IT news in your industry sector

Ikano Bank’s team of robots exceeds 2021 targets

How the Swedish bank’s robotic automation project reached its time-saving target with time to spare, automating 168 processes, creating an in-house RPA team and embedding automation in every department’s thinking Continue Reading

Socitm outlines public sector digital trends for 2022

Report identifies the key areas of focus for technology decision-makers in government in the months ahead, across areas from cyber and data to digital identity and 5G Continue Reading

CIO interview: Michael Cole, CTO, European Tour and Ryder Cup

The highly traditional sport of golf is proving to be an innovator in its field, with internet of things technology and cloud adoption transforming tournaments after Covid Continue Reading

By

• Mark Samuels

Retailers mired by manual data integration

Retail relies on third-party data sources to drive business decisions and competitive pricing, but many struggle to pull in this data Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

MPs say Online Safety Bill fails to tackle full range of harms

A DCMS select committee has warned that the Online Safety Bill should be expanded to cover more types of harmful content, such as child abuse material designed to circumvent content removal Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange can ask Supreme Court to hear extradition appeal

Senior judges said today that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange can petition the Supreme Court to decide whether to hear an appeal against his extradition to the US Continue Reading

EDSFF brings built-for-NVMe connectivity to the datacentre

Aimed at enterprise use cases, EDSFF offers incredible flash density in shared storage and hyperscale deployments, but storage products that use it are still thin on the ground Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Object storage: How research institute got 850TB for €150,000

French scientific research institute had its budgets cut and to meet the new cost constraints, it settled on Swarm software-defined object storage from DataCore Continue Reading

By

• Yann Serra, LeMagIT
• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

How Forensic Architecture uses tech to protect human rights

Forensic Architecture speaks to Computer Weekly about how it uses various digital technologies to investigate human rights abuses around the globe, including the pushback of migrants over the Greek border and the killing of Mark Duggan by London police Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Outdated systems core to DWP £1bn pension underpayment blunders

Old software is among the main reasons behind the pension errors affecting 134,000 people, says a House of Commons committee report Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Heathrow Airport takes to the cloud with Oracle Fusion Applications

Airport has implemented a full spread of Oracle Cloud Applications, including ERP and HCM, as it looks to recover from the pandemic Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Senior Analyst, Business Applications

Tinder algorithm charging users more based on age

Popular dating app Tinder could have broken data protection and equality laws by using personal data about people’s age to set different prices Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

CTO interview: James Donkin, Ocado Technology

Ocado is a cloud-first business and develops its own software cloud-natively, but some things need to be processed on-premise or at the edge Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

ICO criticises government-backed campaign to delay end-to-end encryption

Data protection watchdog warns that delaying end-to-end encryption will put children at risk Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

MoJ faces ICO enforcement over subject access requests backlog

Ministry of Justice receives enforcement notice from information commissioner over ‘substantial’ backlog of subject access requests described as being of ‘significant concern’ Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Adelaide digitises its healthcare processes

The Central Adelaide Local Health Network has digitised manual processes in more than 20 speciality areas to improve patient experience and alleviate the workloads of frontline staff Continue Reading

Government ‘has nothing against’ paying 555 subpostmasters fair compensation

Government officials are open to finding a way to properly compensate victims of the Horizon scandal without setting a dangerous legal precedent Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Data of 515,000 vulnerable people stolen in Red Cross attack

The International Committee of the Red Cross is probing a cyber attack that has already seen the personal data of hundreds of thousands of the world’s most vulnerable people compromised Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

MoonBounce firmware bootkit shows advances in malicious implants

MoonBounce firmware bootkit shows evident technical improvements over others, making it a more dangerous threat to organisations. It is being used by Chinese state-backed actors Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Advantages of traditional banks are weakening amid digital challenge, says FCA

Weakening of the advantages enjoyed by traditional banks over the years is “driven by digital innovation and changing consumer behaviour”, says regulator Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Zopa Bank hits £1bn deposits in just 18 months

Bank has seen rapid growth since its launch and has set ambitious targets for the next 12 months Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Delayed pay: Umbrella company cyber attacks disrupt salary payments to thousands of contractors

Thousands of contractors across the UK are anxiously waiting to see if their payroll cycles will be disrupted for a second week, after two of the umbrella industry's biggest players were targeted by cyber criminals Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

UK SMEs to receive tech skills and software boost

A new government scheme aimed at helping businesses improve their productivity and sales online has opened for applications Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Government funds charity campaign to warn big tech over the risks of encryption to children

Barnardo’s and other charities begin a government-backed PR campaign to warn of the dangers end-to-end encryption poses to child safety, which has been criticised as being ‘one-sided’ Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Danish digitisation partnership delivers plan to government

Public-private collaboration submits plan setting out “how Denmark can take advantage of the opportunities presented by digitisation moving forward into the future” Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

Content removal will not stop misinformation, says Royal Society

Censorship of scientific misinformation online could exacerbate feelings of distrust, so government should look at information literacy and funding fact checkers instead, says report Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Cloud-era disaster recovery planning: Assessing risk and business impact

In the first in a series on cloud-era disaster recovery, we provide a step-by-step guide to building firm foundations for the disaster recovery plan, with risk assessment and business impact analysis Continue Reading

By

• Paul Kirvan

Twelve million jobs to be lost to automation in Europe by 2040

Millions of current jobs in Europe will be carried out by robots as software robots automate processes Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Aldi launches grab-and-go test store in London

Discount supermarket brand Aldi has launched a checkout-free concept store in London to test contact-free shopping Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Trellix XDR platform forged out of McAfee, FireEye union

The private equity owners of McAfee Enterprise and FireEye are merging the companies into a new entity to ‘define the future’ of cyber security through XDR technology Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

The race to quantum computing

In this week’s Computer Weekly, researchers are racing to create the first commercially useful quantum computer – we look at one of the European candidates. Cyber security is one of the greatest risks facing the global economy, warns the World Economic Forum. And we examine the role of employee experience in hybrid working. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Nordic fintech to use Google-inspired core banking from Thought Machine

Nordic fintech Lunar is modernising its banking platform as it sets out to expand free of the limitations of its current systems Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Amazon puts UK Visa ban on hold

Online retail giant Amazon continues to allow UK Visa credit card payments as negotiations over fees with the card provider continue Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Government widens subpostmaster miscarriage of justice compensation

Government changes its position in billion-pound Horizon scandal compensation Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Test police algorithms in court rather than legislate, Lords told

Police algorithms and their impacts should be tested and challenged in court, rather than controlled by new laws, says policing minister Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

‘Russian-backed’ hackers defaced Ukrainian websites as cover for dangerous malware attack

Kiev claims that a hacking group in Belarus – a close ally of Russia – was responsible for hacking Ukrainian government websites amid threats of military action Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Automation and interoperability key to UK’s digital energy plans

Energy Digitalisation Taskforce recommends that policy-makers and regulators drive open standards across the energy sector Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Connexin switches on full-fibre broadband network in Hull

So-called ‘disruptive’ communications company specialising in building and operating smart city infrastructure connects first customer to full-fibre network in East Yorkshire Continue Reading

By

• Joe O’Halloran, Computer Weekly

Nato offers tech support after 'massive cyber attack' hits Ukraine

Speculation mounts that Russia is behind a cyber attack which defaced Ukrainian government websites amid growing international tension Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Socitm outlines public sector digital trends for 2022

Report identifies the key areas of focus for technology decision-makers in government in the months ahead, across areas from cyber and data to digital identity and 5G Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Microsoft veteran turns her attention to levelling up IT industry for women

Diversity goes beyond balancing the internal workforce and should include working with partners that also have diversity as a core objective, says Gavriella Schuster Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Post Office received £1bn taxpayer subsidy last year as part of IT scandal compensation

The Post Office has received over £1bn in taxpayer subsidies for its Horizon scandal compensation scheme Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Google forced to release documents about anti-union campaign

New court documents reveal that Google attempted to keep details of its anti-union campaign confidential by claiming attorney-client privilege Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Nordic companies targeted in wave of cyber attacks

After a slew of cyber attacks hit major companies in the Nordics at the end of last year, we look at how they were affected and how they have recovered Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

Councillors refuse public release of IT audit of Hackney Psya ransomware attack

Hackney councillors claim an IT audit report is exempt for disclosure as it relates to action taken in relation to the prevention, investigation or prosecution of crime Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Ikano Bank’s team of robots exceeds 2021 targets

How the Swedish bank’s robotic automation project reached its time-saving target with time to spare, automating 168 processes, creating an in-house RPA team and embedding automation in every department’s thinking Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

NCSC sounds alarm over Russia-backed hacks

The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre joins US calls to be wary of Russian state interference in critical national infrastructure IT systems Continue Reading

ICO investigates police use of app to covertly record calls from mobile phones

Surrey and Sussex police forces call in regulators after 1,000 police officers downloaded an app to covertly record phone calls on police-issued mobile phones Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

MEPs demand EU probe into Pegasus spyware abuse

A group of European Parliament Members has called for an EU-wide investigation into NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware after it emerged EU member states may have used it Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

UK government bodies challenged on secure identity

Public sector bodies in the UK recognise secure identity and access management as critical to the roll-out of digital services, but face challenges in addressing this Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Government backs Turing Institute in bid to set global AI technical standards

The DCMS has announced an AI Standards Hub, comprising The Alan Turing Institute, the National Physical Laboratory and the British Standards Institution to set a global bar for AI technical standards Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Senior Analyst, Business Applications

Microsoft fixes six zero-days in January Patch Tuesday update

A larger than of late Patch Tuesday update from Microsoft comes as defenders continue to grapple with Log4Shell Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Dutch cyber volunteers receive major funding boost

The Dutch Institute for Vulnerability Disclosure has received a $100,000 donation to expand the scope of its work Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Macquarie joins NSW government’s cloud supplier panel

New South Wales state agencies will be able to access Macquarie’s sovereign cyber expertise and secure cloud, network and datacentre services Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

How digital-twin technology could revolutionise the healthcare industry

Digital-twin technology is not new, but in many industries it is still regarded as novel and is often misunderstood Continue Reading

By

• Arash Ghazanfari

Almost half of Log4j downloads still dangerously exposed

Whether by error or design is unclear, but a great many IT teams are still exposing themselves by downloading outdated, insecure versions of Apache Log4j Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Post Office can’t access records of all money paid to it by victims of the Horizon scandal

A parliamentary select committee was told that the Post Office is unable to access information to accurately calculate compensation for some Horizon scandal victims Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Banks accused of neglecting customer security measures

Which? singles out Metro Bank, Virgin Money and TSB over insecure online banking processes Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Companies propose scanning content pre-encryption to fight CSAM

Firms working on the UK government’s Safety Tech Challenge have suggested that scanning content before encryption will help prevent the spread of child sexual abuse material – but privacy concerns remain Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

NHS England urged to produce tech roadmap to cope with pandemic backlog

Tech can help to ease the pressure on the health and care system, but basic infrastructure is lacking, a House of Commons report has found Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Cyber security failure one of biggest risks facing countries and businesses, warns WEF

Cyber risks are among the top five risks facing organisations and governments over the next two to five years. Digital inequality and the over-crowding of space with communication satellites present further risks  Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

How Pepsi is taking digital to the max

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we talk to PepsiCo’s digital director about delivering innovation in customer experience. Our first buyer’s guide of 2022 examines hybrid cloud storage. And we find out how Arkwright and Granville from the BBC sitcom Open All Hours are inspiring retailers 40 years on. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Arkwright’s till, Tesco GetGo and retail tech’s non-linear innovation journey

The checkout-free Tesco GetGo store shows that retail technology has come a long way since the faulty till draws in Open All Hours, but some of today’s innovation goes back to the future Continue Reading

Public sector IT and communications spend down 4% last year

Public sector spending on IT and communications was down in 2021, but some departments bucked the trend with major investments Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Ministry of Justice caught up in multiple cyber incidents

Besides multiple disclosed data breaches, department was also affected by two ransomware attacks Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

MPs call for fair compensation for excluded victims of Post Office scandal

Almost 100 MPs have backed a call for the government to reverse its decision to exclude 555 subpostmasters from fair compensation for their suffering and losses as a result of the Post Office Horizon scandal Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

New supercomputer opens doors for researchers in Sweden

More than twice as powerful as its predecessor, a new supercomputer ushers in new opportunities for researchers who rely on artificial intelligence and machine learning Continue Reading

By

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

Record amount invested in UK fintech last year, but female founders still overlooked

Last year the UK financial technology sector attracted the most investment ever following a slowdown in 2020 Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Accessible retail: Personalising the UX for disabled consumers

An online marketplace built with an ‘accessibility-first’ mantra is set to go live in spring 2022 – and it comes amid several new inclusive retailing moves Continue Reading

By

• Ben Sillitoe

Which? raises concerns over buy now, pay later schemes

The ease of use and increased availability of buy now, pay later schemes masks the risks, says consumer protection champion Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

France fines Facebook and Google over alleged cookie malpractice

French data protection authorities clamp down on tech platforms for purposely making it more burdensome for users to decline tracking cookies Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

SMEs step up e-commerce ventures under shadow of Covid

A raft of smaller retailers have stepped up their e-commerce businesses during the pandemic, ranging from books to candles, rugs to togs Continue Reading

By

• Madeline Bennett, Mowser Media

How far has Saudi Arabia come with open data?

While clearly on the right path, Saudi Arabia still has a lot to do before it reaps the full benefits of open data Continue Reading

By

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

Government cans electronic monitoring overhaul

Nearly £100m of taxpayer money has been spent in tech that will not result in future benefits, according to the Ministry of Justice's annual accounts report Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Google buys Siemplify in first phase of cyber investment

Once integrated into Google Cloud, Siemplify’s platform will serve as the basis for deeper security development at Google Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Fintech players get cosy in Luxembourg

Luxembourg aims to play a larger role in the rapidly growing global fintech market Continue Reading

By

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

NHS App exceeds 22 million user mark

Boosted by Covid-19 pass functionality, the NHS App is one of the most downloaded apps in the UK Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Melbourne’s InnerVision ups ante in smart parking

InnerVision Engineering’s smart parking solution uses machine vision and other technologies to deliver a frictionless parking experience for drivers in Australia Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Digital twin simulation helps baristas make a perfect espresso

A century-old Italian maker of high-end coffee machines used digital twins to virtually eliminate physical prototypes and set the stage for IoT-connected product as a service. Continue Reading

By

• David Essex, Industry Editor

Top 10 crime, national security and law stories of 2021

Here are Computer Weekly’s top 10 crime, national security and law stories of 2021 Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Top 10 startup stories of 2021

Here are Computer Weekly’s top 10 startup stories of 2021 Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Top 10 Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcasts of 2021

The Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcast team began the year discussing the online fallout from the storming of the White House and finished it discussing IT and climate change, touching on bees and datacentres along the way Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Senior Analyst, Business Applications
• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK
• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Top 10 technology and ethics stories of 2021

Here are Computer Weekly’s top 10 technology and ethics stories of 2021 Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Top 10 Post Office Horizon stories of 2021

The past 12 months have seen some of the biggest landmarks in the unravelling of the Post Office Horizon scandal. Computer Weekly takes a look at a selection of key articles in 2021 Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Top 10 information management stories of 2021

Here are Computer Weekly’s top 10 information management stories of 2021 Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Senior Analyst, Business Applications

Top 10 retail technology stories of 2021

Computer Weekly looks at what 2021 had in store for the retail industry – did technology help retailers recover from the effects of the pandemic? Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Top 10 Nordic IT stories of 2021

Computer Weekly selects some of the biggest Nordic tech stories of 2021 Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Top 10 IR35 stories of 2021

The extension of the IR35 reforms to the private sector in April 2021 has provided Computer Weekly with lots to write about this year Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Vulnerabilities to fraud are increasing across the board

As the pandemic continues to affect how we work, socialise, shop and conduct business, so it has increased opportunities for digital fraud and cyber crime. Jason Lane-Sellers explores the latest LexisNexis Risk Solutions ‘Cybercrime report’ Continue Reading

By

• Jason Lane-Sellers, EMEA director of market planning, LexisNexis Risk Solutions

Is the IT sector beset by fear-mongering?

The arms race between hackers and security teams has led to a plethora of new technologies, but it can be hard to differentiate between sensible cyber purchases and those that are promoted by exaggerating risk Continue Reading

By

• Peter Ray Allison

Marks & Spencer upskills internal talent with data science education

Retailer is building up a data science capability that includes a Master’s degree-level apprenticeship as well as making data literacy a common currency up and down the organisation Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Senior Analyst, Business Applications

A trial relying on computer evidence should start with a trial of the computer evidence

Learning from the Post Office Horizon scandal - the most widespread miscarriage of justice in recent British legal history Continue Reading

By

• Stephen Castell

Scale-up vs scale-out: Horizontal vs vertical scaling for storage

We look at the differences between scale-up and scale-out in storage – or horizontal vs vertical scaling – and the key ways it can be carried out on-prem and in the cloud Continue Reading

By

• Stephen Pritchard

Top 10 government and public sector IT stories of 2021

Technology is an increasingly important part of government policy in the UK – while the digital transformation of the public sector continued during 2021, albeit slowly in some places Continue Reading

By

• Computer Weekly Staff

Top 10 financial services and fintech stories of 2021

Computer Weekly selects 10 key stories from the financial services IT sector over the past year Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Large organisations turning to digital currencies for stored value

Gartner predicts a major acceleration in the use of digital currencies over the next couple of years Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Oracle buys Cerner for nearly $30bn in major push into healthcare

Oracle has bought healthcare IT provider Cerner for $28.3bn, in a major push into healthcare. It is its largest acquisition since NetSuite for $9.3bn in 2016 Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Senior Analyst, Business Applications

IT services spending recovery to get renewals boost in 2022

IT services and BPO deals worth $18.5bn globally up for renewal next year, adding fuel to already-expected high growth Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

UK tech startups raise almost £30bn in record year

The UK tech sector has achieved record growth in the past 12 months after the Covid pandemic paused investment Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

What is Log4Shell - and why the panic?

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we assess the risks from Log4Shell, a new web software vulnerability described as “catastrophic”. We look at SASE – secure access service edge – which is set to be one of the networking priorities for 2022. And some victims of the Post Office IT scandal are still waiting for proper compensation. Read the issue now. Continue Reading