IT news in your industry sector

Cyber attacks increasingly exploiting supply chain weaknesses

Cyber attacks are increasingly characterised by supply chain attacks, counter incident response and lateral movement, research reveals Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Huawei reports record numbers despite tumultuous year

Huawei has become one of the world’s largest technology companies by revenue, suggesting the accusations over its ties to the Chinese government are failing to have much impact Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Post Office could face huge costs bill for first Horizon trial

Subpostmaster claimants’ legal team makes application for the Post Office to pay millions of pounds of costs associated with trial Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Podcast: The Computer Weekly Downtime Upload – Episode 10

In this week’s episode of The Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcast, the team discusses Twitter spats, the long-running legal saga between HP and Mike Lynch, Asos’s retail tech strategy, G-Cloud 11 and how machine learning is shaking up the healthcare sector Continue Reading

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• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Thales completes acquisition of Gemalto

Multi-billion-euro acquisition gives Thales a global leadership position in digital identity and security Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Welsh government buys Microsoft Office 365 for teachers and pupils

The Welsh government will provide Microsoft Office 365 ProPlus across 1,521 maintained schools in Wales Continue Reading

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• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Azure Stack HCI: Hyper-converged, but not as Azure as you’d think

Microsoft has re-branded Windows Server Software Defined to put hyper-converged to the fore, but Azure Stack HCI isn’t totally in sync with the Azure Stack on-premise cloud platform Continue Reading

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• Yann Serra, LeMagIT
• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Fidor founder leaves as parent bank plots future

The founder of digital challenger bank Fidor leaves company as traditional banking parent company tries to sell business Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Fintechs taking large chunk of SME lending sector

Alternative lending platforms targeting the SME sector have managed to get their message across to their customer base Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Digital industries lead UK economy

Technology, media and creative businesses are leading national economic growth, according to research Continue Reading

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• Angelica Mari

Consumers still important as Dutch satnav pioneer maps B2B future

TomTom is focusing on the business-to-business sector, but its consumer base is an important part of its strategy Continue Reading

By

• Tijs Hofmans

CLA calls for government intervention on rural 4G coverage

Country Land and Business Association urges government to consider broadband-style interventions to improve 4G mobile network coverage in rural areas Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Broadband compensation rules come into force

Regulations that guarantee consumers’ rights to automatic compensation from broadband providers when things go wrong have come into force, and many suppliers have a lot of work to do Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Zuckerberg calls for new internet regulation

Facebook chief calls for new internet regulation in four key areas to define clear responsibilities for people, companies and governments, including more GDPR-aligned data protection rules Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

How research firm Icon is using analytics and wearables to enhance clinical trials

The company is investing in emergent technology to boost the attractiveness of trials as a care option and attract more participants, while enhancing internal efficiency around drug and device development. Continue Reading

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• Angelica Mari

Met Office seeks chief information security officer

The national weather service wants to recruit a new leader to spearhead a cyber security enhancement programme Continue Reading

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• Angelica Mari

Magento e-commerce sites urged to apply security update

Security experts are urging companies using the Magento e-commerce site to apply security updates without delay to avoid a disastrous hacking campaign Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Major shake-up of TSB IT after core banking system migration disaster

TSB has restructured its IT team to give its internal team control of its core banking system Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

ICO kicks off sandbox beta to support innovation

The UK’s privacy watchdog has launched the first phase of an initiative aimed at enhancing data protection while supporting business innovation Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Interview: Mark Gray, director of digital transformation, Crown Prosecution Service

The introduction of fully digital services to improve stakeholder engagement is among the highlights of a world-first transformation initiative in the criminal justice system Continue Reading

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• Angelica Mari

Commvault adds “tape killer” AWS Glacier Deep Archive cold storage

Backup provider to offer 1-cent-a-gigabyte AWS Glacier Deep Archive as a target in a move that mirrors a trend towards the cloud and away from tape among Commvault customers Continue Reading

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• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Swan lands in Scottish Highlands

Capita’s Scottish public sector network, also known as Swan, is to be extended to 150 sites in the Highland towns of Fort William, Inverness, Thurso and Wick Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Infosec pros slam government-mandated backdoors

Government-mandated encryption backdoors increase vulnerability to nation-state attacks, according to the majority of cyber security professionals Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Audit services – the next frontier for tech giants?

As data analytics, AI and automation technology advance, could we be about to see technology firms take on some of the responsibilities of the big financial audit firms? Continue Reading

By

• Fiona Czerniawska

Huawei making no progress on addressing security concerns

Huawei has made no material progress on addressing the issues identified last year by the NCSC, according to the latest highly critical report from its HSCEC Oversight Board Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Encryption adoption driven by new tech and compliance

The adoption of encryption is at its highest level yet, driven by the need to protect data generated by new digital initiatives, but still less than half of organisations are applying it consistently across the enterprise Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Post Office made to repay public money it allocated to fund Horizon litigation

A senior civil servant asked the Post Office to repay public money it had wrongly allocated to paying legal costs Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Businesses losing out on early payment discounts due to outdated software

Chief financial officers need to upgrade their accounting software to benefit from discounts available for paying suppliers early Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

How Sainsbury’s is developing a wider understanding of data science

Data is of increasing importance to retailers when it comes to dealing with needy customers. Sainsbury’s supermarket is developing its data talent to optimise its opportunities Continue Reading

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• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Scottish government advances payments programme

Platform is intended to support outbound and inbound payments and could integrate Gov.UK Pay in Scotland Continue Reading

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• Angelica Mari

Oslo car-free plan builds on micro-mobility trend

Norway’s capital steers away from reliance on cars as political agenda is aided by technological innovation to realise social goals Continue Reading

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• Matthew Staff

Cyber attacks targeting industrial control systems on the rise

Malicious cyber activity increased to almost half of the industrial infrastructure protected by Kaspersky Lab in 2018, but the UK is among the most secure countries, the security firm reports Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Government expects NHS IT overhaul will unleash innovation

Common technical standards, modular contracts and a fintech-style regulatory model will underpin the new approach to technology in the health service in England Continue Reading

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• Angelica Mari

Mind the overlap between GDPR and ePD, warns privacy lawyer

Organisations need to be aware of the overlaps between European data protection and privacy rules, and which takes precedence, a privacy lawyer warns Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Azimo is stripping high streets and denting the universe: Fintech interview part 18

Cross border money transfer fintech Azimo is disrupting the high street Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Norsk Hydro cyber attack cost estimates up to $41m

Initial estimates have put the financial impact of last week’s ransomware attack on the Norwegian aluminium producer of up to nearly $41m, raising questions about cyber insurance coverage Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Police make 61 arrests in global crackdown on dark web

Law enforcement agencies from the US, Canada and Europe, including the UK, have joined forces to target suppliers and buyers of illegal goods on dark web marketplaces and warn buyers of risks Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

IT complexity raises concerns of certificate-related outages

Company executives are concerned that increased IT complexity will result in more security certificate-related outages, with nearly two-thirds of organisations affected in the past year Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Police algorithms should be regulated, says think tank

Better use and regulation of data-driven technologies should be the norm in UK policing, according to research Continue Reading

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• Angelica Mari

Europe passes controversial Copyright Directive

The European Parliament has passed a new Copyright Directive, including a number of highly controversial articles Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

BT switches on quantum network link at Adastral Park

BT has opened its quantum network link between its Adastral Park research base and the UK Quantum Network node at the University of Cambridge Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Asus releases fix for supply chain cyber attack

Asus has released a fix for a supply chain attack and downplayed the impact on customers while promising to contact all those affected as incident highlights code signing vulnerabilities Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

A ‘stunning victory’ in Post Office Horizon trial

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we report on the latest news from the court case about the controversial Post Office Horizon IT system after claimants achieve a ‘stunning victory’ in a judge’s ruling. Top IT leaders share their views on creating a strategy for the digital age. And the CIO of Halfords talks about cloud, data analytics and emerging technologies. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Robotic process automation crack team makes early gains for United Utilities

Water company United Utilities is looking for opportunities to automate processes through a dedicated central team focused on digital automation, as well as increase collaboration with business users. Continue Reading

Data drives development at Halfords

Neil Holden, IT director at Halfords Group, talks about the business’s growing use of cloud and data analytics, and how it is exploring new technologies. Continue Reading

Nominet urges SMEs to register .uk domains to thwart squatters

The automatic right of .co.uk domain name holders to register the shorter .uk domains ends in June Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Firms urged to gear up for new malware and tactics as threats proliferate

The volume of malware attacks reached a record level in 2018, with UK and India bucking global trend of increased ransomware attacks, a study shows Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Add Apple credit card to list of things you can do on your iPhone

Apple has announced a fintech service which will enable customers to turn their mobile phone into a credit card. From the summer customers in the US will have access to the Apple Card. There is an ... Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Geopolitical issues affecting cyber security

Geopolitical issues are affecting business decisions, according to the majority of cyber security professionals, a survey shows Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Artificial intelligence making major inroads into Russian banking

Russian banks are identifying use cases for artificial intelligence, but the gradual adoption of the technology will require access to a deeper skills pool if it is to accelerate Continue Reading

By

• Vladimir Kozlov

EMIS Group CIO: Breaking down NHS patient data silos by going all-in on AWS

EMIS Group CIO Pete Malcolm is in the throes of a sizeable revamp of the healthcare provider's flagship software system for GPs that will see it go all-in on AWS, while addressing the government's push to make NHS data systems more open and interoperable Continue Reading

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• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Lack of security skills exposing business to attack

The cyber skills shortage is leaving businesses at increased risk of attack as organisations continue to struggle to fill security-related positions, a survey shows Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

MPs hear more revelations about Gov.uk Verify as troubled project gets a new leader

Hello and good luck, to Lisa Barrett  - the newly appointed director of digital identity at the Government Digital Service (GDS). She's taken on what many people outside GDS see as something of a ... Continue Reading

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• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Mike Lynch heads to High Court to defend against HP allegations

The UK’s biggest fraud case commences, with the former CEO of Autonomy, Mike Lynch, attempting to clear his name Continue Reading

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• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Full-fibre broadband startup toob gets £75m funding round

Broadband startup toob has received a £75m funding injection to begin a full-fibre roll-out Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

UK’s largest broadband suppliers failing on customer service

Consumers say they’re unimpressed with BT, Sky, TalkTalk and Virgin Media, and fast-growing Vodafone has seen its customer satisfaction levels slump Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Small businesses hit hardest by cyber crime costs

Small businesses felt the biggest impact of the UK’s cyber crime bill in 2018, research shows Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Digital Darwinism unkind to those who wait, says Palo Alto

As business-driven digital transformation, including the move to cloud, continues apace, companies need to rethink their approach to how they deploy and consume security, or risk being left behind Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

All change: What can suppliers and IT buyers expect from G-Cloud 11?

The government is set to start accepting applications for the next iteration of G-Cloud from 25 March, but will it be more of the same or radical change for suppliers and public sector IT buyers this time around? Continue Reading

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• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Getting it right this time: Why the strategy is not about delivery for NHSX

Government needs to move on from the mantras and beliefs that exist around digital and technology – the new NHSX organisation could set an example by transforming healthcare Continue Reading

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• Mark Thompson, Exeter Business School and DIGITLab

UK government at odds over Huawei threat

The chair of the Science and Technology Committee has criticised the government’s vague response to concerns about Huawei’s activities in the UK Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Facebook security policy and practices unfit, say infosec pros

Confidence in Facebook’s ability to keep users’ data safe has once again been shaken by revelations of poor password protection practices, prompting calls for a security review Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Hubris over Horizon? Post Office shocks High Court with accusation of bias

The Post Office likes to describes itself as “the nation’s most trusted brand”. Anyone following the latest developments in the increasingly heated High Court case about its Horizon IT system would ... Continue Reading

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• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Manchester City Council CIO steps down

In a return to the private sector, Bob Brown joins healthcare technology firm EMIS as chief solutions officer Continue Reading

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• Angelica Mari

London launches open data cultural map

The collated data on the capital's cultural locations is hoped to support local authorities, property developers and associations develop existing clusters and build creative infrastructure Continue Reading

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• Angelica Mari

Government cyber security strategy is ‘chaotic’

Responding to potential threats at a national level is unfeasible given the time ministers are currently dedicating to Brexit negotiations, says shadow Cabinet Office minister Continue Reading

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• Angelica Mari

Interview: How the DWP Dojo innovates

Juan Villamil, director of enterprise infrastructure and production operations at DWP Digital, discusses how the Department for Work and Pensions tests out new tech ideas Continue Reading

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• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Which order management system features can improve customer service?

Great order management provides insight that shipping, production, marketing and other functions need to gain a competitive edge and keep customers happy. Here's what to know. Continue Reading

By

• Dave Turbide

Horizon IT system trial suspended after Post Office accuses judge of bias

The Post Office legal team in the case brought by more than 500 subpostmasters has called for the judge to be recused after questioning his impartiality Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Towards a full-fibre Britain: the view from inside Openreach

Openreach chairman Mike McTighe discusses progress on the national full-fibre broadband roll-out, the impact of Brexit, how to better engage with the CSP community, and why dark fibre isn’t the cure-all they might want it to be Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

GDS and Cabinet Office admit to over-optimism over Verify

The system's architects blamed failures to deliver the objectives set out in the original business plan on the slow pace of digital transformation across government at a Public Accounts Committee session this week Continue Reading

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• Angelica Mari

Remainers accidentally DDoS the British government

With eight days until the UK's scheduled exit from the European Union, a prime minister who has lost control, a paralysed political system, and Britain reduced to a laughing stock on the world ... Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Openreach calls on CSPs to help formulate full-fibre strategy

Openreach has opened a six-week consultation seeking views from the industry on how best to upgrade consumers to full-fibre broadband Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Norway’s IT sector and government to tackle skills shortage

Norway's IT sector is getting much-needed government support to help improve access to talent Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

Russian cyber espionage groups targeting EU governments

Two Russian cyber espionage groups are targeting EU governments ahead of European elections, say researchers Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Spike in cyber attacks targeting Cisco Webex

Cyber attacks targeting a leading web conference tool have increased dramatically and sextortion is becoming more popular with attackers, according to WatchGuard Technologies Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Pivot3 to target Azure, Google clouds and enhance AI/ML

Hyper-converged infrastructure maker Pivot3 plans to extend backup for its appliance clusters to additional public clouds and optimise service levels across storage tiers and cache Continue Reading

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• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Police investigate Norsk Hydro ransomware attack

Ransomware attack on one of the world’s largest aluminium producers is under police investigation Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

EC fines Google €1.49bn for abusing ad market dominance

The European Commission has fined Google for abusive practices in online advertising dating back to 2006 Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Department for Transport launches future of urban mobility plan

Future of Mobility minister Jesse Norman launches “biggest review into transport in a generation” Continue Reading

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• Angelica Mari

UK cyber experts to support global company boards

A consortium of UK cyber security experts and academics is to support multinational company boards to tackle online threats and protect against cyber crime Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Colt picks Cisco to simplify 5G backhaul services

Colt is to deploy Cisco’s segment routing and Ethernet VPN-based architecture on its IQ Network for mobile operators Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Network Homes signs Hyperoptic broadband deal

Expansion of Hyperoptic’s ultrafast network targets 20,000 properties in London and the south east Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Bournemouth and Northampton next in line for CityFibre broadband upgrade

A £75m investment will see thousands of residential properties hooked up to full-fibre broadband services Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Government can make better use of tech to tackle loneliness

Report produced by Vodafone urges the government to exploit the potential of technology to alleviate loneliness among older people Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

UK government organisations’ email security lagging

Email security in UK government organisations is lagging far behind that of central government, analysis reveals, with less than a third implementing standard protection Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

CCRC watching Post Office Horizon trial closely

The Criminal Courts Review Commission considering judgment in subpostmasters versus Post Office litigation trial Continue Reading

Post Office ‘lacked humanity’ in the treatment of subpostmasters, says peer

Peer slams Post Office after High Court judgment reveals its oppressive style of managing the people who run its branches Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Government launches investigation into AI bias

Advisory body will look at how systems that support decision-making may have inherent algorithmic biases that need to be taken into account Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Growing board focus on cyber risk challenges current thinking

As digital transformation continues to drive change in the business and risk landscape, business and cyber security leaders need to improve discussions around this topic Continue Reading

By

• Marcus Alldrick

Salisbury to get ‘universal’ full-fibre broadband

Every residential and business property in Salisbury will be able to access full-fibre broadband in 12 months, claims Openreach Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Norsk Hydro confirms ransomware attack

A Norwegian aluminium producer has confirmed a ransomware attack is affecting several areas of its business, forcing it to switch to manual operations Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

More than half of EU firms report cyber attack losses

More than half of European firms admit business disruption and data loss due to cyber attacks in the past 24 months, with UK firms among the most targeted, a survey shows Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

NatWest launches female-focused crowdfunding programme

Consumer bank NatWest is backing female entrepreneurs through a crowdfunding programme Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Ctera teams with HPE to put cloud gateways in Simplivity HCI

X Series appliances marry HPE’s hyper-converged hardware with Ctera’s hybrid cloud file server gateway to provide edge compute with storage tiered to the cloud Continue Reading

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• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Firms urged to protect against spear phishing

Spear phishing attacks are sophisticated, targeted, costly and increasing in popularity among cyber attackers, a report warns Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

NatWest launches business virtual account platform

Features supported by a new system enable corporate customers to manage and segregate money, and are part of a wider digital transformation plan to enhance customer experience Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Norwegian aluminium producer hit by ‘extensive’ cyber attack

A Norwegian aluminium producer has disclosed that it has come under cyber attack affecting several areas of its business as the firm faces claims of environmental damage Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Post Office director cross-examination confirms lack of investigation into branch IT problems

A high court judge heard that the Post Office did not investigate a computer system error that could cause losses, despite being offered evidence Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Build in trust, experts advise cyber innovators

Trust will be increasingly important in the digital era, and is therefore a key component of new products and services, experts have told cyber security innovators Continue Reading

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• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst