall economy

Information and communications companies in the UK are suffering a rising number of insolvencies Continue Reading

By

• Tim Wood and Henry Kirby

Liverpool council to end BT IT joint venture

Liverpool City Council is to cancel a £70m-a-year IT joint venture deal with BT and bring services back in-house Continue Reading

Virgin Media boosts broadband speeds

Virgin Media promises a top speed of 152Mbps for customers across the UK, as well as boosting its entry-level connection from 30Mbps to 50Mbps Continue Reading

By

• Jennifer Scott, TechTarget

RBS to tidy up systems mess

Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) outlines plans to cut costs and improve customer services, slashing the number of IT systems in the process Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

MasterCard and Syniverse launch geolocation card verification service

MasterCard and Syniverse have launched a number of mobile and payment services for mobile users to use while travelling abroad Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Mobile responsible for 32% of online sales

One third of all UK online sales were made using a mobile device in the last quarter of 2013 Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

HP Autonomy unveils healthcare analytics system for textual data

HP has unveiled a new healthcare analytics product to enable medical staff to interrogate text and data in relational databases Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Enterprise Applications Editor

Microsoft takes aim at passwords

Microsoft says it is determined to solve the problem of ineffective authentication that relies on usernames and passwords Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Interview: Prepare for the end of the silicon era

IT breakthroughs are governed by the insights of Intel's Gordon Moore in 1965. IBM fellow Bernie Meyerson believes Moore’s law no longer holds true Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Flexibility and integration drove NatWest Microsoft Dynamics migration

NatWest Business Banking selected Microsoft Dynamics CRM when it realised it needed full CRM capability Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Tech-savvy Mothercare boss quits

Mothercare announces the resignation of chief executive Simon Calver Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist