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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

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• 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

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• 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

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• 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

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• 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

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• 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

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• 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

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• 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

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• 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

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• 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

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• Aaron Tan, Informa 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

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• 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

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• 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

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• 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

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• 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

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• 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

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• 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

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• 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

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• 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

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• 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

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• 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

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• 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

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• 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

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• Aaron Tan, Informa 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

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• 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

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• 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

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• 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

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• 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

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• 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

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• 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

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• 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

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• 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

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• 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

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• 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

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• 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

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• 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

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• 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

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• 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

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• 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

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• 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

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• 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

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• 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

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• 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

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• 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

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• 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

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• 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

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• 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

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• 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

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• 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

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• 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

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• 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

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• 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

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• 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

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• 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

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• 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

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• Angelica Mari

Online porn age-verification checks delayed for six months

Changes to force UK internet users to prove their age to access adult content are postponed for a third time because of failure to notify the European Commission of key policy details Continue Reading

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• Angelica Mari

Facebook officially unveils cryptocurrency plans

Facebook has released details about its Libra cryptocurrency, but questions still remain over how, and if, it will work Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

HCL delivers digital services to Cricket Australia

Cricket governing body chooses Indian IT supplier to expand the boundaries of its customer engagement platforms Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Enterprises challenged with security basics

Visibility, security tool overload and manual reporting are cited as top concerns by UK security leaders, a report reveals Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK to launch security standard for surveillance cameras

The UK is launching the world’s first voluntary cyber security standard and compliance certification mark for the manufacturers of surveillance cameras Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Most mobile apps vulnerable to malware

iOS and Android apps equally vulnerable to being exploited remotely by malware, report reveals Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

How AirAsia streamlined its customer service

Integrating multiple customer touch points with Salesforce has enabled Asia’s leading low-cost carrier to shorten waiting time and improve customer service Continue Reading

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• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Lloyds Bank uses community effort to push out DevOps

The developers and IT operations teams were once separate. Now they are one. The challenge is getting this to scale across the business Continue Reading

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• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

NetApp ports services to NetApp HCI for multi-cloud storage

NetApp will debut multi-cloud services on its NetApp HCI hyper-converged platform, with the first being its Kubernetes orchestrator service and Cloud Volumes Continue Reading

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• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Women in IT trailblazer Maggie Berry gets OBE

Early pioneer of networking who aimed to get more women into technology is included in Queen's Birthday Honours Continue Reading

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• Angelica Mari

Looming private sector IR35 reforms prompts calls for gig economy-focused tax system overhaul

The growth of the gig-based economy has exposed weaknesses in the UK tax system – exacerbated by the IR35 reforms – that mean an overhaul is needed, panel claims Continue Reading

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• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

London Tech Week opinion 3: The coming of age moment

With London Tech Week held recently various tech sector executives have kindly offered to provide their opinions of this year’s London Tech week. Here are the opinions already published: London ... Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

IoT Security Foundation publishes smart building whitepaper

The IoT Security Foundation has published a guide on security for smart buildings to highlight key issues and gather feedback to inform future guidance for industry stakeholders Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Telcos hail progress improvements in meeting UK full-fibre broadband deployment targets

Senior management from Openreach, TalkTalk and Three use Connected Britain keynote to share insights on how full-fibre broadband deployment is progressing across the country Continue Reading

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• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Oxford University accepts £150m for artificial intelligence research

Oxford University has accepted £150m to build a new humanities hub that will include a centre for artificial intelligence ethics research from Stephen Schwarzman, a US private equity boss Continue Reading

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• Brian McKenna, Enterprise Applications Editor

Converged security takes centre stage at IFSEC

The importance and benefits of combining physical and cyber security was underlined in the opening session of the 2019 IFSEC security conference Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

UK government pushes data-driven agenda

A smart data report has been published with consultations under way, while an open call for evidence has been launched to help shape the national data plan Continue Reading

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• Angelica Mari

Regional alliances boost Nordic AI industry

Universities and technology businesses in Nordic countries are working cross-border as part of two pan-Nordic organisations Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

Fintech IT chiefs earn more than chief financial officers

Fintech IT heads are the top earners but this will change as the industry matures and needs for different skills Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Interview: How Hackney Council will help accelerate innovation across London boroughs

Hackney Council’s director of ICT, Rob Miller, talks to Computer Weekly about how one of the most digitally advanced local authorities plans to collaborate with counterparts across the capital to revamp public services delivery Continue Reading

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• Angelica Mari

University graduates to Rubrik backup appliance with Azure cloud

University of Reading could only back up 20% of its data on an ageing tape library, so it modernised with a Rubrik appliance and Azure cloud storage in a cost-neutral project Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Luxembourg tech startups get premium connections

Luxembourg is at the centre of a continent with ambitious plans to develop a thriving tech industry, but what makes it different? Continue Reading

By

• Richard Edwards, Freeform Dynamics

GDS director general to move on to global promotion role

Kevin Cunnington will be travelling around the world to promote government services under a newly created unit Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Facebook announces global digital currency Libra

Facebook is launching digital coin to open up affordable financial services to the world Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA