IT news in your industry sector

Kroger drives data-driven customer experience

Scott Crawford, data science lead at 84.51°, the data business at US grocery retailer Kroger, discusses data projects and iterative programmes Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

CW Middle East: Saudi banks trial biometrics in ATMs

Biometric and blockchain technologies are being used in tandem to provide ID verification at Saudi Arabian cash machines. Also read about the first government organisation in Bahrain to migrate to Amazon Web Services, and an interview with Yasmeen Al Sharaf, head of fintech and innovation unit, Central Bank of Bahrain. Continue Reading

UK and Middle East PR firm ditches NetApp for Nutanix and Talon Fast

Four Communications needed better connectivity for collaboration between the UK and its gulf sites, so dumped server/storage for hyper-converged and a distributed file system Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Mental health issues concern UK tech professionals

Staff shortages, long hours and lack of flexibility are impacting the wellbeing of people in the sector, according to a Harvey Nash survey. Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

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

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Saudi banks trial blockchain-based identity technology at ATMs

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Survival of accountants 'at stake' as HMRC presses ahead with tax digitisation

Advances in technology are bringing a series of dilemmas for professionals as the government continues plans to digitise all tax for UK businesses, according to a new report Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Small business guide: How to keep your organisation secure from fraudsters and hackers

Doing a few things well can keep your organisation protected from common cyber attacks and fraudsters Continue Reading

By

• Jan Youngren

BT goes local with UK jobs boost under ‘beyond limits’ banner

Telco to boost UK call centre staff numbers, up high-street presence and add in-home tech support Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Enterprise Applications Editor

Podcast: The Computer Weekly Downtime Upload – Episode 33

In this week’s episode of the Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcast, Brian McKenna and Clare McDonald are joined by Alex Scroxton to talk about cyber warfare and digital healthcare Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Enterprise Applications Editor
• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor
• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

HETT 2019: Digital literacy gap will never be fully closed, says panel

The increasing use of digital technology in healthcare means it is important for people to be digitally literate to take part, but the digital literacy gap will always be there, says an expert panel Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

DBS Bank touts digital logistics offering for SMEs

Singapore’s DBS Bank has launched a digital logistics solutions package for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the logistics sector that are looking to expand their regional footprint. ... Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

More Institute of Technology centres planned to tackle skills gap

A second wave of centres offering higher technical education nationwide has been announced Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Nadella sees Azure as the world’s computer

The Microsoft CEO wants organisations to consider Azure as a distributed cloud for next-generation AI applications Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Sweden’s SEB explores core banking in the cloud

Swedish Bank is the latest organisation to agree to start using a Google-inspired, cloud-native core banking platform Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

CIO interview: Matt Harris, head of IT, Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport

The IT chief at the world-leading Formula 1 team is focused on using technology to support and deliver marginal gains in performance for the team’s drivers Continue Reading

By

• Mark Samuels

Deutsche Bank to set up innovation division to drive digital transformation

More details about Deutsche Bank’s new technology division in internal company email Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

What next for GDS?

Digital government has lost momentum, according to MPs. As the Government Digital Service enters its “third era”, what will it do to regain its authority and deliver real change? Continue Reading

Showcasing the potential of 5G

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we visit an ambitious trial in Bristol that is showcasing the possibilities offered by 5G roll-out. We look at how emerging automation technologies are enhancing the use of identity and access management tools. And we assess the Government Digital Service plan for transforming public services. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

PLC flash: A solid state candidate for analytics and archives?

We thought flash would end at QLC, but storage media makers are working on penta-level cell, which could push capacity to double figures, but at a further performance cost Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Scottish Parliament launches inquiry on police use of facial recognition

The circumstances and implications of the technology’s application in the police service will be investigated in the coming months Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

UK chief data officer recruitment plans still on

Minister says CDO will work closely with the chief digital and information officer, who is still to be recruited Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Openreach tests new digging tech for rural broadband builds

Openreach is testing new tools and techniques to roll out full-fibre broadband faster in rural areas Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Government departments sign up to web data-sharing plan

All but four Whitehall departments have so far agreed to share web analytics data to allow the government to monitor user behaviour across the Gov.uk domain Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

UKtech50 2019 – help us find the most influential people in UK technology

Computer Weekly’s annual search for the 50 most influential people in UK technology reaches its 10th anniversary – let us know who you would like to nominate for this year’s list Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Home Office picks supplier for £300m biometrics project

The department has chosen US company Leidos to provide critical elements of the national system under a £300m contract with a 10-year timespan Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

UK and US call on Facebook to walk back encryption plans

The US, Australian and UK governments have asked Facebook to ditch plans to deploy end-to-end encryption across Facebook Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Swedish authorities introduce robots to help social workers

Software robots free up time for social workers to help benefits claimants find employment Continue Reading

By

• Jane Hamrin

Government planning for ‘undeliverable’ ESN

The government has agreed to all of the Public Accounts Committee’s findings in its investigation into the Emergency Services Network, but there is still a chance the programme could collapse Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

NatWest bank uses artificial intelligence to predict the future

NatWest is using artificial intelligence to help it paint a more accurate picture of future trends Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Government issues Brexit guidance for technology firms

Ten-point checklist released to help firms prepare for leaving the European Union without a deal Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Local authorities hit by 800 cyber attacks every hour

Local authorities and councils in the UK have reported being hit by more than 263 million cyber attacks in the first six months of this year Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Post-Brexit passport checking tool to start pilot

The government is looking for companies that can carry out large-scale tests of the Document Checking Service, which will allow organisations to digitally check the validity of passports Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

New threat group behind Airbus cyber attacks, claim researchers

Context Information Security’s threat intel and response teams says it has evidence that the recent supply chain attacks on Airbus are the work of a newly identified group called Avivore Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Southern Water embarks on £15m datacentre modernisation programme

Southern Water has enlisted the help of service provider MTI Technology to revamp its datacentres, with a greater emphasis on the use of software-defined processes and hyper-converged technologies Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

IR35 reforms: Lloyds Bank contractors to get deadline on future employment status

Lloyds Banking Group is the latest large firm set to end engagement of IT contractors through personal service companies due to impending IR35 tax reforms Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Disabled consumers left logged out of retail’s digital revolution

Retailers are being urged to make their digital assets more accessible to disabled consumers, not just for moral and social reasons, but because of the commercial opportunity Continue Reading

By

• Ben Sillitoe

British Heart Foundation £10m data science centre set in train

The British Heart Foundation (BHF) and Health Data Research UK have set up a £10m data science centre Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Enterprise Applications Editor

AI vs AI: How can we win the fake news battle?

Many internet browsers and social media companies have been forced to take on a new responsibility to combat the dissemination of false information, but can they succeed? Continue Reading

By

• David Ingham, Cognizant

John Lewis Partnership sells its automation to business

The John Lewis Partnership will expand its use of automation technology as its early projects bear fruit Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Podcast: The Computer Weekly Downtime Upload – Episode 32

In this week’s episode of the Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcast, Brian McKenna, Caroline Donnelly and Clare McDonald talk about Computer Weekly’s diversity and inclusion event, Oracle Open World 2019, and government technology Continue Reading

By

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

From university lab to mainstream Mambu provides cloud ERP system for banks: Fintech interview 28

Mambu started as a university project and is today offering cloud based banking services across the world. Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

HMRC extends contract with Capgemini but embeds flexibility

Department’s technology sourcing programme seeks to access the services of more tech providers, including SMEs and startups Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

IR35 reforms will prompt Barclays to re-engage contractors on PAYE terms, 'leaked email' suggests

Barclays is understood to have notified line managers via email on 30 September 2019 of its plans to phase out use of limited company contractors, ahead of the IR35 private sector reforms coming into force in April 2020 Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

UK government readies bus open data portal

The government’s bus data service is part of plans to provide better information to get more people to use bus services Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Intel previews Optane persistent memory, QLC SSD and even PLC

Intel sets out roadmap for second-generation Optane persistent memory – between SSD and DRAM – as well as QLC SSD, with talk of PLC (penta-level cell) after that Continue Reading

By

• Yann Serra, LeMagIT

Healthcare and technology have cultural similarities, says NHSX CEO

Common factors in healthcare and technology could help bring about a shift in attitudes, says Matthew Gould Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Interview: James Smith, director of digital, Nationwide Building Society

James Smith says heading up the digital unit at Nationwide Building Society is the best job in the business Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Marketplace push aims to get the NHS automating

Thoughtonomy is hosting a new marketplace to encourage NHS trusts to share their intelligent automation bots Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

CIO interview: Michael Ibbitson, executive VP for technology and infrastructure, Dubai Airports

Former CIO at Gatwick Airport took flight to the Middle East three years ago, and is using data to transform the technology and infrastructure at Dubai Airports Continue Reading

By

• Mark Samuels

Chancellor Sajid Javid set to make £5bn investment commitment to improve UK broadband coverage

The Chancellor Sajid Javid is expected to take to the stage at the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester later today, to set out the group’s “infrastructure revolution” plans, which include ramping up broadband coverage across the UK Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

UK Parliament readies cyber security change programme

A request for information has been launched to find a consultancy firm to support and shape the Parliament’s cyber security project, which will be delivered in two years’ time Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Dubai’s Precision Group takes manufacturing into the cloud

Head of IT at mould and packaging company talks about leading its digital transformation programme Continue Reading

By

• Alicia Buller

Innovative supplier selection is the key to government procurement success

The government has improved its procurement processes for SMEs and acknowledges the importance of small suppliers, but there are important steps that still need to be taken Continue Reading

By

• Elizabeth Vega

Data challenges jeopardise service provision in government

Several challenges have to be tackled to make the government’s new data strategy work and departments have “barely scratched the surface” of what needs to be done, says PAC report Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Private sector warned of ‘brain drain’ risk by putting off prep for April 2020 start of IR35 reforms

Legal firm warns private sector companies about the risks of putting off preparations for the IR35 reforms that take effect next year Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

HMRC chief digital and information officer departs

Jacky Wright, HMRC chief digital and information officer, will return to Microsoft in October after a two-year loan arrangement Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

ABN Amro investigation lends weight to anti-money laundering collaboration by Dutch banks

Dutch authorities are investigating ABN Amro for possible failures to monitor and report potential money laundering activity Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

SIBOS audience applauds Boris Johnson’s loss in the Supreme Court

SIBOS audience welcomes UK governments defeat in Supreme Court with a round of applause Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Five million DoorDash customers’ details lost in data breach

Takeaway delivery service was breached in May 2019, resulting in the data of millions of users and delivery drivers being stolen Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Attackers breached supplier systems to steal Airbus secrets

Airbus has been the subject of at least four major cyber attacks in the past 12 months, with contractors and suppliers targeted through their VPNs Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Government launches guidelines for AI procurement

Document intended to inform public sector buyers has been created by the Office for AI and the World Economic Forum Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Teen TalkTalk hacker accused of cryptocurrency fraud in US

Elliott Gunton, one of the teenage hackers who broke into TalkTalk’s systems in 2015, faces extradition to the US to face fraud charges Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Nordic payment collaboration will ease cross-border payments

P27 and Mastercard to bring seamless cross-border payments across Norway, Finland, Denmark and Sweden Continue Reading

By

• Alex Cruickshank

Instagram and WhatsApp – the new tools of social media propaganda

Facebook and Twitter have been cast as the villains of the piece, but social media disinformation and propaganda are evolving in new and alarming directions, say Oxford University researchers Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Brazilian fintech Creditas chases UK tech talent

Latin American firm Creditas is looking to lure senior professionals who may be leaving the UK to its technology hub in Spain Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

PM invites global leaders to discuss ethics in tech

London summit next year will invite countries to discuss standards for emerging technology Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

UK government reaffirms commitment to using Oracle tech with cloud MoU

Government procurement chiefs in the Crown Commercial Service sign new agreement with database giant aimed at making it easier and cheaper for public sector organisations to use its cloud Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

National Library of Scotland says aye to Scality object storage

National digitised archives move off Hitachi SANs and Qualstar tape, object storage is embraced and a “no backup” strategy put in place with petabyte-scale Scality S3/file deployment Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

What next for GDS?

Digital government has lost momentum, according to MPs. As the Government Digital Service enters its “third era”, what will it do to regain its authority and deliver real change? Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Podcast: The Computer Weekly Downtime Upload – Episode 31

In this week’s episode of the Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcast, Caroline Donnelly and Clare McDonald are joined by Ryan Priest for an accidentally transport-heavy chat about the week in tech Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor
• Ryan Priest
• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Google pushes back on scale of YouTube phishing threat

Millions of YouTubers may be at risk after some high-profile influencers reported their accounts were compromised in an apparent phishing attack, but the platform’s owner, Google, is not so sure Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Cloud provider sweeps away legacy storage for 1PB of Infinidat

Core DataCloud decommissions storage from several vendors to consolidate to 1PB on Infinidat Infinibox, with DRAM and flash to accelerate hot data in front of disk back end Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Basic data and skills needed to fix UK social care

Foundations need to be in place to save the social care system from collapse, and NHSX needs to step up to the task, according to a Doteveryone report Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

The Nordics’ passion for gamification goes global

Nordic startups are pioneering the gamification of educational apps, with an international market looking on Continue Reading

By

• Matthew Staff

Walt Disney Studios signs five-year cloud-focused deal with Microsoft Azure

Microsoft added to the host of “innovation partners” that Walt Disney Studios relies upon to ensure its creative teams have access to the latest and greatest technologies Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Government looks into digitising cultural collections with AI

A government report and trial investigate possibilities around mapping and connecting digitised cultural material with emerging technologies Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Interview: Tapping into the invisible talent pool

As the technology talent gap grows, charity Astriid aims to help organisations connect with people who are chronically ill to meet some of their mutual needs Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Cross-government collaboration is key to overcoming legacy IT issues

Senior civil servants highlight some of the challenges with legacy IT systems and what can be done to overcome them Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Enterprises can hire software robots at the push of a button

IPsoft is beta testing a marketplace where businesses can look at what software robots are available and interview them about their suitability to take roles Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

The UK’s digital identity policy conundrum

The UK government’s recent consultation on digital identity suggests that past mistakes and assumptions have yet to be resolved – a different, more user-centric vision is required Continue Reading

By

• Colin Wallis, Kantara Initiative

Civil service chief appeals to ‘wise, experienced, powerful’ IT leaders to apply for CDIO job

John Manzoni explains why the new government digital leader will carry the power and authority of a Whitehall permanent secretary Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief
• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Defra chief digital information officer steps down

John Seglias is leaving the department most impacted by Brexit to join National Grid, after four years in the civil service Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Government insists 'nothing sinister' about web user data gathering

Government Digital Service responds to allegations that personal data gathered through Gov.uk portal could be used to target political messaging to citizens Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

EBA outsourcing guidelines: What banks, fintechs and cloud providers need to know

The regulatory landscape for financial services and outsourcing will undergo a refresh this month with new guidance from the European Banking Authority. We look at what banks, fintechs and cloud firms need to do Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

CTO interview: Paul Clark, Tandem Bank

Tandem Bank’s chief technology officer had a close encounter with legacy banking when he left his previous job to pursue a career in fintech Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Direct Line built an insurtech it can tweak a thousand times a day

Insurance group Direct Line has added a new business to its portfolio, designed to let it act as a sandbox for its digital journey Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Facebook automatically generates pages for Islamic State and Al-Qaeda

Facebook algorithms have auto-generated hundreds of Facebook pages for the Islamic State, Al-Qaeda and Ansar al-Sharia, according to a whistleblower Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Investigations Editor

Government relaunches search for chief digital and information officer

The role, which will tackle issues such as eradicating legacy and leading data strategy, has been redesigned and elevated at permanent secretary level Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Universities tempting targets for cyber criminals, warns NCSC

As hundreds of thousands of students prepare for the new academic year, universities have been warned that they are at high risk of cyber attack Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Board yourself before you bore yourself

Gatwick has announced it will become the UK’s first airport to use facial recognition cameras for passenger boarding on a permanent basis, condemning those of us who aren’t quite yet in sync with ... Continue Reading

By

• Ryan Priest

Emotet phishing botnet returns from summer vacation

The Emotet phishing trojan-turned-botnet is back in action after a three-and-a-half month break, say threat researchers Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Amadeus opens systems to kick-start innovation-driven ecosystem

By opening its systems, travel software company Amadeus is hoping to foster ecosystem-wide innovation in the travel industry Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton , Senior reporter

Robotics and Automation: UK must tackle skills, immigration and SME challenges

Home-grown skills may not be enough to enable the UK to build on the government's Industrial Strategy and push robotics and automation Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Rural connectivity struggling to keep up with demand

The digital divide between urban and rural areas of the UK is continuing, with broadband and mobile network roll-outs struggling to keep pace with demand Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Northwestern cuts storage costs in half with Komprise

Komprise’s Deep Analytics helps university classify and migrate research data to cheaper disk and cloud as it cuts storage costs from $1.1m to $680,000 per annum Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Full-fibre within reach of 2.5 million homes and businesses

Access to full-fibre broadband is approaching 10% of properties in the UK Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Fintech Bud cuts 20% of workforce

Fintech Bud is cutting support staff as it focuses on engineering open banking software capabilities Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Smart meter roll-out delayed to 2024

The government has been forced to put the planned completion date for its Smart Meter Programme back from the end of next year to 2024 Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Travelex launches fintech platform for B2B customers

Travelex has launched a digital platform that enables businesses to use its services via application programming interfaces Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA