IT news in your industry sector

Challenger bank shuts up shop in UK amid uncertainty

Digital bank Fidor is ending its time in the UK, blaming uncertainties in the market Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Fintech pioneer helps to give fintech treatment to debt financing after Fidor sale

The founder of digital bank Fidor has turned his attention to fixing the inefficiencies of debt processing at banks through technology and empathy Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

St John Ambulance praised for response to ransomware attack

Charity’s response to ransomware attack demonstrates that it is possible to ensure minimal disruption if properly prepared Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Autonomous delivery van drives at Goodwood Festival of Speed

Kar-go aims to revolutionise online deliveries by cutting the cost of the final mile Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Security and privacy key to smart buildings and cities

Security and privacy capabilities are essential for stakeholders if they are to realise the benefits of smart buildings and cities, says expert whitepaper Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Longer-term tech investment must support policing reform

Investment in technologies such as facial recognition and artificial intelligence should be introduced to tackle compromises to public safety levels, says report Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

GDS signs agreement with Polish counterpart

The memorandum of understanding is aimed at boosting trade and technology development opportunities between the UK and Poland Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Why Facebook’s Libra digital currency could run rings round the regulators

Facebook’s cryptocurrency isn’t really a cryptocurrency, nor is it really a money transfer network, but it’s been formulated in such a way that regulators might not be able to do anything to stop it Continue Reading

By

• Tim Worstall, Adam Smith Institute

Nordic payments tie-up as Nets and Swish collaborate

Payments provider and app developer work together to test out mobile phone-based in-store payments system Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Implementing IoT – overcoming barriers to commercial adoption

Tim Wright from the Institute of Telecoms Professionals reports from a recent seminar exploring questions around the barriers to commercial, at-scale adoption of the internet of things, and how to overcome them Continue Reading

By

• Tim Wright, Institute of Telecommunications Professionals

FireEye ties Microsoft Outlook exploit to Iranian hackers

US Cyber Command has issued a warning that a patched Microsoft Outlook vulnerability is being exploited by unnamed threat actors, and recommended immediate patching Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Competition watchdog launches study into internet firms

Findings from a Competition and Markets Authority consultation will inform a report aimed at assessing how digital advertising can harm UK consumers Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Email still top security vulnerability, survey shows

Email is still the top security vulnerability, a survey shows, but security researchers caution that switching to instant messaging is not necessarily a solution in the longer term Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Sodin ransomware exploiting Windows zero-day, Kaspersky warns

Security researchers are warning that a recently discovered type of ransomware is now exploiting a zero-day Windows vulnerability, and does not require user interaction to trigger an infection Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

BT and Openreach told to be more transparent over split

Ofcom’s latest monitoring report on the changing relationship between BT and Openreach finds room for improvement, but is mostly positive Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Why PSD2 adoption in the Netherlands is lagging behind

The Netherlands appears to be falling behind in open banking, even though the Dutch are digitally proficient and are often early adopters of new technology. What is going on? Continue Reading

By

• Kim Loohuis

Public cloud: A key component in a disaster recovery plan

The key things to consider when creating a disaster recovery plan that uses public cloud: DIY vs DRaaS, native cloud tools vs third party, and how low can you go with RPO and RTO? Continue Reading

By

• Paul Stringfellow, Gardner Systems

Top VPNs secretly owned by Chinese firms

Nearly a third of top VPNs are secretly owned by Chinese companies, while other owners are based in countries with weak or no privacy laws, potentially putting users at risk, security researchers warn Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

What do the fintechs think of Facebook’s cryptocurrency Libra?

Fintechs welcome Facebook Libra but realise the scale of the social media giant's challenge to make it work Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Government ramps up efforts to counter fraud with analytics

Challenges have been outlined and a consultation launched to find ways to reduce fraud and error loss in central and local government through data-driven technologies. Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

CPS faces legal ruling over refusal to disclose emails with US on WikiLeaks and Assange extradition

A court will decide whether the Crown Prosecution Service can refuse to neither confirm nor deny the existence of correspondence with US on investigations into Julian Assange and WikiLeaks Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

UK consumers still concerned about personal data security

Most UK consumers are still concerned about the security of their personal data, indicating that organisations need to do more to gain consumer trust, such as implementing biometric controls Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Sweden’s Protective Security Act targets cyber risks

IT suppliers must comply with tighter cyber security requirements, but are being offered help from government agencies Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

DWP data hub develops prototype skills recommendation engine

Machine learning algorithm on Microsoft Azure identifies associated skills, based on the skills specified in online job adverts Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Podcast: The Computer Weekly Downtime Upload – Episode 22

In this week’s episode of the Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcast, Brian McKenna, Caroline Donnelly and Clare McDonald talk about digital transformation in the NHS, Sky’s efforts to get more women working in tech and how big businesses could be risking extinction by ignoring IT Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Orvibo data leak puts security spotlight on IoT back end

The security of devices that make up the internet of things (IoT) is a top concern for many in the industry, but leaks from an IoT database highlights the importance of back-end security too Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

G-Cloud 11 goes live with 4,200 suppliers securing a place on the framework

The latest iteration of the G-Cloud framework has gone live, with about 700 additional suppliers thought to have secured a place on it this time around Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

The UK manufacturing sector needs a digital upgrade

In this week’s Computer Weekly, the UK manufacturing sector is lagging behind on digital technology – we examine the challenges for the industry in becoming a global leader. Our buyer’s guide looks at enterprise social media and collaboration tools. And we find out how data science is helping to boost cyber security strategies. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Skills, digital and the manufacturing sector

Manufacturing still accounts for a large amount of the UK economy, and when it comes to the fourth industrial revolution, the UK has aspirations to be a world leader – but does it have the digital know-how to back it up? Continue Reading

Watchdog urges biometrics regulation in policing

The annual report from the biometrics commissioner warns that lack of clear laws on the application of the technologies could further undermine privacy and citizen trust Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Post Office back-office error leaves subpostmaster with thousands of pounds extra

The Post Office has admitted that some subpostmasters are at risk of accounts not balancing due to an error it does not understand Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Few UK firms are cyber insured despite financial losses

More than one-fifth of UK firms have been impacted financially by cyber attacks, yet potentially more than three-quarters of companies polled have never been insured for cyber-related losses Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

French baby store modernises backup as Veeam handles 150TB a night

France-based maternity, baby and children’s store Orchestra needed to share IT resources between 700 points of sale across multiple time zones, and backup for 100 applications Continue Reading

By

• Yann Serra, LeMagIT

Equinix launch $1bn joint venture to secure more European hyperscale colocation spend

Colocation giant Equinix is gunning for a larger slice of the hyperscale community's datacentre spend through formation of $1bn joint venture with Singapore wealth fund Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Symantec gearing up for future cyber security

Symantec is focusing on enabling businesses to secure data in the cloud after a string of acquisitions, but it also has its eye on the future, which will be all about empowering people, says CTO Hugh Thompson Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Facebook’s privacy game – how Zuckerberg backtracked on promises to protect personal data

Facebook promised its users privacy then quietly abandoned its promises in pursuit of profits. Now it faces antitrust regulation Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin and Sebastian Klovig Skelton

Interview: Matthew Gould, chief executive of NHSX, on transforming health service technology

NHSX is the latest on a long line of organisations created to overhaul NHS technology – can it make the difference this time? Its new CEO explains why it will Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Huge jump in cyber incidents reported by finance sector

The number of cyber incidents reported by financial services firms increased nearly 12-fold in 2018 from 2017, mainly due to third-party failures, highlighting several key areas that need improvement Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

How to get the basics of mobile device management right the first time

When adopting mobile device management, there are often fears around implementation and whether or not the strategy is even required Continue Reading

By

• Rene Millman

Ofcom to make switching mobile operators easier

The often fraught process of switching mobile network operators will become easier for end-users as new Ofcom regulations come into force Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

The Great Eastern way to digital transformation

Regional insurance company Great Eastern has rolled out a new digital platform to better serve customers while morphing its DNA from the inside out Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Visa modernises B2B global payments through open source blockchain

Visa is modernising cross-border business-to-business payments, with blockchain used to connect participating corporate Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

TIN coalition calls for industry action against cyber fraud

An industry group aimed at improving cyber security by tackling enduring challenges has called for collaboration in the fight against cyber fraud Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Cyber crime reporting crucial, say UK police

UK police are gearing up to make it easier for business to report cyber crime, saying that under-reporting continues to be a challenge Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Exploring UCaaS: The main benefits for enterprises

Getting unified communications-as-a-service right can mean more agility, higher productivity, and cost control Continue Reading

By

• Rene Millman

Almost half of shoppers still prefer brands with stores

Despite an increasing amount of people shopping online, factors such as product pricing and whether a brand has a physical store still come into play Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Ofcom gets go-ahead for new Openreach access model

Following referral to the European Commission, Ofcom is pressing ahead with a new regulatory model governing more open access to Openreach’s ducts, poles and dark fibre Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Apple design chief Jony Ive confirms company departure after nearly 30 years

After nearly 30 years of shaping the aesthetic of Apple products, the firm's chief design officer, Jony Ive, is leaving the company Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Interview: How Defra is getting its IT systems ready for Brexit

The director in charge of building and implementing the core systems supporting the department most affected by Brexit talks exclusively to Computer Weekly about the present and future of a new function of hundreds of staff Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Interview: John Seglias, chief digital information officer, Defra

The tech leader at the government department most affected by Brexit talks about digital transformation and carrying out one of the most complex projects in the public sector Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Interview: Yasmeen Al Sharaf, head of fintech and innovation unit, Central Bank of Bahrain

Yasmeen Al Sharaf heads up financial technology strategy at Bahrain’s central bank, which is on a mission to grow and diversify the sector in the Middle East island state Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Isles of Scilly among first UK locations to get 5G

The Isles of Scilly are to be included in Vodafone’s 5G network roll-out from day one, with the aim of supporting local community organisations Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Dutch bank and researchers begin defence against quantum computing’s dark side

ABN Amro is working with QuTech to ensure that banks can protect data against quantum computers in the future Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Aerohive adds cloud and edge network features to Extreme portfolio

Software-defined network specialist Extreme Networks has bought Aerohive to extend its capabilities in critical areas for future networks Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

How privacy could breathe new life into personalisation

As much of the advertising technology used by marketers to deliver personalised content online is deemed unlawful, there are signs regulation could actually be a win-win for both consumers and business – as long as the industry embraces change Continue Reading

By

• Jim Mortleman

Data drives decentralisation in Nordic healthcare

Nordic tech startups are applying their skills to solving some of the challenges for the region’s healthcare sector Continue Reading

By

• Matthew Staff

DWP looks to extend digital identity capabilities

Department for Work and Pensions wants to reduce reliance on existing identity assurance methods such as Gov.UK Verify and face-to-face Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

The ID Co passport to travel the internet: Fintech interview 23

The ID Co is offering businesses technology that has the potential of getting a mortgage approval in seconds Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Cloud snapshots and backups: How to protect data in the cloud

You often need more data protection than native cloud services will give. But should you choose backup or snapshots? And what about third-party backup in the cloud? Continue Reading

By

• Paul Stringfellow, Gardner Systems

Singapore aims to be global node for 5G innovation

The government will spend S$40m to develop 5G technology use cases in key sectors such as maritime and manufacturing with an eye on exporting Singapore's expertise to global markets Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

NHSX ends digital programmes and sets out delivery priorities

The digital unit concludes tech spending review in the health system, defines delivery missions and drives focus on standards and platforms Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Fido Alliance announces new standards

Fido Alliance announces new identity verification and IoT initiatives to expand the reach and impact of Fido authentication, which seeks to eliminate the world’s dependence on password-based security Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Commercial interests put customer security at risk, survey shows

Firms are bypassing security to push products and services into the market, increasing security risks for the organisation and its customers, a poll of information security professionals shows Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

TietoEVRY merger headlines wider consolidation in Nordic IT industry

The merger of Tieto and Evry is only part of the widespread consolidation that is hitting the region’s tech sector Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O’Dwyer

Open banking could generate £18bn in value for UK SMEs and citizens

Consumers and SMEs could generate billions of pounds in value if open banking adoption reaches its potential Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Wider threat campaign behind Wipro breach

A sophisticated, far-ranging threat campaign was behind the breach at Indian IT services firm Wipro in April, which was not an isolated incident, RiskIQ report reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Nordic public dispels fears over AI and welcomes its advance

People in the Nordic countries are more welcoming and less fearful of the advance of artificial intelligence than those in other regions Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

Scepticism and the challenges beyond for Facebook’s Libra

Facebook faces major hurdles to make Libra a success even if it overcomes the rampant scepitisim Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Six arrested over €24m cryptocurrency theft

Police have arrested six people in the UK and the Netherlands in connection with the theft of cryptocurrency worth €24m Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

How facial recognition technology threatens basic privacy rights

As adoption of facial recognition systems continues to grow worldwide, there is increasing concern that this technology could undermine fundamental privacy rights and how it can be kept in check Continue Reading

By

• Nicholas Fearn

UK cyber security progress stalled, says report

UK firms rank cyber attacks as a top business issue, but are stalling in cyber security best practice, lagging behind top performers in India Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

NHS Wales provides 100,000 staff with Microsoft 365

Cloud-based suite will help Welsh healthcare service drive digitisation initiatives and support greater collaboration and video-based consultations Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Half of Dutch IT decision-makers can’t explain blockchain technology

IT decision-makers in the Netherlands know that blockchain has significant benefits, but half don’t understand how to apply it Continue Reading

By

• Kim Loohuis

Three Finnish banks, one core IT platform

Can a shared core IT platform enable three Finnish banks to become more efficient yet maintain individual competitiveness? Continue Reading

By

• Alex Cruickshank

London Tech Week opinion 4: Beyond the unicorns

Don'y forget the tech SMEs amid the noise being made by the unicorns Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Outdated IT systems are hindering patient care

Lack of modernisation is presenting a threat to patients and healthcare practitioners, says study Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Growing diversity of datacentre types revealed in latest Vertiv 2025 market predictions study

Datacentre power specialist’s latest poll on what the industry will look like in 2025 reveals a change in attitude from respondents to powering sites with renewable energy, and shines a light on how its looming skills crisis is developing Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

APT attack on telcos highlights need for comprehensive defence

A global cyber attack against multiple telecommunications firms underlines need for comprehensive approach to cyber defence, say researchers and industry commentators Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Post Office appoints new chief information officer

Former Holland & Barrett IT chief joins the Post Office as interim CIO after former incumbent is promoted Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Podcast: The Computer Weekly Downtime Upload – Episode 21

In this week’s episode of the Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcast, Brian McKenna, Clare McDonald and Caroline Donnelly are joined by Computer Weekly’s acting management editor, Angelica Mari, to talk about some of the past week’s biggest news stories Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Moscow’s 2019 Startup Village rewards innovation

Moved to a bigger site, Moscow’s annual Startup Village continues to expand, with interest from large corporates growing Continue Reading

By

• Vladimir Kozlov

Saudi banks trial blockchain-based identity technology at ATMs

Biometric and blockchain technologies are being used in tandem to provide ID verification at Saudi Arabian cash machines Continue Reading

By

• Alicia Buller

Airbus opens cyber innovation hub in Wales

Newport hub will focus on industrial control systems, artificial intelligence and data analytics Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Cyber attackers using wider range of threats

Businesses need to ensure they are able to defend against a wide range of threats in the face of increased malicious Office documents, Mac malware and web application exploits, report shows Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK firms downloading vulnerable open source software

Vulnerable open source software components are posing a security threat to UK firms, according to a report that also shows how best practice, including automation, can reduce the risk Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Scotland ‘needs stronger digital leadership’

Despite some good progress, Scotland needs greater strategic direction to further its digital endeavours, says central auditor Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

European and UK space agencies start CAV connectivity project

Academia and telecoms operators partner to investigate 5G and satellite systems for connected and autonomous vehicles, with proofs of concept expected for 2020 Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Ministry of Defence appoints chief scientific adviser

The first female to hold the role, professor dame Angela McLean will direct the department's core research programme and advise on all science and technology matters Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Hospitality industry at highest risk of phishing

Benchmarking report shows average phish-prone percentage across all industries and sizes of organisations at 29.6% – up 2.6% since 2018 Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

London named top five global retail colocation hub by Synergy Research Group

The latest quarterly colocation market tracker data from Synergy Research Group highlights differences between growth trends between retail and wholesale sectors, and the impact the hyperscale sector is having on both Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Steel firm adds steel to resilience with Scale hyper-converged

Carrs Tool Steels had to move on from legacy servers and found hyper-converged infrastructure from Scale Computing the ideal fit for a small business that couldn’t afford downtime Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

UK takes world lead in surveillance camera security

Although the UK is sometimes referred to as “the most surveilled country” in the world, it has taken the lead in setting minimum security requirements for surveillance cameras. But how will this make a difference internationally? Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Nominations open for UK’s security unsung heroes

The Security Serious cyber awareness campaign has opened nominations for the fourth annual cyber security Unsung Heroes awards Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Government must address shortcomings to make data strategy work

A National Audit Office report outlines the challenges that need to be investigated around making more effective use of data in citizen service delivery and government operations Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

West Midlands paramedics test remote ultrasonic sensor scans

Ultrasound sensor works with a haptic glove worn by a paramedic connected over 5G to a clinician, who provides remote diagnosis Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Small business not necessarily weakest security link

Small businesses may not be the weakest link in the supply chain after all, with a lack of skills and best practices being bigger factors, a study by (ISC)² reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Disaster planning: How to expect the unexpected

Focusing too much on specific disasters rather than considering an organisation’s data protection, network security and process requirements, can lead to unpredicted vulnerabilities Continue Reading

By

• Peter Ray Allison

Surveillance camera czar calls for stronger UK code of practice

Surveillance cameras are for supporting communities, not spying on them, but the UK needs stronger regulation and citizen engagement in this area, says surveillance camera commissioner Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Asos trials AR catwalk technology

Online retailer Asos has partnered with HoloMe to trial an augmented reality catwalk for users of its fashion app Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

UK citizens call for diversity in AI to be addressed

Public wants government and tech companies to tackle diversity issues related to the application of artificial intelligence, a study has found Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari