IT news in your industry sector

Digital knowledge must be integral part of Dutch police training

Research reveals gaps in digital knowledge among Netherlands police, with calls for a training ‘roadmap’ to get officers up to speed to tackle cyber crime Continue Reading

By

• Kim Loohuis

Levanstoleski

One of Donald Trump’s last acts as US president was to pardon Anthony Levandowski, a former Google engineer who faced 18 months for being caught with his fingers in the intellectual till. Citing ... Continue Reading

By

• Ryan Priest

More subpostmasters’ prosecutions sent to appeal for wrongful conviction

Four more subpostmasters are to have their appeals against criminal convictions heard in the appeal courts Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Where is the UK’s digital strategy?

While the devolved nations press on with their digital plans, the UK government has delayed its digital strategy – yet this is too important for the economy to be put off any further Continue Reading

By

• Amanda Brock, OpenUK

HSBC closing more branches as customers turn to digital channel

Bank announces branch closures as it reshapes its network for the digital age Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

PAC demands rejigged IT investment action plan from HMRC by end of March 2021

A report by the Public Accounts Committee confirms HMRC is spending too much money on patching legacy IT systems, and needs to prioritise investing in the modernisation of its digital estate Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Architect slashes 20% off storage costs with Nasuni NAS gateway

LA-based Jerde Partnership replaced on-premise storage and backup with Nasuni hybrid cloud NAS gateways to provide seamless access across timezones to project files Continue Reading

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• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

IT scandal exposes legal rule that made it easy for Post Office to prosecute the innocent

Lawyers call for changes to digital evidence rule that made it easier for the Post Office to ‘bamboozle courts’ and make subpostmasters pay a heavy price for its IT failings Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Malwarebytes also hit by SolarWinds attackers

The nation state group that attacked SolarWinds in December got inside Malwarebytes by exploiting privileged access to its Microsoft Office 365 tenant, the firm reveals Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Five key benefits of AWS, Azure and Google Cloud file storage

The big three offer cloud file storage that can ease hybrid cloud operations, with consistency between cloud and on-premise as well as greater enterprise application compatibility Continue Reading

By

• Stephen Pritchard

Questions raised by New Zealand central bank boss, following cyber attack investigation

The governor of New Zealand’s central bank said the organisation must answer questions about its security following a ‘significant’ attack Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

The UK’s struggle with digital schooling

In this week’s Computer Weekly, the UK government’s sudden decision to close schools left many unable to provide children with online schooling - we examine the home learning challenges. Cyber security experts give us their forecasts for 2021. And we find out how technology supports the work of the Guide Dogs charity. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Parler v AWS, digital schooling, ambulance data – Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcast

In this episode of the Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcast, Caroline Donnelly, Clare McDonald and Brian McKenna discuss the purgation of Parler, the traumas of digital schooling and the South Central Ambulance Service’s use of data to support their operations during the Covid-19 pandemic Continue Reading

By

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

Click fraud levels reach new heights in pandemic

Small companies risk losing £10,000 a year, and enterprises as much as £520,000, to cyber criminals as click fraud volumes spike Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Criminals fiddled stolen Covid-19 vaccine data to damage trust

Malicious actors manipulated stolen Covid-19 data in a way clearly intended to damage public trust in vaccines, says the EMA Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Fixing the cracks in public sector digital infrastructure

The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the flaws in the UK's digital government set-up. The appointment of new IT leadership presents an ideal opportunity for the government to fix them Continue Reading

By

• Matthew Fetzer, Reform

MoD reports 18% rise in data loss incidents

The Ministry of Defence reported more than five hundred data security incidents in 2019-20, with seven serious enough to warrant disclosure to the ICO Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Nottinghamshire uses citizen engagement tools to inform residents

Nottinghamshire Council is seeking to expand Granicus integrations after success in using its communications services to keep citizens informed during pandemic Continue Reading

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• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

UKtech50: The 2021 longlist

Each year, Computer Weekly launches its annual search for the most influential people in UK IT, where the tech industry nominates who it thinks should be in the top 50 – here is the longlist for 2021 Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Community Fibre to supply free 50Mbps broadband for vulnerable London households

Fibre altnet looks to address growing problem of the digital divide and ensure continuity of education in UK capital Continue Reading

By

• Joe O’Halloran, Computer Weekly

The UK tech sector has been a force for good during the Covid-19 pandemic

The UK's digital minister hails the tech companies that have helped people cope with many of the challenges of living through lockdown and the coronavirus pandemic Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Dinenage, DCMS

AI specialists and software engineers among most popular UK roles, says LinkedIn

Demand for specialist software engineers and people with skills in AI have risen, according to professional network LinkedIn Continue Reading

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• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

NCSC CyberFirst Girls 2021 contest kicks off

UK’s national cyber agency says it has already had hundreds of entrants in spite of the challenges presented by the pandemic Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

150,000 records accidentally wiped from police systems

Home Office claims data wiped from national police systems only relates to people who have never been convicted of a crime or had further police action taken against them following an arrest Continue Reading

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• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

US cyber security agencies get $9bn in Biden plan

New funding proposals come as US government reels from the impact of the December 2020 SolarWinds attack Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Nordic startups make advances in pet tech

Nordic tech startups are looking to take pet tech mainstream following the acceleration of the industry during the current pandemic Continue Reading

By

• Matthew Staff

Coalition proposes secure standard model for Covid-19 passports

Vaccination Credential Initiative is working to ensure that people vaccinated against Covid-19 can access their records in a secure, verifiable and privacy-preserving way Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Tech partnership to drive Finland’s quantum computing project

Organisations in Finland are developing quantum computing capabilities through a state and private sector partnership Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

UK government urged to implement cloud-centric transformation plan

The approach to digital public services needs to be reinvented to catch up with global leaders, according to new research Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Etive to create digital identity trust scheme for residential property market

The tech company has received funding from Innovate UK to create a digital identity trust scheme, aiming to improve identity verification in the residential property sector Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

All EU states can take data protection cases against Facebook, says EU court

An opinion from the European Court of Justice has the potential to lead to a flood of privacy complaints against Facebook if upheld Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

UK government needs a digital reboot

The appointment of new digital leadership is a welcome start to what – if the UK is to thrive in a post-Covid, post-Brexit world – must become a wholesale reboot of digital government Continue Reading

By

• Daniel Korski

Experian calls for less bureaucratic data regulations

Open banking requires cross-industry collaboration, but sharing personal data requires explicit consent, which can become a bottleneck Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

London received quarter of all European tech funding in 2020

Technology startups in London raised near-record levels of venture capital investment last year despite uncertainty related to Brexit and Covid-19 Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Numbers stack up for UK open banking three years on

Three years have passed since open banking regulations came into force and momentum is gathering Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Scottish councils need better digital skills, report finds

Councils in Scotland still suffer from a lack of digital skills among staff despite progress during the pandemic, and the Scottish Local Government Digital Office has failed to deliver its goal of common platforms and joint procurement, according to Audit Scotland’s Accounts Commission Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Old, on-premise systems targeted in Hackney ransomware attack

Council reveals some more insight into how the Pysa ransomware gang infiltrated its systems by exploiting legacy technology Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Unforeseen consequences of new technologies put UK at risk

Lords committee told that the risks associated with various emerging digital technologies must be assessed together, with input from UK citizens, if the government is to avoid ‘siloisation’ of fundamentally interconnected problems Continue Reading

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• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

VVOLs and Pure win VM storage beauty parade for French chain

VMware Virtual Volumes and a move from NetApp to Pure Storage saw cosmetics retailer Beauty Success make performance gains and eliminate bottlenecks in ordering and logistics Continue Reading

By

• Yann Serra, LeMagIT

CW Middle East: $60m venture capital fund targets 120 startups

Countries in the Middle East see technology as an industry of the future and are investing heavily in the sector as part of their economic diversification plans. Read in this issue how the latest development will see a $60m venture capital fund, based in Bahrain, invest in 120 early-stage startups across the Middle East region. Also read how Saudi Arabia has signed two agreements with Chinese IT suppliers as it strives to deliver its ambitious programme to diversify its economy. Continue Reading

Zoom reveals phone product spike, public offer price

Strong service performance, reliability and enterprise-grade features drive uptake of Zoom Phone as still rapidly growing conferencing firm announces $1.75bn share offering Continue Reading

By

• Joe O’Halloran, Computer Weekly

IFS Field Service Management software: Overview, pros, cons

IFS FSM software is meant to manage field staff and assets. Learn about its advantages and disadvantages and whether your company should put it on a vendor shortlist. Continue Reading

By

• Linda Rosencrance

Court to rule on Facebook data sharing after Schrems drops legal challenge against Irish regulator

Irish High Court says it will issue a judgment as soon as possible over a draft decision by Ireland’s data protection commissioner to order Facebook to stop the transfer of data about EU citizens to datacentres in the US Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

What does Brexit mean for the future of UK digital policy? A view from Europe

Any decisions by the UK government to diverge from EU policies and values over digital policy and regulation could cause real economic problems for UK businesses Continue Reading

By

• Adam Bowering

Three-quarters of finance firms report more potentially criminal activity in their networks

Fears of failing to comply with strict regulations grow as financial services firms identify more suspicious financial activity on their networks Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Unravelling the new digital leadership plans in UK government

In September 2019, the then civil service chief executive John Manzoni told Computer Weekly that the new digital leader he wanted to recruit for the UK government would “have to be very wise, very ... Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Covid-19 immunity passport tests to begin in UK

A Covid-19 immunity and vaccination passport developed by two UK firms and backed by Innovate UK has entered the live testing phase Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Stolen Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine data leaked

Data dump understood to include screenshots of emails, peer review information, PDFs and PowerPoint presentations Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

European IT outsourcing spend up in 2020 after cloud boost

IT outsourcing sector growth is an indication that businesses are beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel amid the Covid-19 pandemic and the economic disruption it has brought Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

South Central Ambulance Service drives out of Covid data fog with Qlik

Ambulance service’s business intelligence has come into its own during the coronavirus crisis, helping the managers behind the paramedics to deliver the service with fast data flows and joined-up datasets Continue Reading

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• Brian McKenna, Enterprise Applications Editor

Mimecast latest security firm to be compromised

Users of a specific Mimecast certificate used to authenticate services to Microsoft Office 365 may be at risk of compromise in an attack that may relate to the ongoing SolarWinds incident Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Government appoints digital leadership roles and sets up new digital office

The government is creating a new Central Digital and Data Office, which will be led by Home Office tech boss Joanna Davinson Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Cloud DR from the Big Three: Who’s best at what?

We look at cloud disaster recovery from AWS, Microsoft Azure and Google to see which is best for provision of turnkey solutions, breadth of portfolio and modular building blocks Continue Reading

By

• Stephen Pritchard

Data Dynamics aims at single view of unstructured data

Data volume is ballooning, and storage is becoming more disparate, which makes the need for a single platform to manage storage and compliance a key requirement for organisations Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Parler collapse opens door to phishing attacks

The shutdown of controversial social media site Parler, and the publication of huge amounts of user data scraped by ethical hackers, is giving cyber crime experts cause for concern Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Retail giant Walmart to launch a fintech

Fintech will be geared towards offering the services Walmart’s customers and employees want Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

IR35 private sector reforms: Research highlights lack of preparedness ahead of April 2021 start date

As the private sector start date for the IR35 reforms looms large, research suggests some companies are still dragging their feet with their preparations Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Bahrain hopes 5G roll-out will attract more tech firms to its shores

Bahrain has completed its 5G roll-out, which will support its IT infrastructure in creating the right environment for technology firms Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Covid-19 has led to a 25% increase in health app downloads, research shows

The pandemic has led to a huge increase in health apps downloads, particularly mental health apps, where downloads have increased 200%, as people struggle to cope during the crisis, according to Orcha Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Early stage UK security startups face funding crisis

Overall cyber security funding since the advent of the pandemic is well up, but investment is dominated by safe, later-stage firms while those raising capital for the first time fall away Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Wales invests £4.9m in digital services improvement

Government funding aims to accelerate the design and delivery of citizen-focused offerings in Wales Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

The UK’s struggle with digital schooling

The UK government’s sudden decision to close schools left many either unprepared or unable to provide children with online schooling, so what does home learning currently look like for children across the UK? Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Jobs in fintech bounce back after brief lockdown lull

Fintechs and payments companies need to make staff recruitment a priority as talent pool shrinks Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Ordnance Survey opens up direct, API access to location data for public sector

Location data made available to public sector organisations via application programming interfaces, reducing data management overheads Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Enterprise Applications Editor

Tech key to improving lives of people with rare diseases, says government report

The UK Rare Diseases Framework will build on advances in genomics and data analysis to improve testing and diagnosis Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

New Zealand central bank IT system breached in cyber attack

Bank is responding to a cyber attack after hackers breached the system of a third-party supplier Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Pennine NHS trust gets new imaging tech

Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust is the first of eight NHS trusts to go live with a Manchester-wide diagnostic imaging project Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Government use of 'general warrants' to authorise computer and phone hacking is unlawful

A court has ruled that the security and intelligence services can no longer rely on ‘general warrants’ to authorise the hacking of large numbers of computers and phones belonging to UK citizens Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Tech sector reacts to Trump social media bans

Facebook, Instagram and others moved to limit US president’s social media access after the violence in Washington DC, but experts have condemned them for acting too slowly, while disinformation about the riots persists Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Major facial-recognition supplier builds system to identify masked faces

Facial-recognition supplier claims new system can accurately identify masked faces, therefore promoting public health during the pandemic. But questions remain about whether its existing UK law enforcement clients will be deploying the technology Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

AI Council advises government to do artificial intelligence moonshots

The AI Council has published a “roadmap” of advice to government in respect of developing a UK state strategy for artificial intelligence, encompassing skills, vendor support and public sector procurement Continue Reading

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• Brian McKenna, Enterprise Applications Editor

Brexit deal grants UK temporary data adequacy

The EU-UK Brexit deal has granted the UK temporary data adequacy to allow for the continued flow of data across borders, but the agreement has divided data protection experts Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

British Gas tackles omnichannel customer correspondence

Utility firm hopes to map out customer communications to help deliver a better customer experience and improve the business Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Which? online banking investigation reveals ‘worrying gaps’ in security

Consumer rights organisation has ranked the security of UK online current account providers Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Majority of suppliers won’t have software ready for CDS until March

Brexit IT systems are all up and running, but little traffic through the borders means they haven’t yet been put to the test, and in Northern Ireland, suppliers don’t yet have software ready to use the Customs Declaration Service Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Poor data flows hampered government’s Covid-19 response, says the Science and Technology Committee

House of Commons Science and Technology Committee finds poor data management to have hampered the government’s Covid-19 pandemic response Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Enterprise Applications Editor

Biden picks cyber veteran to reinvigorate security response

Appointment of career intelligence operative Anne Neuberger signals refreshed security approach for the US government under Joe Biden's administration Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Nordic digital innovation offers a proactive approach to mental health

Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the need to support people suffering mental health issues – and digital technology can help Continue Reading

By

• Matthew Staff

Trump bans Chinese payment apps

US president signs executive order banning the use of Chinese payments app, citing national security risks Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Hackney Council data leaked by Pysa ransomware gang

Council data stolen in October is leaked online in a double extortion attack Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Most British people don't trust government with personal data

The UK ranks high in a list of countries where citizens are least confident about how their private information is handled by public authorities, research shows Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Robust member administration system indispensable for Dutch Coeliac Society

Organisation had to find a dedicated member administration system to support existing members, new members and countless volunteers Continue Reading

By

• Kim Loohuis

Robin.io aims its Kubernetes storage at databases and big data

Cloud-native storage runs in Kubernetes and pools storage media to present it to application persistent storage needs, including snapshots and backup on top Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

DBS opens tech academy in skills training drive

The DBS Future Tech Academy will focus on training the bank’s technologists in three disciplines for a start – site reliability engineering, data processing and analytics, and application security Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Labour urges government to adopt new plan for at-home education

Labour MPs have written to government officials urging them to provide schools and children with the digital provisions necessary to ensure every child can properly work from home during lockdown Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to remain in prison despite winning extradition battle

Judge cites Assange’s support of NSA whistleblower as one of the reasons for him being at high risk of absconding. He will remain in Belmarsh prison until the US government completes its appeal Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

SolarWinds attack almost certainly work of Russian spooks

Investigations into the far-reaching SolarWinds Solorigate attack did not let up during the holidays Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Why Jack Ma might be too good a tech entrepreneur for China's leaders

Tech pioneer Jack Ma is facing new regulatory pressure from the Chinese authorities – is this some ideological spat, or simply that he's too good at what he does compared to the state-owned financial system? Continue Reading

By

• Tim Worstall, Adam Smith Institute

NHS trust says appointment processes robust despite criticism of role for Post Office scandal CEO

NHS trust defends its director appointment process following an external review of its recruitment of former Post Office CEO Paula Vennells Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Five key points about cloud vs in-house disaster recovery

The cloud is well suited as a disaster recovery failover option. The key questions are about what you should keep on-site and what goes to the cloud. We look at five key points to consider Continue Reading

By

• Stephen Pritchard

Huawei battles for market access in Nordics

Chinese networking equipment supplier Huawei fights to retain access to potential 5G contracts across the Nordic region Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

Banking trade body calls for increased contactless payment limit

UK Finance proposes an increase in the limit on spending using contactless cards Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

AAT calls on government to re-think the Making Tax Digital exemption threshold

The Association of Accounting Technicians calls for improvements to HM Revenue and Customs’ Making Tax Digital programme, and says the exemption threshold, currently at £10,000, should be raised Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Government delays digital strategy

The digital strategy, originally due in autumn 2020, is likely to be published at some point in 2021, and the government is ‘continuing to consider the best timeframe for delivering the strategy’ Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

The tech sector cannot build back better from the kitchen table

While technology has supported the lockdown economy by allowing millions to work from home, the in-person collaboration and shared experience on which the tech sector thrives will need to return soon Continue Reading

By

• Amy French, Level39

Nominations open for Computer Weekly Innovation Awards APAC

Computer Weekly is looking for nominations for its inaugural Innovation Awards in APAC to honour digitisation initiatives that have transformed organisations in seven industries Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Caerphilly council delivers free school meals through automation

Welsh council expands its robotic process automation project, which has successfully helped the council deliver free school meals during the Covid-19 pandemic Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange cannot be extradited to face charges in US, court rules

Court rules it would be oppressive to send Julian Assange to the US to face trial after finding he is at high risk of suicide. US government says it will appeal Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Covid-19’s impact on the retail supply chain

The Covid-19 pandemic has exposed gaps in the ability of retailers to mitigate supply chain imbalances Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Pandemic heroes dominate New Year Honours List 2021

The New Year Honours List 2021 is remarkable for its recognition of those who have excelled during the Covid-19 public health emergency, including digital and data professionals Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Enterprise Applications Editor