IT news in your industry sector

Executive interview: Handling vanilla S/4Hana change management

We speak to the transformation lead at household goods manufacturer McBride about moving people onto a non-customised S/4Hana implementation Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

UK names Russian FSB agents behind political hacking campaign

Russian hacking group, Star Blizzard, was part of a Russian intelligence operation aimed at interfering with UK politics and the democratic process, says government. Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

CIO interview: Keith Woolley, chief digital information officer, University of Bristol

With Bristol set to host the UK’s biggest supercomputer, its technology chief is looking to make the most of internal and international collaboration to drive digital improvements Continue Reading

By

• Mark Samuels

NHS whistleblower Peter Duffy threatens trust with legal action in row over alleged email tampering

NHS whistleblower warns his former employer of potential litigation over a dispute concerning allegations of email tampering Continue Reading

By

• Tommy Greene

Government launches UK-wide Cyber Explorers Cup

Schoolkids across the UK are being called on to team up and defeat Herbert the Hacker in a new government-backed competition Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Post Office prioritised its ‘bottom line’ over justice

The Post Office was more concerned with saving money and recovering unexplained losses than getting to the bottom of subpostmaster claims that Horizon errors caused shortfalls, inquiry told Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Government to trial new border tech

The software, which the government hopes will make it easier for border staff to identify what is inside the container, will be tested in the New Year as part of plans to ‘cut red tape’ for UK exporters Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Operator of Sellafield nuclear facility denies hacking claims

The operator of the Sellafield nuclear site has denied allegations that senior managers covered up a series of cyber security lapses that enabled Chinese and Russian threat actors to compromise its networks Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Dell EMC: Storage giant shifts gear to cloud operating models

Storage profile: We look at Dell EMC, the result of the biggest tech acquisition ever, and find a company well set for ubiquitous cloud operating models and as-a-service Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

CIO interview: Jarrod Phipps, Holman

The automotive services firm is accumulating vast amounts of data from its fleet and using it to bring insights to improve customer and employee experiences Continue Reading

By

• Mark Samuels

Currys data strategy takes major step forward with launch of Connected Media

Data is the foundation for the future success of the new Currys retail media platform, as the tech retailer’s CDO explains Continue Reading

By

• Ben Sillitoe

Majority of GPs now give patients online access to records

NHS England is close to reaching its target of having nine in 10 GPs offering patients access to their primary care records online Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Undisclosed document could reveal pressure on Fujitsu expert witness in Post Office prosecution

Details of Post Office prosecutor’s meeting with Fujitsu IT expert witness, used in subpostmaster prosecution, not yet disclosed to public inquiry Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

CIO interview: Sasha Jory, Hastings Direct

For a company aiming to be the biggest digital insurer in the UK, that means going cloud-first, and focusing on innovation for both customers and employees Continue Reading

By

• Mark Samuels

Microsoft leaves SME resellers in the dark over Cloud Compute 2 framework snub

SME IT suppliers are calling on Microsoft to explain why it has banned them from reselling its services through the government's new £1.35bn Cloud Compute 2 framework Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

CTO interview: Greg Lavender, Intel

Computer Weekly caught up with Intel’s chief technology officer to find out the semiconductor giant’s plans for the European market Continue Reading

By

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

Atos selected for UEFA Euro 2024 IT contract

IT services company Atos will deliver on-site and remote IT services for next year’s international football event in Germany Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Rhysida ransomware gang hits hospital holding royal family’s data

Ransomware gang boasts of having stolen data on the royal family in an attack on a private London hospital Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Collaboration paramount in KPN’s successful business transformation

KPN tells Oracle CloudWorld 2023 how it transformed when its legacy systems became obstacles to supporting its customers on their digital journeys Continue Reading

Human augmentation tech requires dual use oversight

Researchers investigating human augmentation technologies must acknowledge the potential military applications of their work, and military bodies cannot be allowed to dismiss ethical concerns in their pursuit of national security interests, says NGO Drone Wars UK Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Report reveals sorry state of cyber security at UK football clubs

Football clubs up and down the country are putting staff, players and fans alike at risk through outdated attitudes to cyber security, according to a report Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Lords committee urges caution on UK use of autonomous weapons

UK government must ensure proper democratic oversight of its development and use of AI-powered weapon systems, says Lords committee Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

The Security Interviews: Mark McClain, SailPoint Technologies

SailPoint founder and CEO Mark McClain reflects on how the concept of identity has evolved over the past 20 years, and points to rapid evolution still to come Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Industry 5.0: What is it and what does its future hold?

 Continue Reading

Post Office lawyer with his fingerprints all over IT scandal spreads blame

Senior Post Office criminal lawyer was just following orders and claims his only mistake was believing those that told him the Horizon system was robust Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Yarra Valley Water to roll out smart water meters

The move is expected to stem water losses, alert customers to possible leaks and improve the affordability of water Continue Reading

By

• Stephen Withers

The all-flash datacentre: Mirage or imminent reality?

Some say disk is dead and we’re on the cusp of the all-flash datacentre. But when will flash capacity and cost hit a point where it is suited to more than just high-tier storage? Continue Reading

By

• Stephen Pritchard

Government’s Online Fraud Charter welcomed

The government has corralled 11 of the largest tech platforms in the world to commit to its Online Fraud Charter, designed to tackle online scams, fake adverts, and more Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Rhysida gang stole hundreds of gigabytes of British Library data

The Rhysida ransomware gang behind the cyber attack on the British Library has published almost 600GB of stolen data to its dark web leak site Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Slow government response to Post Office scandal compensation forces new legislation

Subpostmasters who exposed widest miscarriage of justice in UK history still waiting for compensation after decades of fighting Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Paula Vennells’ email fuelled Post Office Horizon cult, inquiry told

Faced with serious questions about the robustness of its core computer system, the Post Office doubled down on reliability myth, public inquiry told Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Scope of Okta helpdesk breach widens to impact all users

Okta has widened the scope of the October breach of its systems to include every customer that has used its helpdesk service, after new information came to light Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Making artificial intelligence fit for all our human futures

Lord Chris Holmes explains why he has introduced a Private Member's Bill on AI regulation for discussion in Parliament - and the important precedents he hopes it will set Continue Reading

By

• Lord Chris Holmes, House of Lords

CCRC refers two posthumous subpostmaster appeals to Crown Court

CCRC refers posthumous appeals against convictions to Crown Court for first time Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

UK retailer The Very Group embarks on GenAI push with AWS

The Very Group's collaboration with AWS is geared towards improving the customer experience through personalisation Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Scope of British Library data breach widens

Personal data on British Library users has appeared for sale on the dark web following a Rhysida ransomware attack, as the scope of the still-developing incident widens again Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

MPs have ‘little confidence’ in Making Tax Digital success

MPs say HMRC’s Making Tax Digital programme is riddled with widespread and repeating failures, and criticise the programme for failing to be open about the costs and increased burdens on taxpayers Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

‘Excited’ finance firms pump money into digital technology

Over three-quarters of finance firms are currently restricted in what they can spend on technology due to the global economic climate, but expect spending to resume next year Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

India's Hexaware creates hundreds of jobs in UK

Hexaware opens IT services operation in Birmingham, with a plan to recruit 250 people in the region by 2025 Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

DORA raises the stakes for cloud use in financial services

The EU's DORA regulations will raise the stakes for cloud in financial services but resilience is more than just a tech issue, says NetApp's Steve Rackham Continue Reading

By

• Steve Rackham

UK police plan national roll-out of facial-recognition phone app

UK police chiefs plan to expand use of facial-recognition technology through a nationwide roll-out of mobile-based tools and increases in retrospective facial-recognition, but oversight problems persist Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Microsoft bans SME partners from selling its services via government's Cloud Compute 2 framework

Microsoft is under fire after documents leaked to Computer Weekly revealed it has banned reseller partners from selling its services via the government’s soon-to-be launched Cloud Compute 2 framework Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

DWP to surveil bank accounts of benefit claimants for fraud

The UK government has outlined how it plans to tackle benefit fraud by giving the Department for Work and Pensions new powers compelling banks to collect and share data on claimants’ bank accounts Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Three-quarters of finance executives expect generative AI to replace them

Survey reveals an expectation that GenAI will take over many of the finance executive roles currently held by people Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Chancellor offers spending boost for IT buyers alongside AI and quantum investments

In his Autumn Statement, chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced a range of measures intended to boost investment in innovation and technology Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Autumn Statement reveals more AI and quantum initiatives

With the government keen to position the UK as pro-innovation, the chancellor used the 2023 Autumn Statement to discuss more plans to support that ambition Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Executive interview: TechUK CEO Julian David on 10 years of change in UK IT

It’s 10 years since the UK technology trade association relaunched as TechUK – its chief executive looks back on a dramatic decade, and discusses what’s next for the UK tech sector Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Palantir awarded NHS FDP data contract

NHS England has awarded a £330m, seven-year contract to US data specialist Palantir, prompting concerns from data privacy practitioners Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

NHS England renews FutureNHS cloud-based collaboration hosting deal via G-Cloud for £1.67m

NHS England has renewed its long-standing hosting and support contract for the FutureNHS platform with SME cloud provider Kahootz Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Controversial Fujitsu contract with Post Office extended again

IT from Fujitsu is at the heart of the widest miscarriage of justice in UK history, yet the government keeps handing millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money to the IT giant Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Republic of Korea deal adds to UK quantum momentum

The new agreement paves the way to greater collaboration on AI and quantum computing Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Nebulon upgrades SPU to Medusa2 with Nvidia DPU hardware

Nebulon aims to replace HCI with its OS on an offload card that it claims reduces server resource use by 25%. Medusa2 uses Nvidia DPU hardware and its own cloud control plane Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

World Wide Fund for Nature signs IT deal with Atos

Global conservation organisation will harness latest technologies to improve ability to predict risks to natural environment Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Altman’s back at OpenAI. What next for Microsoft?

Fired and now rehired, Sam Altman returns to OpenAI, leaving a hole in Microsoft’s Advanced AI plans Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Over half of SME cyber incidents now ‘malware-free’

The age of malware-driven cyber attacks may have peaked, at least when it comes to incidents affecting small and medium sized enterprises Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

bank identifier code (BIC)

A bank identifier code (BIC) is a unique identifier for a specific financial institution. A BIC is composed of a 4-character bank code, 2-character country code, 2-character location code and optional 3-character branch code. Continue Reading

By

• Rahul Awati

Canada’s Mounties among government employees hit by LockBit

A LockBit attack on a specialist supplier of relocation services has engulfed multiple government agencies in Canada Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Deputy prime minister heads up AI central government drive

The government has established a new initiative called i.AI in a bid to drive AI across the public sector to improve efficiency Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Government response to digital exclusion recommendations lacking, say Lords

The government’s response to a committee report that makes recommendations for addressing digital exclusion has been met with criticism from the House of Lords Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Internal documents leaked as Rhysida claims responsibility for British Library ransomware attack

Ransomware group Rhysida threatens to sell documents stolen from the British Library to the highest bidder Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Can AI take education to a new level?

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we examine how large language models are being used to teach, support and assess students, enhancing education rather than impairing it. We look at how the AI revolution is impacting the semiconductor sector as the big tech companies put off server upgrades. And we find out how generative AI is changing the way enterprise software works. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Kingfisher develops AI-agnostic platform to power DIY assistant

The platform provides a framework for security and compliance and enables developers to test different large language models Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

JPMorgan Chase tops bank AI ranking

Report reveals that JPMorgan Chase is the world's top bank for AI, along with Capital One and Royal Bank of Canada, but Europeans are lagging behind Continue Reading

By

• Scarlet Charles

AI productivity gains could result in four-day weeks for millions

Autonomy think tank publishes paper on potential for artificial intelligence-driven large language models to shorten people’s work weeks Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Elected officials' lack of digital skills affects public services

A lack of digital skills and tech expertise among elected officials encourages government to contract out IT work instead of building up internal capacity, making the public sector increasingly reliant on outside knowledge to get things done Continue Reading

By

• Andrew Kersley

IT not ready for AI, Pure Storage survey finds

Storage, compute and networking hardware won’t cope without upgrades, and that often means total IT infrastructure overhaul Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Defence lawyers seek appeal of tribunal ruling on police EncroChat cryptophone hack

Defence lawyers are seeking leave to appeal against a tribunal ruling that found the National Crime Agency had lawfully obtained warrants to access messages from 9,000 cryptophones used in the UK Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

NHS England hits 90% target for electronic patient records

Some 90% of trusts in NHS England have adopted electronic patient records in hospitals, ahead of government schedule Continue Reading

By

• Scarlet Charles

US civil society groups demand better conditions for AI workers

Some 24 US civil society groups and unions and have written a letter to the US Senate asking for action to improve the working conditions of the people who train and maintain their artificial intelligence systems Continue Reading

By

• Scarlet Charles

Capgemini and Heathrow strike deal to enhance passenger experience

Capgemini and Heathrow team up to provide development and operations support for the airport’s technology estate Continue Reading

By

• Scarlet Charles

Royal Mail spent £10m on cyber measures after LockBit attack

Royal Mail has spent approximately £10m on recovery and improved cyber resilience measures in the wake of the January 2023 LockBit ransomware attack Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Outgoing police tech watchdog warns of declining oversight

The outgoing biometrics and surveillance camera commissioner for England and Wales discusses police deployment of powerful new surveillance technologies, and the declining state of oversight in this area Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Interview: Dan Huddart, CTO, Homeprotect

After building up experience in the insurance sector, Homeprotect’s chief technology officer sought the freedom to innovate being offered at the rapidly scaling company Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Luxembourg-based cloud provider aims to transform the AI landscape in Europe

Gcore runs cloud services worldwide, which gives it a front-row seat for observing global computing trends, and now the company expects to lead one of the major trends in Europe Continue Reading

By

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

British Library’s Halloween cyber scare was ransomware

The British Library has provided an update on an ongoing cyber incident affecting its systems, confirming it to be the result of a ransomware attack Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Post Office scandal inquiry postpones more key witness hearings

Yet more witness hearings are cancelled due to the Post Office's late disclosure of documents Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Where tech can smooth out the retail returns process

New tech from supply chain companies, M&A activity among logistics firms, and H&M’s new fees show product returns is the retail industry debate that keeps coming back Continue Reading

By

• Ben Sillitoe

US government reinforces ICBC hack link to Citrix Bleed

US Treasury adds weight to reports that a ransomware gang gained access to the systems of Chinese bank ICBC by exploiting a critical Citrix flaw Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

DPU 101: What are DPUs, what do they do, and who supplies them?

We look at data processing units, the latest in a line of hardware offload devices that emerged in the era of composable infrastructure. They come as hardware and even in the cloud Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Million Brits could lose access to bank branch if closure rate continues

Even people in urban constituencies could lose access to a local bank branch, according to research Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Engineers slash RPO/RTO as they swap tape for Rubrik backup

Frankham Group ditches archaic tape backup and deploys Rubrik backup appliances and remote disaster recovery facility. Meanwhile, the engineering group assesses a move to the cloud Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Francis Maude calls for GDS and CDDO to merge

Review into the civil service by the former Cabinet Office minister says the two organisations should become one entity to avoid sending mixed signals around accountability and leadership Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Industry 5.0: What is it and what does its future hold?

As Industry 5.0 becomes a more popular topic of conversation in the business tech world, critics have come out to question its legitimacy as a revolution instead of a progression Continue Reading

By

• Marc Ambasna-Jones

Rogue state-aligned actors are most critical cyber threat to UK

The prospect of rogue nation-state-aligned attackers bringing down the UK’s critical infrastructure is keeping the NCSC up at night Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Lloyds Bank warns over rising threat of crypto scams

Report by Lloyds Banking Group finds there has been a 23% increase in cryptocurrency scams in 2023 compared with last year, targeting mostly younger investors Continue Reading

By

• Scarlet Charles

Victims’ legal action over 2015 Carphone Warehouse breach moves forward

A class action against Currys Retail over the 2015 data breach of Carphone Warehouse customers has been granted permission to move forward in the courts Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

ICO alerted after technical ‘issue’ exposed college files to student barristers

A training college for barristers has reported a data breach that left sensitive data on hundreds of current and former students accessible to other trainees Continue Reading

By

• Tommy Greene

Shawbrook Bank slashes mortgage processing time through low code

Specialist business lending and savings bank is using Pegasystems’ low-code platform to rewrite and automate the customer journey Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

UN disarmament body calls for global action on autonomous weapons

UN draft resolution highlighting the dangers of autonomous weapons passes with overwhelming majority Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

How the Online Safety Act will impact businesses beyond Big Tech 

The Online Safety Act will impact an estimated 100,000 online services in the UK and overseas Continue Reading

By

• Ria Moody, Linklaters

Ransomware attack on major Chinese lender disrupts financial markets

The financial services arm of one of the world’s largest banks was taken offline by a supposed LockBit ransomware attack, causing problems for US markets Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Revealed: How Russia’s Sandworm ramped up attacks on Ukraine’s critical infrastructure

New Mandiant intelligence reveals how the APT known as Sandworm has been evolving its playbook, twisting legitimate executables known as LoLBins into malicious tools as it seeks to disrupt daily life in Ukraine Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Visa launches artificial intelligence advisory service

Visa is giving its customers the opportunity to tap into its global network of AI experts through its AI Advisory Practice. Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

NCSC makes annual Black Friday plea to consumers

Ahead of the annual festival of retail avarice, the NCSC is once again asking consumers to do the bare minimum to avoid falling victim to scams Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Suspected ransomware attack hits Scottish council

Systems at Comhairle nan Eilean Siar were downed on 7 November in a suspected ransomware attack Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

UK government does not see need for specific AI legislation

The UK government does not currently see the need for new artificial intelligence legislation, as many regulators are already dealing effectively with AI-related harms Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Conflict of interest concerns raised over CMA's use of AWS UK public sector discount scheme

Less than a month after the CMA confirmed it would be investigating the competitive impact of AWS preferential pricing deals on the UK cloud market, data reveals the CMA is benefiting from cut-price Amazon cloud services Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Heineken lets the data flow

In this month’s CW EMEA ezine, we find out about Heineken’s mission to make the most out of the data it holds through an enterprise-wide data ecosystem. We also look at how the UK has turned its back on the German government-funded Gaia-X data platform, why cyber experts are urging the EU to rethink vulnerability disclosure plans, and how the IT industry is responding to the software developer skills shortfall. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Former Post Office manager has no memory of preparing witness statement in legal dispute

Evidence of computer problems was omitted from the witness statement of a former Post Office manager in a legal battle with a subpostmaster blamed for unexplained accounting shortfalls Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

AI Summit not the place for human rights, says French finance minister

Despite commitments at the UK’s AI Safety Summit to respect and protect human rights, the French finance minister said it was not the right forum to discuss signatories' human rights records Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor