IT news in your industry sector

Direct Line hires former Virgin Atlantic IT chief as CIO

Ash Jokhoo will be joining the insurance company as a member of the executive board Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Nexustorage aims at file and block access to object storage

New Zealand-based startup to release Nexfs, which chops files into sub-file chunks and tiers them off to cheap and deep object stores with NFS and iSCSAI access for Posix applications Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Mandiant name returns to fore ahead of FireEye sale

Mandiant has completed its corporate rebrand pending the imminent sale of the FireEye products business to a private equity group Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

NHSX publishes IT standards and interoperability priorities

The creation of an IT strategy, a governance model and an open source playbook are among the areas of focus for the interoperability team of NHSX Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

NHSX IT chief outlines opportunities of elective recovery tech fund

Priorities for the digital unit of the health service include remote recovery with virtual wards, pre-surgical digital support, and use of robotic process automation to reduce the administrative burden on staff Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

One Identity buys OneLogin for access management expertise

Acquisition of OneLogin adds access management solutions to One Identity’s Unified Identity Security platform Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Mastercard acquisition of Aiia is a further sign of open banking’s big future

Mastercard’s acquisition of Denmark-based open banking fintech Aiia follows rival’s takeover of Sweden’s Tink Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Met Police purchase new retrospective facial-recognition system

Retrospective facial-recognition software purchased for £3m by the Met Police will be deployed in coming months amid continuing controversy around the use of biometric technologies by law enforcement bodies Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

BEIS urged to prioritise funding to protect umbrella workers in government Spending Review

In an open letter to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, umbrella regulation draft policymakers Rebecca Seeley Harris and James Poyser urge the government to prioritise funding for a single enforcement body Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Norway and IoT: A match made in heaven

Norway is becoming a centre of internet of things innovation as tech developers look for answers to some of the country's unique challenges Continue Reading

By

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

Local Digital Capital Index: A framework for levelling up

How can the tech sector ensure digital equality across the UK in support of the government's levelling-up agenda? TechUK is trying to set the benchmarks Continue Reading

By

• Julian David, TechUK

IR35: Giant Group cyber attack prompts renewed calls for statutory regulation of umbrella companies

As details about the fallout from the cyber attack on the Giant Group umbrella company emerge, stakeholders say the incident should prompt the government to expedite regulating contractor payroll processing firms Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

subcarrier

A subcarrier is a secondary modulated signal frequency modulated into the main frequency (the carrier) to provide an additional channel of transmission. Continue Reading

By

• Gavin Wright

UK AI strategy focused on economic growth, resilience and ethics

Chris Eastham of law firm Fieldfisher looks at the government’s National Artificial Intelligence Strategy, and the merits of the 10-year plan and its approach Continue Reading

By

• Chris Eastham

Digital bank fined by regulator due to weak anti-money laundering controls

German digital bank is fined by financial services regulator for failing in relation to its anti-money laundering practices Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Starling Bank takes its banking-as-a-service into European Union

API-based banking-as-a-service offering means customers can access services such as current accounts or debit cards without the need for heavy tech development or regulatory approval Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

UK government announces industry group to lead digital pound debate

Joint forums set up by HM Treasury and the Bank of England for a Central Bank Digital Currency include representatives from big tech firms, fintechs and incumbent banks Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Dedicated number for victims of fraud launched amid national security threat

Consumers that suspect they are being targeted by fraudsters can call 159 to be directly linked to their bank, as part of a 12-month pilot Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Women in fintech welcome Barclays initiative and demand more from the sector

Women in UK financial technology have welcomed bank’s new female-focused lab and funding initiative and call for more like it from the sector Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

JP Morgan Chase digital investment good for UK IT sector, but what’s in it for the bank?

JP Morgan Chase’s digital bank allows it to start from scratch in the UK, with no legacy infrastructure to overhaul Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Rebooting the hospitality sector with technology

Technology is playing a crucial role as the hospitality sector rebounds after the coronavirus pandemic Continue Reading

By

• Roy Castleman

NVMe-over-fabrics: Five need-to-knows

We look at five need-to-knows about NVMe-over-fabrics, such as its implementations – RDMA, Fibre Channel and TCP – use cases, hardware and operating system support Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

UK consumer trust in banks, retailers and telcos declines as scams increase

Consumers are blaming banks, retailers and social media for the huge increase in online scams, survey shows Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

AWS launches programme to advance health equity

The $40m global health equity programme will fund projects that improve health outcomes for underserved communities Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Digital regulators need discrete but cooperative remits

The UK’s information commissioner has told MPs that digital economy regulators need discrete remits backed up by strong information sharing powers to both provide clear focus as well as allow for greater cooperation between their disparate but interlinked regimes Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Pure launches Fusion cloud control layer for storage

Pure Fusion is a storage control plane across cloud and datacentre. Portworx Data Services also launches to provide database management for container storage platform Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Where vendors too often go wrong: SMBs need enterprise-grade IT too

For far too long now, many vendors seem to have assumed that the IT requirements of small and mid-sized businesses are less complex than those of larger organisations. As a consequence, many of the ... Continue Reading

By

• Tony Lock, Freeform Dynamics

Dutch IT firm transforms HR policy built on lessons from pandemic

Software firm rips up human resources rule book and replaces it with a hybrid working policy Continue Reading

By

• Kim Loohuis

Interview: Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak on supporting the UK tech sector

Computer Weekly talked to Sunak at a Treasury event in front of an audience of tech sector leaders, investors and startups, to discuss how the government can support the digital economy. Continue Reading

Government announces data strategy for defence

The plan sets out the goals around treating data as a strategic asset to be achieved by 2025 Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Uber drivers strike over pay issues and unfair dismissal claims

Unionised Uber drivers take industrial action in response to ongoing disputes over pay and claims that drivers are being unfairly dismissed as a result of the company’s technologies Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

GCP gets triple-redundant NAS and built-in Kubernetes backup

Google Filestore Enterprise will provide synchronous replication across three zones, while Backup for Google Kubernetes Engine brings built-in container cluster data protection Continue Reading

By

• Yann Serra, LeMagIT
• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Giant Umbrella contractors suffer salary payment delays following suspected ‘data breach’

Following the discovery of “suspicious network activity” in its systems, payroll processing firm Giant Umbrella has taken itself offline, leaving contractors to fume over missing salary payments Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Fixing the SME tech crisis

Although technology can drive post-pandemic economic recovery, the gap between those businesses with sufficient IT skills and those struggling is widening Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

CIO interview: Jon Braithwaite, CIO, Compass Group UK & Ireland

FTSE 100 catering services company is undergoing a widespread overhaul of its technology and improving the digital offering to customers Continue Reading

By

• Mark Samuels

Scotland sees increase in job opportunities in tech

Driven by startups and scaleups, employment in digital firms in Edinburgh and Glasgow is growing more than in other parts of the UK, according to data Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

IR35 reforms: HMRC confirms compliance checks under way in financial services, oil and gas sectors

Less than six months after the roll-out of the IR35 reforms to the private sector, HMRC has confirmed it has started writing letters to companies requesting details of their compliance procedures Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Big Data London: NHS Digital data service struggled with Covid testing demands

A critical component of NHS Digital’s data processing struggled to cope with demand caused by Covid-19 testing, Big Data London 2021 attendees heard this week Continue Reading

By

• SA Mathieson

London publishes guidelines for ethical use of smart city tech

Latest draft of the ‘Emerging Technology Charter for London’ encourages local authorities, public services and technology companies to improve how they implement technology in the capital Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

HMRC postpones Making Tax Digital until 2024

Digital tax changes have been delayed to allow more time for customers taking part in the pilot and for the government to enhance the service Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Regulator concerns about resilience and security could slow cloud adoption in financial services

Report by Association for Financial Markets In Europe highlights the pressure financial services firms face as they seek to balance the need for innovation with regulatory requirements Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Fresh alert over Conti ransomware surge

Conti ransomware crew appears increasingly active, prompting fresh warnings from the US authorities Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

MoD in second leak of Afghan citizens’ data

A second breach of data relating to Afghan citizens at risk of Taliban reprisals has been reported by the Ministry of Defence Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Tech Nation announces 15 startups for 10th Future Fifty cohort

Fifteen high-growth startups set to join Tech Nation’s 10th annual Future Fifty programme to help them scale further Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Authorised push payment fraud sees huge increase as criminals switch tactics

Criminals tricking people into making payments through channels such as fake emails and websites have stolen more money than payment card fraudsters Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Government digital chief outlines extent of legacy IT challenge

Central Digital and Data Office director Joanna Davinson says ageing IT is holding back digital transformation Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

JP Morgan Chase to replace core banking system with Google-inspired cloud platform

JP Morgan Chase is the latest bank to acquire the cloud-native core banking technology of UK fintech Thought Machine Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

UK government launches first national artificial intelligence strategy

Ten-year plan is expected to drive corporate adoption of the technology, boost skills and attract international investments Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Newham aims to harness local talent to build data economy in London

The London Borough of Newham sets out to enable its young, digitally savvy population to build a data economy for sustainable growth through the launch of Newham Sparks at London Tech Week 2021 Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Enterprise Applications Editor

AI cannot be regulated by technical measures alone

The regulation of artificial intelligence must address the power of tech companies, as technical measures alone will not be enough to prevent the harms caused by AI-driven technologies, says report Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Mastercard invests in digital competence training for five million very small businesses

Mastercard is working with suppliers to embed training for small businesses onto their digital platforms Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

UK data plans aim to boost growth but will they isolate the UK from its international friends?

The UK government has made strong statements about the nation’s post-Brexit data strategy but must be careful not to undermine its global credibility Continue Reading

By

• Rita Flakoll and Herbert Swaniker

Legacy, unautomated IT was root cause of human error in pensions underpayment

Caseworkers at Department for Work and Pensions had to use systems dating back to 1988 and manually move data to different systems, leading to human error Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

UK government turns to Tim Berners-Lee startup for digital identity plan

As part of its new digital identity project, the Government Digital Service is using the Solid platform created by web inventor Berners-Lee, which helps users to manage their personal data better Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

US sanctions Suex crypto exchange over ransomware links

US Treasury cracks down on cryptocurrency exchange that supposedly facilitated proceeds from multiple ransomware gangs Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

NHS App reaches 16 million users

Tool has seen a surge in uptake since the addition of the NHS Covid Pass in May Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

UK needs coordinated effort to regain ground in high-performance computing

The UK is falling behind in the supercomputer league as a lack of skills and awareness of large-scale computing holds back organisations Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Digital Clinical Safety Strategy adds to NHS patient safety plan

Objective is to ensure digital technologies in health and care are safe and to use them to improve patient safety Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Open banking objectives a decade away for over a third of UK finance firms

The completion of complex open banking initiatives could still be over a decade away for many companies in the finance sector Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Chancellor Rishi Sunak listens to UK tech – Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcast

In this episode of the CW Downtime Upload, CW editor in chief Bryan Glick joins the podcast team to discuss his interview with Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak at a Treasury Connect conference Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK
• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief
• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

BlackMatter gang ramps up attacks on multiple victims

A wave of new BlackMatter ransomware attacks is hitting organisations around the world, even as the US authorities mull new sanctions on ransom payment infrastructure Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

London Tech Week: London and South losing out on productivity

There appears to be a massive gap between the most and least productive businesses, and tech and tech skills are key ingredients of productivity Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

The cities planning for ethical use of AI

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we talk to tech leaders in Barcelona and London about a collaboration to ensure ethical use of AI in the era of smart cities. The UK government wants to reform data protection law – we assess the implications. And we examine the latest best practice in hybrid cloud. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

DBS eyes AI and blockchain talent

Singapore-based bank DBS is looking to hire 150 developers and engineers skilled in artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain through its hackathon programme Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Kioxia revisits SLC flash to power FL6 and rival Optane

SLC flash storage – mostly consigned to the ‘where is it now?’ pile – has been given a lease of life by Kioxia as capacity for rapid access storage-class memory applications Continue Reading

By

• Yann Serra, LeMagIT
• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

How Estonia’s country-as-a-service scheme has attracted tens of thousands of foreign entrepreneurs

Estonia has created a country-as-a-service offering which is attracting entrepreneurs and businesses from across the world Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

UK government announces digital trade strategy

Five-point plan is aimed at improving ways to sell and deliver services digitally, making the sector more resilient to disruption Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Dear Chancellor: Unlocking private sector collaboration is the key to tech growth

Chancellor Rishi Sunak asked the tech sector for ideas to promote growth – startup hub Plexal makes its case in response Continue Reading

By

• Andrew Roughan, Plexal

NGO Fair Trials calls on EU to ban predictive policing systems

The use of artificial intelligence to predict criminal behaviour should be banned because of its discriminatory outcomes and high risk of further entrenching existing inequalities, claims Fair Trials Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Putting data at the heart of policymaking will accelerate London’s recovery

A new initiative to encourage better data sharing between London’s private and public sectors can play an important role in recovering from the pandemic Continue Reading

By

• Mel Hobson

UK tech sector on track for another record year of investment

The UK creates one unicorn tech business a week, as startup funding during the first half of 2021 rockets to £13.5bn Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

JP Morgan launch of UK digital bank expected next week

JP Morgan will launch its UK digital retain bank next week, and continental Europe will be next if it’s a success Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Do we really want a single digital identity system to access government services?

Is the UK government about to make a new announcement on its plans for a single digital identity for citizens to access online public services? On 22 September, two seemingly coordinated ... Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Whittingdale and Warman ousting completes reshuffle of every digital, data and tech minister

All of the UK ministers responsible for technology, digital and data are moving on as a result of Boris Johnson's latest reshuffle Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Enterprise Applications Editor

Digital retail: how to optimise success

GUEST BLOG: In this contributed blog post, Greg Ouillon, CTO, New Relic, talks about digital retail and how it has shifted during the pandemic. The last year has certainly changed the high street ... Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Bitdefender launches free REvil ransomware decryptor

Working alongside law enforcement partners, Bitdefender has developed and released a tool to help REvil victims recover their data for free Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Inside nib’s digital transformation journey

In this video interview with Computer Weekly, Brendan Mills, CIO of nib, talks about the insurance company’s digital transformation strategy Continue Reading

By

• Stephen Withers

European president outlines tech vision to drive Europe

President of the European Commission has set out plans for a stronger European economy, with less reliance on US and Chinese tech giants Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Travel-themed phishing lures spiked this summer

As people begin to take holidays again after more than a year of restrictions and lockdowns, opportunist cyber criminals have taken note, according to new data from Palo Alto’s Unit 42 Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Network Rail U-turns on blanket inside IR35 contractor determinations

The Department for Transport’s 2020-2021 accounts suggest Network Rail has switched up its IR35 compliance strategy, with more than 70% of its contractors now classified as working outside IR35 Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

UN human rights chief calls for moratorium on AI technologies

High commissioner’s call for a moratorium on the use of AI systems that pose a serious risk to human rights is accompanied by a UN report on the negative human rights impacts associated with the technology Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Interview: Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak on supporting the UK tech sector

Computer Weekly talked to Sunak at a Treasury event in front of an audience of tech sector leaders, investors and startups, to discuss how the government can support the digital economy Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Tech Nation announces second cohort for Net Zero accelerator

The Net Zero programme from Tech Nation aims to help tech startups and scaleups realise their potential to reduce global emissions Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Volkswagen supports Arm-based software-defined car standard

Car manufacturer's software business supports industry initiative to develop a standard platform and open-source reference implementation Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Nordic central banks drive fintech and digital currency

Banks are working together through a cross-border financial technology development hub Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

HDD support and Zoned Namespaces: Key takeaways about NVMe 2.0

We look at new capabilities in the most recent iteration of the NVMe flash storage standard Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

UK government takes equity shares in more than 150 startups

Covid-support loans given to startups through the UK government’s Future Fund have given it stakes in more than 150 high-growth enterprises Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Cost of ransomware attack in financial sector exceeds $2m

Mid-sized financial services organisations worldwide spend an average of over $2m recovering from ransomware attacks Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

CCRC refers six more subpostmaster convictions for appeal

An additional six subpostmasters’ convictions have been referred for appeal in Post Office IT scandal Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Is 3D printing about to hit the mainstream?

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we find out about the emerging consumer services using 3D printing and ask if the technology is about to go mainstream. Our latest buyer’s guide looks at the importance of sustainable datacentres. And we analyse the risks of increasing contactless card spending limits and whether tech could help. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Smishing attacks up sevenfold in six months

Scam text messages are reaching pandemic proportions, thanks in part to the pandemic Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

How high can the contactless card limit go without two-factor authentication?

The spending limit for contactless cards has reached an eyebrow-raising triple-digit figure – £100 – raising questions about the need for user authentication Continue Reading

UK government’s new digital identity system to cost up to £400m

Cabinet Office is seeking £300m-£400m in funding to build its replacement for the failed Gov.uk Verify system, which itself cost over £220m Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Delays to replacing legacy police IT puts access to information at risk, says NAO

National Audit Office says five-year delay to the Home Office’s project to create a National Law Enforcement Data Service, replacing two existing legacy IT systems, puts police access to vital information at risk Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

UK GDPR faces changes under planned reforms

DCMS is launching a major consultation on proposed changes to the UK’s data protection regime, under which several key elements of the GDPR are likely to change Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Five things you need to know about cloud file services

We look at cloud file services, which provide a file system-like architecture that gives users access to file data wherever they are, just as if it were a local NAS filer Continue Reading

By

• Stephen Pritchard

Government relies on tech to reduce NHS waiting lists

Health and social care secretary Sajid Javid aims to reduce NHS waiting list backlog through use of virtual wards, artificial intelligence and new surgical hubs Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

CW Europe: Dutch researchers build security software to mimic human immune system

In this issue of CW Europe, find out how researchers in the Netherlands are attempting to help IT systems fight certain cyber attacks in a similar way to the human immune system works. One of the team at Dutch research institute TNO was originally an immunologist, and saw parallels with the human immune system in the field of cyber security. Also in this issue, find out about the so-called “Klarna academy” in Stockholm, which has created the next set of Nordic fintech entrepreneurs. Continue Reading

Stolen credit card data worth about £13 on dark web, PayPal worth more

The average price of a stolen credit card on a dark web marketplace comes in at around $17.40, or £12.60, according to new data – but the real money for cyber criminals is in hacked PayPal accounts Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Estonian government opens its digital heart to tech testers

Tech startups are being invited to build and test their products and services on the Estonian government’s IT estate for free, in return for use of the software developed Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA