IT news in your industry sector

TSB calls on Meta to intervene and protect users from fraud losses of £250m this year

TSB is the latest bank to demand more action from social media sector in helping to reduce online fraud Continue Reading

Google Cloud signs MoU to accelerate take-up of AI by UK defence sector

Google Cloud is continuing to make in-roads into the UK public sector after signing MoU with The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory Continue Reading

Banks still investing heavily in legacy payments systems

Banks are missing out on additional revenues through payment services because they are stuck with inflexible legacy payments systems. Continue Reading

Artificial intelligence creates 40,000 new roles at Accenture

Accenture is planning to add thousands of AI experts to its workforce as part of a $3bn investment in its data and artificial intelligence practice Continue Reading

Belgian bank leaps forward in digital transformation through core banking outsourcing deal

Online bank moves to a software-as-a-service core banking platform to ‘leapfrog’ in-house development Continue Reading

GoCardless cuts jobs and wants its ‘startup spirit’ back

Payments fintech unicorn GoCardless will cut its workforce in the UK as part of a 15% reduction in its global workforce Continue Reading

London Tech Week: Keir Starmer calls for AI job loss discussion

Labour leader sees a need for a broad regulatory framework and a frank discussion with business to inform policy around job losses arising from artificial intelligence Continue Reading

Delivery charges and slow payments have customers abandoning baskets

Customer expectation has been on the rise, both on and offline, and no-code automation firm Primer finds there are several reasons why consumers are choosing not to checkout Continue Reading

Delayed Making Tax Digital programme to cost taxpayers extra £1.5bn

HM Revenue and Customs’ (HMRC) Making Tax Digital programme, which is running several years behind schedule, is expected to cost five times more than planned, National Audit Office (NAO) report finds Continue Reading

UKtech50 2023: The most influential people in UK technology

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we reveal the 13th annual UKtech50 list of the most influential people in UK technology. This year’s award goes jointly to the secretaries of state for science, innovation and technology – Michelle Donelan and her maternity cover, Chloe Smith. Also, we examine the mounting legal challenges faced by the emergence of generative AI tools such as ChatGPT. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Ada Lovelace Institute warns against Covid app reuse

There are a number of lessons policy-makers should take away from the use of apps developed as part of the Covid-19 response Continue Reading

Ofcom data stolen in MOVEit cyber attack

Communications regulator Ofcom says data on employees and regulated communications companies was stolen by the Clop gang Continue Reading

Rishi Sunak calls for urgency in building out UK tech

The UK prime minister used his speech during London Tech Week to discuss funding tech, attracting talent and AI safety Continue Reading

Annual spend on regtech to reach more than £200bn by 2028

Global corporates will spend over $200bn in 2028 as the technology is used to help organisations in more industries comply with complex regulations. Continue Reading

Extreme Networks emerges as victim of Clop MOVEit attack

Network equipment and services supplier Extreme Networks has revealed its instance of Progress Software’s MOVEit tool was compromised in the ongoing Clop cyber attack Continue Reading

UK-US Atlantic Declaration bolsters tech and data collaboration

Joe Biden and Rishi Sunak agree greater collaboration on responsible artificial intelligence, quantum computing and Open RAN Continue Reading

UK and US move closer to transatlantic data bridge deal

The British and American governments have committed, in principle, to a new data bridge agreement that will ease the free flow of personal data across the Atlantic Continue Reading

University of Manchester hit by cyber attack

The University of Manchester has been hit by a cyber attack of an undisclosed nature Continue Reading

CDEI publishes portfolio of AI assurance techniques

The UK’s Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation has published a variety of case studies to show how different assurance techniques can build and maintain trust in artificial intelligence systems Continue Reading

Sweden’s Ikano Bank outsources core banking to TCS

Ikano Bank moves to cloud banking platform from Indian IT services giant Tata Consultancy Services Continue Reading

UK gets new rules to regulate crypto sector

The Financial Conduct Authority is introducing new rules to regulate the cryptoasset sector, after being handed a government remit to oversee crypto promotions Continue Reading

Netherlands enables contactless payments on entire public transport network

All modes of public transport now accept payments using contactless technology after the completion of major project in the Netherlands Continue Reading

Regulatory ‘lacuna’ around facial recognition threatens rights

The UK is heading for a “legal quagmire” around live facial recognition if the government and regulators do not take action to rein in use of the technology before it becomes ubiquitous Continue Reading

Government and industry figures meet to discuss AI regulation

Tech industry figures are broadly supportive of the need for artificial intelligence to be regulated, but despite growing consensus, there is still disagreement over what effective AI regulation looks like Continue Reading

CW EMEA: IT budgets buck economic trends

Despite the gloomy economic outlook across the world, IT leaders in the EMEA region appear confident that they will have more to spend on IT this year, with 44 expecting IT budgets to increase, according to TechTarget/Computer Weekly’s IT Priorities survey for 2023. Also in this issue, we look at how health authorities in the United Arab Emirates are increasing their emphasis on new, smart technologies to modernise healthcare services, we find out how global tech pioneers Finland and Estonia are increasingly sharing their expertise, and we look at what the Dutch government is doing to address unconscious stereotypes and bias that are still preventing girls in the Netherlands to study engineering or IT. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Podcast: Storage, backup, AI and data classification at RSA 2023

Much discussion at RSA 2023 about artificial intelligence, the risks to data protection, storage and compliance, plus risk and data classification, especially its impacts on access and data management Continue Reading

UKtech50 2023: The most influential people in UK technology

Computer Weekly has announced the 13th annual UKtech50 – our definitive list of the movers and shakers in the UK tech sector Continue Reading

UKtech50 2023 winner: Michelle Donelan/Chloe Smith, secretary of state, DSIT

Computer Weekly looks at the achievements and successes of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, as its secretary of state is recognised as the most influential person in UK technology for 2023 Continue Reading

NatWest and University of Edinburgh form partnership to research data use in banking sector

Scottish university and banking group set up research centre that will aim to improve the use of banking data Continue Reading

Welsh ambulance service upgrades life-saving communications

Welsh ambulances going through major communications upgrade as part of wider NHS programme Continue Reading

Researchers in Belgium move towards industrial production of qubits

Using existing equipment and know-how, researchers at the Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre (Imec) in Belgium are finding ways of mass-producing qubits Continue Reading

Open banking regulator sets out next steps

Plans for ongoing evolution of the UK open banking sector have been set out by regulator in bid to grow the open banking sector in a ‘safe, scalable and economically sustainable way’ Continue Reading

Payments regulator makes APP fraud reimbursement mandatory

UK payments regulator confirms changes to rules around repaying customers who lose money to authorised push payment fraudsters Continue Reading

Government to test rural broadband options with £7m fund

Government to fund tests of technologies that could be issued to improve internet connectivity for rural communities Continue Reading

Google launches hacker-backed SME security training scheme

Citing research that shows almost half of SMEs are struggling to recruit cyber security specialists, Google is launching a programme designed to upskill more people to fill thousands of vacant roles Continue Reading

Software-defined storage: What it is and variants available

SDS is available in numerous variants. It is usually cheaper, flexible to deploy and brings storage efficiencies, but there are pitfalls in complexity, management and performance Continue Reading

Indian IT services giant takes UK teachers’ pensions contract from Capita

Tata Consultancy Services bolsters its growing UK public sector customer base with key contract win Continue Reading

Mercedes Pay turns vehicles into payment devices

German car manufacturer add contactless payment feature to enable drivers to find and book parking spaces and pay automatically when they arrive Continue Reading

ESA uses NetApp as-a-service for space data ‘hot’ archive

The European Space Agency collects data from millions of miles away. It must get storage right when there’s no chance of a u-turn to take more photos or re-record data Continue Reading

TechUK publishes ‘UK tech plan’ for next government

Technology businesses are calling on UK politicians to devise a ‘comprehensive, forward-thinking strategy’ to realise the benefits of technology ahead of the next general election Continue Reading

Workers ‘deeply uncomfortable’ with digital surveillance at work

Employees express discomfort towards employers’ use of various digital surveillance and monitoring techniques, which are often powered by artificial intelligence Continue Reading

Bank of International Settlement sets up channel secure from quantum breach

The Bank of International Settlement has worked with two of Europe's central banks to explore preventing the security risks posed by quantum computers Continue Reading

UK has time limit on ensuring cryptocurrency regulatory leadership, says Parliamentary report

Parliamentary report makes 53 recommendations to the government's plans to regulate cryptocurrency Continue Reading

Medical regulator drops probe into NHS whistleblower Peter Duffy amid dispute over email evidence

The General Medical Council has dropped an investigation into an NHS whistleblower who exposed widespread clinical harm at Morecambe Bay Trust amid questions over disputed email evidence Continue Reading

Sweden is developing its own big language model

Artificial Intelligence Sweden is leading an initiative to build a large language model not only for Swedish, but for all the major languages in the Nordic region: Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Icelandic, and Faroese Continue Reading

AI interview: Dan McQuillan, critical computing expert

Critical computing expert Dan McQuillan speaks to Computer Weekly about the top-down imposition of artificial intelligence on society, and how AI is a fundamentally political technology shaped by humanity’s most reactionary tendencies Continue Reading

Met Police director of intelligence defends facial recognition

The Met Police’s director of intelligence has appeared before MPs to make the case for its continuing use of facial-recognition technology, following announcements from the force and the Home Office that they intend to press on with its adoption Continue Reading

CIO interview: Adam Warne, CIO, River Island

The privately owned fashion retailer places a premium on its high street presence, but sees digital innovation as key to improving customer service in stores Continue Reading

How India’s DICV is tapping smart manufacturing

Daimler India Commercial Vehicles has deployed augmented and virtual reality, advanced sensors, data analytics and other technologies to improve manufacturing processes and customer fleet management Continue Reading

HSBC explores quantum computing for finance sector

UK banking giant works with quantum computing specialist to explore the technology’s potential in the finance sector Continue Reading

Lloyds Bank calls on tech companies to control social media ‘wild west’

Lloyds Banking Group is calling on tech giants to step forward in the fight against online fraud, which emanates in the social media ‘wild west’ Continue Reading

Panasas to add S3 support to edge storage and cloud moves

Scale-out NAS maker – which specialises in large capacity for AI/ML and HPC – has come out of its on-prem shell and now plans further moves towards cloud-friendly object storage Continue Reading

UK, US and Australia jointly trial AI-enabled drone swarm

British, American and Australian military organisations have trialled the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in drones in a collaboration designed to drive their adoption of AI-powered military tools Continue Reading

Europe’s central bank reveals drop in Euro Zone card fraud

Euro Zone card fraud drops with card-not-present scams down following the introduction of Strong Customer Authentication rules Continue Reading

Downstream breaches of Capita customers spreading

As many as 90 organisations that used Capita services have now reported data breaches arising from various security incidents at the outsourcer Continue Reading

Tech jobs to go as part of JPMorgan layoffs

According to reports, US banking giant to cut hundreds of jobs, including role reductions in technology and operations Continue Reading

Can the UK cash in on chips?

In this week’s Computer Weekly, the UK government has committed £1bn to the semiconductor sector – but can it ever compete with the US and China? The potential of 5G networking could transform manufacturing – we examine the implications. And we talk to the global CIO at cloud storage provider Box about plans to incorporate AI and machine learning. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Birmingham council leader admits £100m budget hole in ERP upgrade

City council’s plans to replace flagship SAP system, which has been running since 1999, is not going to plan Continue Reading

Five key steps where there is a risk of fraud investigation

When fraud investigators come knocking, there are some important ways in which management and senior IT professionals can make sure their company is best protected. Continue Reading

Cabinet Office publishes response to data sharing for digital ID consultation

The majority of respondents to government’s consultation on data sharing for digital identity are critical to the plans and concerned about data privacy, but Whitehall’s response says many of the responses ‘were driven by anti-digital commentaries’ Continue Reading

Alert over Chinese cyber campaign targeting critical networks

A Chinese threat actor known as Volt Typhoon has been observed infiltrating CNI networks in a cyber espionage campaign, according to intelligence Continue Reading

Fintech pioneer Anne Boden steps aside from challenger bank CEO role

Fintech pioneer to step aside for a new CEO after 10 years building a UK banking unicorn Continue Reading

Digital channels thriving for M&S but profits down

Many of M&S’s digital offerings have gained more users over the past year, but after a long programme of transformation, profits are still smaller this year than last Continue Reading

Almost all ransomware attacks target backups, says Veeam

Some 93% of ransomware attacks go for backups and most succeed, with 60% of those attacked paying the ransom, according to a Veeam survey Continue Reading

Kuwait bank introduces biometric payments card

Middle East bank launches payment cards with fingerprint sensor technology embedded Continue Reading

Two-thirds of all 2022 breaches resulted from spear phishing

Research by Barracuda Networks has found that, despite the low volume of spear-phishing attempts, the attacks are highly successful and have major consequences Continue Reading

JPMorgan’s UK digital retail bank adds more than a million customers in a year

The app-based bank launched in the UK by US giant JPMorgan has added one million customers in the past 12 months Continue Reading

Visa to recruit 1,500 tech staff in Poland

Visa’s latest global tech hub will recruit up to 1,500 staff, with focus on artificial intelligence, cyber security, and resilience in payments and ecommerce sectors Continue Reading

Cohesity Turing aims AI tools at backup and ransomware

Backup supplier continues to enrich its ecosystem with more artificial intelligence for backup and ransomware, with chat-like reporting functions and new security partners in its alliance Continue Reading

Starmer pledges to reform the NHS through technology

The Labour Party wants to create an NHS powered by ‘groundbreaking technology’, with genomics testing for every baby, modernising appointment booking and overhaul incentives for tech adoption Continue Reading

Aston Martin gets F1 pole position with NetApp storage

AMF1 race team tracks hundreds of car sensor metrics for raceday and post-event analysis that has seen it surge forward in recent Formula One rankings with NetApp NVMe storage Continue Reading

How to secure your software supply chain

In this week’s Computer Weekly, our latest buyer’s guide looks at secure coding, and kicks off by examining the challenges of securing your software supply chain. Cyber law enforcement leaders are calling on firms to end the secrecy around ransomware attacks. And we find out how facial recognition technology is being adopted by retailers. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Post Office scandal – cover-up a ‘dark chapter’ in government, corporate and legal history

Third phase of public inquiry into Horizon IT scandal reveals extent of Post Office and Fujitsu cover-up of software problems that went on to write ‘as dark a chapter in our governmental, corporate and legal history as can be imagined’ Continue Reading

Facebook owner Meta fined record €1.2 billion over EU-US data transfers

Decision could have implications for other companies using Standard Contractual Clauses to share data between Europe and the US Continue Reading

Worker-focused AI Bill introduced by backbench MP Mick Whitley

Using the 10-minute motion rule, backbench Labour MP Mick Whitley has introduced a worker-focused artificial intelligence (AI) bill to Parliament, which outlines a similar approach to AI being advocated by unions in the UK Continue Reading

AI-powered robot starts sorting Melbourne’s recyclables

Melbourne’s APR Kerbside has been using an AI-powered robot to pick up used Tetra Pak beverage cartons that can be turned into poly-coated boards Continue Reading

Spanish lawyers claim police hacking of EncroChat cryptophones breaches human rights law

Lawyers speaking at the Madrid Bar Association question the legality of a cryptophone hacking which has led to arrests of organised criminals in multiple countries Continue Reading

National semiconductor strategy: Balancing skills, migration and security

The UK government is putting £1bn into semiconductor research and design over the next 10 years to develop a robust chip sector Continue Reading

Campaigning former subpostmaster fears compensation for scandal victims will be delayed to 2025

The man who exposed the Post Office scandal fears a long delay for victims due to compensation process being "bogged down by bureaucracy" Continue Reading

Eticas outlines approach to ‘adversarial’ algorithmic auditing

Algorithmic auditing firm Eticas speaks to Computer Weekly about its approach to ‘adversarial’ algorithmic auditing, including its strengths and limitations, and how the process works Continue Reading

Defra's tech review reveals legacy IT issues across government

The Public Accoubts Committee recently found that Defra has been unable to measure inefficiencies due to running legacy IT Continue Reading

Home Office pushes for more police facial-recognition deployments

An independent report commissioned by the biometrics commissioner of England and Wales reveals that the UK policing minister is pushing for wider adoption of facial-recognition technology by police, and further criticises the government’s proposed changes to surveillance oversight Continue Reading

How Rolls-Royce uses citizen developers

The engineering company is using Microsoft Power Apps to democratise digitisation Continue Reading

CIO interview: Ravi Malick, Box

Ravi Malick has always been a technologist at heart, and via political science, startups and consultancy, landed in his current role at Box Continue Reading

Plexal launches Cyber Runway 3.0 accelerator programme

The latest iteration of Plexal’s government-backed cyber security startup accelerator will run four work streams to boost startups at various stages of maturity and growth Continue Reading

NetApp to promise ransomware warranty payout

NetApp will recover data hit by ransomware or pay a warranty, and has added entry-level SAN arrays and full access to all NetApp software across its hardware families Continue Reading

No10 Innovation Fellowship Programme ramps up AI focus

Second round of the programme, run jointly by Number 10 and the Government Digital Service, focuses on AI and automation Continue Reading

Scality pushes anti-ransomware features in Artesca object storage

Object storage specialist announces v2.0 of Artesca, with a heavy focus on functionality that can protect against ransomware such as object locking, sharding, backup to object etc Continue Reading

UK renews tech and science deal with Japan

Deal focuses on innovation and will see countries collaborate on networking and investment, joint R&D programmes, and exchange schemes Continue Reading

Why we need a secure side door for encrypted apps, not a back door  

Splitting a decryption key into multiple fragments held by 'guardians', including privacy rights group, may be an answer to policing encrypted messages Continue Reading

Microsoft and Google go into battle for enterprise AI

In this week’s Computer Weekly, as developments in generative AI accelerate, Microsoft and Google have each unveiled their plans around enterprise applications. Nobody doubts the importance of digital transformation – but experts say it won’t work without cultural change as well. And we examine the emerging practice of FinOps as part of cloud automation projects. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

CW Innovation Awards: Zuellig Pharma dispenses healthcare insights with data platform

The regional pharmaceutical giant’s business intelligence-as-a-service offering is touted to plug data gaps and has helped one pharmaceutical client improve customer loyalty Continue Reading

Post Office executive told to report false bill of health on controversial software

A 2010 Post Office internal review of the Horizon software was designed to ignore the system’s problems to reassure stakeholders amid questioning of its reliability Continue Reading

Online sales suffer as consumers hit shops for bargains

While overall shopping figures saw year-on-year growth in April 2023, online sales took a hit as shoppers look for cheaper goods in stores Continue Reading

MEPs vote in raft of amendments to EU AI Act

The proposed amendments to the EU’s AI Act have garnered a mixed reception from both industry and civil society, with the former seeing it as too stringent and the latter as not stringent enough in many areas, despite positive progress in others Continue Reading

Post Office lawyer bragged how team ‘destroyed attack on the Horizon system’ and put woman in prison

A senior Post Office lawyer appeared gleeful in email about how his team helped prosecute a subpostmaster who was sent to prison Continue Reading

PLC flash: The next generation or a mirage?

PLC could be productised within two years, but chip makers might not think it worth the effort. Will managing multiple voltages be more hassle than adding layers to existing flash? Continue Reading

Investigatory Powers Tribunal finds NCA EncroChat hacking warrants were lawful

Investigatory Powers Tribunal refers questions over whether messages obtained from the EncroChat encrypted phone network are legally admissible back to the criminal court Continue Reading

AI outcry intensifies as EU readies regulation

Policymakers are battling to keep pace with AI developments, while experts warn of societal impact Continue Reading

CW EMEA: The future of work

In this month’s CW EMEA, we look at the future of work in Europe after the pandemic forced a change in entrenched human behaviour. For years, people talked about flexible working being the way forward, but scepticism within the management of large companies held it back. This all changed when Covid-19 began to spread out of control and governments and businesses quickly told people to work from home where possible. We also look at the increasing problem of IT failures in Dutch hospitals and how they are affecting patient care, highlighting the need to improve IT security in hospitals. Read the issue now. Continue Reading