IT news in your industry sector

European retailers see embedded finance as a revenue builder

Retailers and e-commerce businesses are working with tech suppliers to embed financial products and services in their customer offerings Continue Reading

How low energy warehouse robotics and automation are making supply chains more sustainable

In this guest post, James Smith, UK managing director of order fulfillment warehouse robot maker AutoStore Systems, explains how automation can bring sustainability benefits to warehouses and ... Continue Reading

The spies who hack you – the growing threat of spyware

In this week’s Computer Weekly, after 10 Downing Street was hit by a spyware attack, fears about targeted mobile phone hacks are increasing. Our salary survey highlights the diversity challenge in IT, with men’s support for women in IT declining. And we look at how datacentre heat reuse can help reduce carbon emissions. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

DWP Digital sets out three-year plan to improve data sharing and cut legacy

In response to the pandemic, the government department aims to improve collaboration and develop a reference architecture Continue Reading

How one Australian firm is creating smarter menus

Me&u’s smart menus are intelligent enough to recommend food items based on customer preferences, and even help to reduce food waste and alleviate bartender workloads during peak periods Continue Reading

Ctera opens up its storage to third-party analytics via APIs

File system software builds pools of NAS-like storage accessible from anywhere, with APIs to third-party tools to interrogate data for business processes, anomaly detection and more Continue Reading

Post Office scandal victims in Scotland to tell their stories, raising questions of law

Inquiry into Post Office scandal moves to Scotland, with differences in English and Scottish law raising further serious questions about subpostmaster prosecutions Continue Reading

Malaysian government inks agreement with Google Cloud

The cloud framework agreement with Google will make it easier for Malaysia’s public sector agencies to access Google Cloud services through a single government contract Continue Reading

UK digital markets regulator to be given statutory powers

Digital Markets Unit will be put on statutory footing by UK government to ensure technology giants do not abuse market power, but announcement comes with no clear indication of when legislation will be introduced Continue Reading

John Lewis to hire more than 150 tech workers

As the retail group continues its drive to digitise, the John Lewis Partnership is aiming to hire more than 150 tech workers Continue Reading

IT infrastructure used to launch DDoS attack on Russian targets

Organisations could unwittingly be participating in hostile activity against the Russian government as compromised IT infrastructure is used without their knowledge to launch denial of service attacks Continue Reading

Swedish digital entrepreneur interview: Haider Abdo

Consumer demands changed during Covid-19 and Swedish entrepreneur Haider Abdo has used this as a platform to take niche startup to the next level in the retail sector Continue Reading

Disaster recovery is an essential service for EDF with Phenix-IT

EDF has built disaster recovery tracking, planning and testing software on a six-month upgrade cycle based on governance, risk and compliance functionality in Mega’s Hopex platform Continue Reading

Prepare for smart robot revolution

While industrial robots are well established, smart robots are being deployed across retail and logistics – but much of the tech is still nascent Continue Reading

Five companies join NCSC for Startups to deal with ransomware

The NCSC has invited five startups to join the NCSC for Startups programme to develop tech that can help deal with the threat of ransomware Continue Reading

NHS email accounts hijacked for phishing campaign

Microsoft credentials targeted in phishing operation using hijacked NHSMail accounts Continue Reading

Nordic projects drive digital-supported green hydrogen technologies

Nordic companies are driving cost reductions in the production of green hydrogen through digitisation Continue Reading

PeerGFS to add AI/ML anomaly detection to distributed file system product

Peer will add AI/ML-based anomaly detection as it ramps up security protection in its PeerGFS distributed file management software, with Linux server support also to come in 2022 Continue Reading

Babbel offers free language courses to displaced Ukrainians

Babbel has created language courses to help Ukrainians displaced by the war to integrate into other countries Continue Reading

CIO interview: Loïc Giraud, global head of digital platform and product delivery, Novartis

Data is at the heart of life sciences – and for Novartis, that means investigating emerging technologies such as quantum computing and blockchain, as well as using analytics, artificial intelligence and automation Continue Reading

Judicial intervention 'inevitable' as Post Office compensation valuation falls short

Lawyer negotiating compensation for victims of Post Office scandal says the two sides are 'poles apart' on valuations Continue Reading

Five TLS comms vulnerabilities hit Aruba, Avaya switching kit

Five new vulnerabilities in the implementation of transport layer security communications leave several popular switches vulnerable to remote code execution Continue Reading

Qualcomm to power Volkswagen’s future automated driving technology

Volkswagen Group’s software division looks to global chip giant to supply system-on-chips to enable assisted and automated driving functions Continue Reading

Post Office scandal CEO could be stripped of CBE

Honours Forfeiture Committee to review Paula Vennells’ CBE in the light of Post Office scandal Continue Reading

Boots accelerates its digital accessibility journey

Boots is working with website accessibility software provider Recite Me to make its website more user-friendly and improve the customer experience Continue Reading

A prescription for digital accessibility at Boots

In this week’s Computer Weekly, millions of people have difficulties when using websites – we find out how Boots is making its e-commerce offering fully accessible. Our new buyer’s guide examines communications as a service. And we talk to Trainline’s CTO about how the rail app provider survived and thrived post-pandemic. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

CIO interview: Jeffrey Wood, deputy director of ICT, Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust

A move to a brand-new hospital site offers the NHS trust a chance to introduce a range of new innovations, building on the digital transformation delivered over the past few years Continue Reading

Running on empty: why it’s finally time to optimise commercial road transport

This is a guest blogpost by Wenjia Tang, head of data, DigiHaul. The recent driver shortage has shone a light on the importance of the supply chain industry in terms of keeping the cogs of industry ... Continue Reading

Electric vehicle transition comes with uneven costs

Governments, car makers and tech companies are promoting electric vehicles, but are they considering the uneven social and environmental costs from extracting the critical minerals needed to make batteries? Continue Reading

Totting up a decade of ones and zeros at the ODI

As the Open Data Institute turns 10, managing director Louise Burke reflects on its first decade and what comes next Continue Reading

Ransomware recovery costs dwarf actual ransoms

The cost of recovering from a ransomware attack far outweighs the ransoms now being demanded by cyber criminals, according to recent data Continue Reading

UK regulators seek input on algorithmic processing and auditing

Digital Regulation Cooperation Forum is inviting views on how the four UK watchdogs involved should approach regulating algorithms, following its publication of discussion papers and a 2022 workplan Continue Reading

More than 38,000 UK tech firms incorporated in 2021

Incorporation of technology firms in the UK was 62% higher last year than in 2020, with strong regional growth despite continued dominance of London in the ecosystem Continue Reading

Manufacturer sues JPMorgan after cyber criminals stole $272m

Manufacturer files lawsuit alleging that US bank failed to inform it of suspicious transaction activity Continue Reading

Sanders calls on Biden to cut off federal contracts with Amazon

In an open letter, senator Bernie Sanders urges the US president to fulfil a campaign promise to stop union-busting companies from winning federal government contracts Continue Reading

Russia plumbs new depths in cyber war on Ukraine

Microsoft details cyber attacks on Ukrainian civilian communications, nuclear safety authorities, and the exploitation of the destruction of Mariupol in a phishing campaign Continue Reading

Scotland’s tech sector recovers pre-pandemic verve

According to ScotlandIS research, the Scottish technology sector has recovered pre-pandemic levels of growth, and cyber security emerged as the hottest growth area from the industry body’s annual report Continue Reading

Log4Shell, ProxyLogon, ProxyShell among most exploited bugs of 2021

These 15 CVEs were the most commonly exploited last year, and if you haven’t mitigated against them, now is the time Continue Reading

Ransomware victims paying out when they don’t need to

Sophos’s annual State of Ransomware report shows dramatic increases in the impact of ransomware attacks, but also finds many organisations are paying ransoms when they don’t need to Continue Reading

Government digital ignorance puts Dutch economy at risk

In this interview, Michiel Steltman, managing director of Digital Infrastructure Netherlands, tells Computer Weekly why the Dutch digital economy is at risk due to a lack of knowledge and understanding at government level Continue Reading

Police question former Fujitsu worker again in Post Office scandal perjury investigation

Police have interviewed a former Fujitsu employee for the third time in the investigation into potential perjury during trials of wrongfully convicted subpostmasters Continue Reading

BCS passes defiant Ukrainian tech industry message to its members

BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT, has passed on a message from Ukrainian IT suppliers that the country is open for, and in need of, business Continue Reading

How Denmark attracts tech companies

Danish government encourages research in strategic fields – and encourages the development of clusters, which include research institutes, tech suppliers and customers Continue Reading

Emotet tests new tricks to thwart enhanced security

The operators of the Emotet botnet seem to be trying to find a way to get around recent changes made by Microsoft to better protect its users Continue Reading

Danish researcher explains zero-knowledge proofs and post-quantum encryption

A graduate from the University of Aarhus, a Danish researcher is now a leading player in some of the most important issues in cyber security Continue Reading

Global digital wallet transactions set to soar

Payments using mobile phones are set to soar globally as suppliers expand the services available, according to research Continue Reading

Did HMRC really 'lock taxpayers out' from their online accounts?

Did HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) really “lock taxpayers out” from their online accounts, as The Guardian has claimed? It’s a situation that arose from a predictable and – according to HMRC – ... Continue Reading

Odense Robotics helps develop key export for Denmark

Robotics seen as a future export sector for Denmark as investment startups build their skills in public sector projects Continue Reading

The latest salary trends for IT professionals

In this week’s Computer Weekly, the results of our annual salary survey show pay returning to pre-pandemic levels and work-life balance a growing consideration. As sustainability becomes a critical issue, we look at how datacentres can meet emissions targets. And we find out how IT leaders can help protect children online. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Majority of workers using umbrella companies see no benefits

Research from trade body for independent professionals finds that most self-employed workers operating through an umbrella company think there are no advantages to the arrangement Continue Reading

Government appoints head of technology transfer unit

Government announces a CEO to lead its initiatives around commercialising its knowledge assets Continue Reading

How the e-commerce boom is transforming store tech

GUEST BLOG: In this contributed blog post, VP of strategy at Aptos, Nikki Baird, explains the ways in which e-commerce is transforming in-store tech and disrupting point of sale (POS).  Here are ... Continue Reading

Post Office scandal victims still waiting for compensation a year after convictions overturned

Former subpostmasters at the centre of one of biggest miscarriage of justice in modern history are still waiting for compensation a year after their wrongful convictions were overturned Continue Reading

EU lawmakers propose limited ban on predictive policing systems

MEPs’ joint report on European Artificial Intelligence Act sets out limited ban on predictive policing systems alongside a raft of further amendments to improve redress mechanisms and extend the list of AI systems deemed high-risk Continue Reading

Asda adopts Workday as part of digital transformation

As Asda undergoes a digital transformation as part of its separation from Walmart, the supermarket has adopted Workday to manage its 140,000 employees Continue Reading

Interview: LF Energy on using open source to ready energy systems for phasing out fossil fuels

With the climate crisis putting increasing pressure on countries to decarbonise their economies, the founder of open source championing LF Energy talks about digitising power networks to be ready for renewables Continue Reading

Snapshots vs backup: Use both for optimum RPOs

We look at snapshots and backup, the key difference, their pros and cons and how best to use the two approaches in an integrated data protection strategy for optimal RPO Continue Reading

Finance regulator identifies challenger bank financial crime weaknesses

Financial Conduct Authority review finds challenger banks need to do more to prevent their platforms being used to commit financial crime, such as money laundering Continue Reading

Five Eyes in new Russia cyber warning

Latest cross-body alert warns of Russian threat to utilities and other core elements of national infrastructure Continue Reading

Tech to account for over half of regulatory compliance spending

By 2026, regtech will account for more than half of the money that businesses spend on compliance with regulations Continue Reading

European cities moving fast to change business of parking

German cities are using the latest smart parking technology to reduce traffic and car pollution while collecting more fees for parking Continue Reading

Dutch schools struggle with digitisation

Now is the time for schools in the Netherlands to determine how the opportunities of distance and digital learning resources can be made to work and how the risks involved can be mitigated Continue Reading

More Scottish subpostmaster conviction reviews expected as part of Post Office scandal

The Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission expects more subpostmasters with potential wrongful convictions to come forward Continue Reading

How Veeam helped grocery chain Franprix escape its backup hell

French supermarket chain had backup windows that ran well into the next working day and restoring deleted files could take days. It chose Veeam in a contest with Cohesity Continue Reading

One-third of scams that hit TSB are impersonation fraud

TSB reports an increase in fraudsters impersonating trusted organisations to trick consumers into making payments to them Continue Reading

Home secretary Priti Patel to decide whether to extradite Assange

Home secretary will decide in four weeks whether to approve Julian Assange’s extradition to the US, where he faces espionage and hacking charges Continue Reading

Nationwide Building Society streamlines payment dispute process through software

Building society has speeded up the resolution of customer disputes over Visa payments by using Pegasystems software Continue Reading

NSO Group faces court action after Pegasus spyware used against targets in UK

Three human rights activists whose phones were targeted by spyware traced to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have begun legal action against both countries and Israel’s NSO Group Technologies Continue Reading

Financial Ombudsman Service chooses TCS as digital transformation partner

Tata Consultancy Services will build and implement key systems as part the Financial Ombudsman Service’s digital transformation Continue Reading

ODI data literacy report laments technical skills inflation in government data strategy

An Open Data Institute report on data literacy and UK government data strategy sees a lack of clarity in definition, fragmentation of responsibility, and a disconnect between government and citizens Continue Reading

Hammers sign Acronis as backup and security in one

West Ham United set to replace separate backup from Veeam and a variety of security products with Acronis Cyber Protect to have backup, data protection and file share on a single platform Continue Reading

Refugee support group works with tech startup on reporting system

Computer Weekly speaks to a refugee support group about its ongoing collaboration with an academic tech startup to develop a digital human rights reporting system for refugees Continue Reading

Lack of expertise hurting UK government’s cyber preparedness

UK government bodies and critical infrastructure owners cite a lack of staff resources, and internal and external expertise, as hampering factors when it comes to cyber readiness, according to a report Continue Reading

Zhadnost DDoS botnet deployed against Finland

A coordinated DDoS attack hit two government ministries in Finland at the same time as Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky delivered a virtual address to the Finnish parliament Continue Reading

Incontroller ICS malware has ‘rare, dangerous’ capabilities, says Mandiant

Mandiant joins a growing chorus of warnings over novel nation state threats to ICS systems Continue Reading

Government agrees bulk surveillance powers fail to protect journalists and sources

Campaign group Liberty to launch legal appeal that will call for journalists to receive stronger legal protections from state surveillance Continue Reading

WatchGuard firewall users urged to patch Cyclops Blink vulnerability

The US authorities have seen fit to add the WatchGuard vulnerability used by Sandworm to build the Cyclops Blink botnet to its list of must-patch vulnerabilities Continue Reading

Microsoft patches two zero-days, 10 critical bugs

Patch Tuesday is here once again. This month, security teams must fix two privilege escalation zero-days in the Windows Common Log File System Driver and the Windows User Profile Service Continue Reading

Using technology to reinvent stores

Technology is becoming an important part of the shopping experience at home, in stores and in-between, so how are retailers using technology to advance the store experience? Continue Reading

Scotland 5G Centre issues call to business for improved healthcare delivery

S5GC launches innovation challenge to use advanced connectivity to transform and improve healthcare delivery in Scotland, with three shortlisted projects to receive access to a private 5G testbed Continue Reading

Enterprises shore up supply chain resilience with data

Using data to gain better visibility over their supply chains and forge closer connections between disparate links is helping organisations respond to disruptions faster Continue Reading

Sandworm rolls out Industroyer2 malware against Ukraine

A second generation of the Sandworm-linked Industroyer malware has been identified by ESET researchers and Ukraine’s national CERT Continue Reading

AI researcher says police tech suppliers are hostile to transparency

Expert witness in Lords police tech inquiry welcomes committee’s findings but questions whether its recommendations on how to end the ‘Wild West’ of police artificial intelligence and algorithmic technologies in the UK would be implemented Continue Reading

Disney combines digital, data and creativity to win advertising opportunities

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we talk to the executive vice-president for client and brand solutions at Disney Advertising Sales about how it is using data to subserve story-telling excellence. We delve into how rising energy costs negatively impacted the UK arm of Sungard Availability Services. And we look at the role of infrastructure as code in edge datacentres. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

As Inflation Rages On, Retailers Turn to AI and Dynamic Pricing

GUEST BLOG: In this contributed blog post, Matt Pavich, senior director of retail innovation, Revionics, talks about how AI-driven dynamic pricing decisions can assist in a retailer’s ability to ... Continue Reading

Border IT system fixed after 10-day outage

Post-Brexit border IT system failure fixed after going down at the start of April, allowing traders to once again file customs documents electronically rather than by hand Continue Reading

Energy crisis impact on datacentre market – Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcast

Podcast team discusses the energy crisis by way of the Sungard AS UK collapse, data analytics-powered wind turbines, and CW survey showing big increase in flexible working for IT professionals Continue Reading

Mastercard opens European tech hub in Dublin

Mastercard is doubling its technology workforce in Dublin through a new European tech hub in the Irish capital Continue Reading

CDO interview: Lisa Valentino, executive VP for client and brand solutions, Disney Advertising Sales

How the entertainment giant is bringing marketing, data and technology together to make the most of its growing digital advertising opportunities Continue Reading

EncroChat: France says ‘defence secrecy’ in police surveillance operations is constitutional

Constitutional court finds that invoking ‘defence secrecy’ to withhold information about the state hacking of EncroChat cryptophones is constitutional. Defence lawyers now head for the supreme court Continue Reading

Storage requirements for AI, ML and analytics in 2022

We look at what is needed for artificial intelligence and machine learning, and the pros and cons of block, file and object storage to store and access very large amounts of often unstructured data Continue Reading

Goldacre review outlines recommendations on safer use of health data

The findings of an investigation into use of health data for research and analysis includes a number of proposals to improve innovation in the NHS Continue Reading

Online Safety Bill: Collaborating to make the internet safer for all

The UK government's plan to regulate the internet and social media includes some positive and progressive measures – but by working with industry, a lot more could be achieved Continue Reading

Banks should be able to integrate e-krona into existing systems, says Swedish regulator

Swedish financial services regulator says banks and service providers should be able to integrate a potential digital currency into existing systems Continue Reading

MPs and editors sound alarm over threat to Freedom of Information

Government secrecy and trend for departments to block Freedom of Information requests pose a long-term risk to accountability Continue Reading

Amazon workers defeat company to form first US union

Amazon warehouse workers in Staten Island, New York, have successfully formed the first union at the company, with organisers pledging to help their colleagues across the US do the same Continue Reading

European IT and BPO outsourcing off to strong start

European IT and business process outsourcing services continue to increase rapidly, with cloud-based services now more than half of the total Continue Reading

CW Middle East: UAE and UK researchers work on ‘trustworthy’ cloud OS for datacentres

Imperial College London is embarking on a three-year project with an Abu Dhabi-based group of researchers to find ways for datacentre operators and cloud providers to secure their infrastructure. Also read how Dubai is positioning itself to reap the benefits of a promising global market for drone technology. Continue Reading

Pure says unstructured data needs storage scale and performance

Podcast: Pure Storage says huge growth of unstructured data and its diversity means storage has to be able to scale with it and offer performance to gain insights Continue Reading

Siemens looks at quantum computing to accelerate simulations

Using quantum computing to solve complex non-linear differential equations offers a way to speed up digital-twin simulations Continue Reading