IT services and outsourcing

Home Office preps for migration of police IT systems to AWS cloud

Digital Marketplace tender document reveals the Home Office is on the hunt for an IT supplier to support its work in migrating core police IT systems from an on-premise datacentre to the AWS cloud Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

National Archives races to create electronic archive of EU law before Brexit

The National Archives faces challenges converting the EU's enormous library of laws into a publicly accessible UK archive ahead of Brexit. The Archives’ digital director, John Sheridan, explains how Continue Reading

By

• Wendy M Grossman

Office 365 outage: Sign-in issues blight users across Europe and the US

Microsoft claims to have resolved a “subscription activation” issue that left Office 365 users unable to access its services yesterday Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Australian e-commerce company shrugs off US behemoths with cloud move

Australia's eCorner has signed a deal with Macquarie Cloud Services to help it use public cloud services to fend off growing competition from larger US providers. The Sydney-based e-commerce ... Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

CIOs being welcomed back to marketing

The role of CIOs in shaping the technology buying decisions of marketers is being reinstated as more marketers realise the importance of integrating their services with IT systems Continue Reading

By

• Beverley Head

Global infosec spending to top $114bn in 2018, says Gartner

The need for improved detection, response and privacy is driving the demand for security products and services in response to security risks, business needs and industry changes, Gartner reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

CW ANZ: Gearing up for 5G

The potential benefits of 5G are certainly promising in Australia, which is seen as a test bed for 5G services with the country’s dense cities and wide open spaces. Indeed, telcos in Australia have used the recent Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in southeast Queensland to test their coming 5G networks. In this edition of CW ANZ, we look at how Australia is ushering in 5G services and the industries that will get the most out of the technology. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

IR35 tech compliance will take private sector 'over a year' to achieve, warns accounting trade body

The Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) cautions HM Revenue & Customs against rushing out IR35 reforms to the private sector, claiming it will take most businesses at least one tax year to ready their software systems for the move Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Hybrid cloud a key milestone on the road to cloud storage

The cloud seems to lend itself to use as a storage location. There are lots of bumps in the road, however, and hybrid cloud should be a key medium-term aim for organisations Continue Reading

By

• Stephen Pritchard

Alibaba eyes retail sector with new cloud offerings

Chinese cloud supplier says retailers will be able to use its machine learning platform to understand consumer preferences, among a slew of services it is making available globally for the first time Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Security Think Tank: Outsource security operations, not control

What critical security controls can be outsourced and how do organisations, SMEs in particular, maintain confidence that they are being managed effectively and appropriately? Continue Reading

By

• Simon Persin, Turnkey Consulting

Government pumps £51m into Welsh tech hub

Chancellor Philip Hammond promises £51m in additional investment for researchers and entrepreneurs to drive tech innovation in Wales Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

CW Benelux: Netherlands to experiment with self-driving trains

In this issue, read how Dutch railway operator ProRail will test self-driving trains on a small set of railroad tracks to learn if they can be part of the country’s notoriously busy network. Also, find out how a network of smart towns and cities is growing in the Netherlands, and why Dutch organisations are being urged to unite to fight DDoS attacks. Continue Reading

How Indonesia’s Go-Jek scales the heights with cloud

The unicorn’s microservices-based application architecture on the cloud has been key in supporting its growth in Indonesia – and now Southeast Asia Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Security Think Tank: Outsource responsibility, not accountability

What critical security controls can be outsourced and how do organisations, SMEs in particular, maintain confidence that they are being managed effectively and appropriately? Continue Reading

By

• Vladimir Jirasek, Foresight Cyber

DfT pledges to spend one-third of its procurement budget on SMEs by 2022

Department for Transport’s SME action plan promises to increase its spend with small and medium-sized enterprises to 33% by the end of this parliament Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Alibaba Cloud makes deeper inroads into Malaysia

The Chinese cloud supplier’s second availability zone and upcoming DDoS scrubbing centre in Malaysia comes on the heels of growing investments in the Southeast Asian nation Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Security Think Tank: Almost all security can be outsourced, but not the risk

What critical security controls can be outsourced and how do organisations, SMEs in particular, maintain confidence that they are being managed effectively and appropriately? Continue Reading

By

• Emma Bickerstaffe, Information Security Forum (ISF)

CIO interview: Alex von Schirmeister, CDTIO, RS Components

The electronics distributor’s chief digital, technology and innovation officer (CDTIO) on putting in place a new IT infrastructure, creating a digital business and accepting risk Continue Reading

By

• Mark Samuels

Google to alert firms of state-sponsored attacks on G Suite users

As cyber security increasingly becomes a market differentiator, Google has announced that businesses using G Suite cloud-based software can opt in to cyber attack alerts Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Google to build third datacentre in Singapore

The facility will increase Google’s datacentre investments in the city-state to $850m, and follows the launch of Southeast Asia’s first Google Cloud Platform region in 2017 Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Security Think Tank: Top things to consider in security outsourcing

What critical security controls can be outsourced, and how do organisations – SMEs in particular – maintain confidence that they are being managed effectively and appropriately? Continue Reading

By

• Paddy Francis

Public sector increases outsourcing in first half of 2018

IT and business processing outsourcing in UK central government accelerates in the first half this year, almost matching the total spend by financial services firms Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

AWS revenue growth slows as competition in the global IaaS market heats up

Gartner's latest look at the global infrastructure as a service (IaaS) market shines a light on how the great and good of the public cloud supplier community are fairing Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Security Think Tank: A risk-based approach to security outsourcing

What critical security controls can be outsourced and how do organisations, SMEs in particular, maintain confidence that they are being managed effectively and appropriately? Continue Reading

By

• Rory Alsop

Utilita Energy supplier uses cloud to rapidly scale IT service desk

Energy provider Utilita Energy puts its IT service management in the cloud to support its rapid growth Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Briton ran pro-Kremlin disinformation campaign that helped Trump deny Russian links

A British IT manager and former hacker from Darlington ran a disinformation campaign that duped former US intelligence agents and provided Donald Trump with manufactured “evidence” to deny that Russia interfered with the US election Continue Reading

By

• Duncan Campbell , 2QQ Ltd, Sussex University

Security Think Tank: Not all security service providers are created equal

What critical security controls can be outsourced, and how do organisations, SMEs in particular, maintain confidence that they are being managed effectively and appropriately? Continue Reading

By

• Maxine Holt, Omdia

AWS’s sales up almost 50% year-on-year in second quarter

Cloud giant’s quarterly sales hit $6.1bn in third consecutive year-on-year rise as Ryanair, Major League Baseball and 21st Century Fox join its list of customers Continue Reading

By

• Zach Emmanuel, Computer Weekly

Large organisations less confident over cloud security compared to smaller businesses

A study has found larger enterprises are not as confident as smaller businesses about the security of their data in the public cloud Continue Reading

By

• Zach Emmanuel, Computer Weekly

Google Cloud gaining ground in APAC

The cloud supplier claims substantial growth in Asia-Pacific, and is upping the ante on partnerships and infrastructure investments across the region Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Government outsourcing at a crossroads, says PAC report

The government needs to change the market that supplies it with services through better contracting practices if it is to achieve anything beyond lowest price, according to a PAC report Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Google wants to ease hybrid cloud woes

Cloud supplier Google claims its Cloud Service Platform will alleviate complexities in managing microservices in a hybrid IT environment Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Atos acquires Syntel for £2.6bn

French IT services firm buys Syntel to expand in the US and bolster its offshore delivery Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Capital markets firms to ramp up public cloud spending

Companies in the investment sector are increasingly using the public cloud to improve access to business-critical data Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Alphabet shares up after better-than-expected quarter

Shares in Google’s parent company Alphabet have risen in value after it reported quarterly revenue of $32.7bn, up 26% year on year Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Marks and Spencer to invest in startups as part of retail partnership with Founders Factory

Marks and Spencer is continuing its efforts to digitally transform its business by starting an investment partnership for startups Continue Reading

By

• Zach Emmanuel, Computer Weekly

European infrastructure cloud deals grow, as contract sizes shrink

Emea is taking on infrastructure as a service in a big way, as traditional sourcing is being pinched, according to ISG Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Cambridge students offered chance to win £10,000 to develop innovative tech ideas at Trinity College

Cambridge University under and postgraduates are now able to apply for a competition to win £10,000 and the chance to develop their tech ideas at the Bradfield Centre Continue Reading

By

• Zach Emmanuel, Computer Weekly

Cisco and UCL to open AI research unit in $100m digital economy boost

Cisco has extended its ongoing Country Digital Acceleration programme in the UK with a further $100m investment, part of which will go towards a new AI research centre Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

How Splunk is ‘splunking’ data for APAC enterprises

Splunk’s regional vice-president talks up the company’s business strategy and how its customers are using big data analytics in security and IT operations Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Heathrow flights grounded by IT failure

Aircraft unable to take off at airport following failure of an IT system at one of BA's suppliers, that even led to the temporary closure of the control tower Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

London Fintechs: Could Saudi Arabia be your next stage growth opportunity?

Saudi Arabia is selling itself as a fintech hub with an environment for startups to flourish, but are fintechs ready to set up there? Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Interview: Pippa Thomas, regional IT director, Freeman Clarke

Freeman Clarke’s regional IT director, Pippa Thomas, on the role of interim CIOs and why organisations use them Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

JWT slashes server estate in move to Ctera cloud appliances

Marketing agency deploys Ctera cloud-attached NAS for 10,000 employees to simplify IT infrastructure, cutting server count and slashing software and hardware costs Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Kcom secures second aggregate HSCN contract

Network services provider Kcom will supply broadband connectivity over the Health and Social Care Network to 10 health organisations in the north-east of England Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

ITPS expands datacentre to support Azure Stack and HPC

Datacentre company ITPS expands its County Durham facility to meet client needs for high performance computing and security Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

When was 28% of tech startups considering leaving London ever good news?

It might not be fake Brexit news but it is outrageous spin. Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Venture capitalists fears for London’s fintech future is the starkest of warnings

Fintech is nothing without VC funding and the UK risks losing a significant share Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Brexit proposal calls for standards alignment and data sharing

Although the government’s Brexit whitepaper focuses on curbing immigration, collaboration on cyber crime, data sharing and services are among the bargaining chips Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

CW Middle East: Can Saudi Arabia build the Silicon Valley of the Middle East?

In April this year, Saudi Arabia’s crown prince Mohammed Bin Salman visited Silicon Valley in the US to meet tech giants such as Apple and Amazon in its efforts to fast-forward the kingdom’s technology capabilities. Read about its lofty ambitions. Also in this issue, read how demand for skilled IT professionals is increasing rapidly in the Middle East, which is facing a talent crunch. Meanwhile, Gulf Cooperation Council smart city initiatives are gathering momentum. Continue Reading

Tackling the digital identity problem

In this week’s Computer Weekly, as UK government attempts to create a digital identity standard flounder, we examine progress on establishing the online ID system the digital economy needs. Barclays Bank talks about its move to DevOps and public cloud with Amazon Web Services. And we find out how using AI and chatbots could help improve IT service management. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Analysts question Australia government’s IBM deal

Industry analysts and experts have called the wisdom of the A$1bn IBM IT deal into question, with one claiming that the federal government should have used a range of suppliers instead Continue Reading

By

• Beverley Head

As prime minister unveils Brexit plans, TechUK calls for deal on services

The UK tech industry wants a Brexit deal open to services, mirroring the EU trade agreement with Canada Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Dutch government IT projects run €1bn over budget

Dutch government IT projects are costing much more money and taking far longer than expected Continue Reading

By

• Tijs Hofmans

Government needs to improve its outsourcing approach

Parliamentary committee advises government to improve its outsourcing methods in the wake of the collapse of Carillion Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

UK leads Europe’s tech startup scene over five years, research shows

Tech leads the way as UK shows 5% growth in startups across all industries Continue Reading

By

• Zach Emmanuel, Computer Weekly

UK joins forces with France on artificial intelligence and data

The UK and France will share expertise on AI and research, work together to improve digital services and collaborate to develop tech talent Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Alibaba Cloud looks to drive its technology ecosystem with startup innovation contest

Alibaba Cloud is hosting its next Create@Alibaba contest as it looks for innovative products from startups Continue Reading

By

• Zach Emmanuel, Computer Weekly

Cloud HCI survey: Cloud functionality in hyper-converged infrastructure

We look at how you can use hyper-converged infrastructure to build private clouds and link up with public cloud services to develop hybrid and multi-cloud working Continue Reading

By

• Chris Evans

Software firm Clevermed enhances NHS user experience on Health and Social Care Network

Clevermed, a supplier of maternity and neonatal care record software to the NHS, reveals how users are benefiting after it switched to the new Health and Social Care Network Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Inside Alibaba Cloud’s Southeast Asia playbook

Alibaba Cloud is working closely with local customers in joint innovation projects, and has started to launch new services for Chinese and international customers simultaneously to narrow the service gap Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

New thinking from tech startups could help solve construction project issues

Three startups shortlisted to join ConstrucTech accelerator to work on innovative technologies to reduce project delays and overspend Continue Reading

By

• Zach Emmanuel, Computer Weekly

Case study: Logistics firm GWC moves from paper to digital HR in three months

Qatar-based logistics firm Gulf Warehousing Company introduced smart appraisals for employees, cut the time it takes to recruit, and gave staff and managers access to accurate HR data by replacing paper systems with human resources software Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Department for Work and Pensions uses artificial intelligence to crack down on benefits fraud

DWP has made several digital strides, including developing AI to track organised benefits fraud, moved more than 100 digital products to “new hosting arrangements” and made savings on technology contracts, according to its annual report Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Bolloré Group partners with Alibaba for cloud and co-development

French transportation conglomerate will use Alibaba cloud, and Alibaba will look at using Bolloré's battery technology in its datacentres Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Singapore’s Fullerton Health gears up for the cloud

Private healthcare service provider Fullerton Health is moving business applications to Microsoft’s cloud services before rolling out data analytics and artificial intelligence to enhance operations and patient care Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Cloud storage: Amazon vs Azure vs Google vs IBM Softlayer

Computer Weekly looks at the biggest four cloud storage providers, how they stand in the market, the products they offer, and which offers the widest range of products and features Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

First Lorca cohort to focus on security orchestration

The first companies to benefit from the new London cyber innovation centre will focus on cyber security orchestration and automation Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Norway’s National Security Agency warns IT industry about security obligations

IT service providers serving organisations in Norway have received a timely reminder about their security obligations. Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

Volkswagen Financial Services UK aims to accelerate innovation with tech startup programme

Automobile manufacturer Volkswagen is running its next Startup Battlefield programme, building on the success of its 2017 Portuguese accelerator Continue Reading

By

• Zach Emmanuel, Computer Weekly

Microsoft expands datacentre footprint in Norway

Microsoft is introducing two new datacentre regions in Norway and is targeting the oil and gas industry with its Azure services Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Visa reveals causes of payment chaos

In this week’s Computer Weekly, after a major outage that affected millions of customers, payment provider Visa reveals what caused its network to crash. We look at the innovations coming from startups in software-defined storage. And we assess the prospects for the tech sector in Canada as it targets European IT buyers. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

CCS cancels Crown Marketplace tender, but says programme continues

The Crown Commercial Service has cancelled a tender for an element of the Crown Marketplace, but insists the programme continues as the organisation has made “important decisions” to clarify scope and focus Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

SAP outlines approach to data management

Through its Hana Data Management Suite, SAP hopes to alleviate the challenges of managing data amid growing data security needs in an increasingly hybrid IT landscape Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Assessing the hyperscale squeeze on G-Cloud's SMEs

The latest government spend data suggests public sector IT buyers are increasingly using G-Cloud to procure services from the hyperscale cloud community, prompting concerns about the impact this might have on the SME-friendly framework Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

IBM early findings on disastrous TSB core banking system migration released

Report released by Treasury Committee criticises lack of rigour in preparation for core banking system migration, but TSB says report’s content is out of date Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

CDO interview: Andrei Belevtsev, Gazprom Neft

Russian oil giant will harness the latest technologies right across its business, says chief digital officer Continue Reading

By

• Vladimir Kozlov

Nokia outsources IT infrastructure and application services to HCL

Five-year deal will bring together the services delivered by four different IT companies. Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

HR projects are leading company moves to digital tech, say business leaders

Business leaders say their human resource IT programmes are leading the way to the wider deployment of digital and cloud technology across their organisations Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Need for speed: designing a modern campus LAN

Just like datacentres before them, campus LANs are increasingly being defined by virtualisation and software-based controls. Next to this shift, the hardware also continues to improve as network owners look to keep pace with user demand Continue Reading

By

• Christian Annesley

Alibaba Cloud’s Indonesia datacentre is open for business

Chinese cloud supplier is pulling out all the stops to expand its Asia-Pacific footprint, including training local cloud professionals and nabbing customers including one of Indonesia’s top e-commerce companies. Continue Reading

Rubrik CDM 4.2 extends data protection to Amazon cloud storage

Backup software and appliance specialist adds protection to apps in Amazon cloud to existing on-premise and cloud-to-cloud functionality, along with service provider features Continue Reading

By

• Christophe Bardy

London Tech Week experts advise startups to research investors’ background before pitching

Experts have used the TechXLR8 conference at London Tech Week to offer advice to startup workers about pitching to investors, joining accelerators and building teams Continue Reading

By

• Zach Emmanuel, Computer Weekly

Equinix, Digital Realty and NTT lead datacentre colocation market

NTT had the biggest market share in Asia-Pacific, while Equinix ranked third in the region during the first quarter of 2018, according to market research data Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Nordic healthcare services provider outsources IT infrastructure

Healthcare service provider Falck is planning to transform its business with a standardised and simplified IT infrastructure at the core Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Schneider Electric CTO tips liquid cooling for take-off as machine learning takes over datacentre

Witn machine learning fuelling demand for graphics processing units in the datacentre, Schneider Electric CTO claims this will require a drastic rethink of how operators manage their sites, paving the way for liquid cooling to hit mainstream adoption Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

CW Europe: Lufthansa’s HR IT project takes off

Lufthansa says it is confident of landing a company-wide HR IT project after having to go back to the drawing board. Also in this issue, read about the ComputerWeekly/TechTarget IT Priorities survey’s findings that many European technology leaders are expecting to increase IT spending through 2018, and how a major report has reassured Swedish society that artificial intelligence will be a positive force for change despite fears of job losses. Continue Reading

Prime minister announces new visa for startups

The government promises new “startup” visa for entrepreneurs, a £2.5bn British Patient Capital fund to support UK companies going global, and plans for two international tech hubs Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Mayor Khan bids to make London the world’s smartest city

At London Tech Week, mayor Sadiq Khan launched a city-wide initiative to harness the capital’s technology talent to address London’s most pressing problems Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Alibaba Cloud touts AI smarts to keep pigs healthy

The Chinese cloud supplier has developed an AI program that has improved the yield and productivity of pig farms Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Thriving fintech, AI sectors give boost to UK tech funding

British technology businesses have received £5bn worth of venture capital funding since June 2016 – more than France, Germany and Sweden put together – with fintech and AI startups standing out Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

BT’s Gavin Patterson quits under shareholder pressure

Patterson’s resignation comes just weeks after he announced 13,000 redundancies across BT Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

IT spending reaches 10-year high as CIOs struggle with digital technology strategy

IT leaders have seen their budgets and headcounts rise for the first time in 10 years, but face challenges implementing their digital strategies Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Digital Catapult partners with Cray to give AI startups supercomputing power

Innovation centre says partnership will bring down some of the barriers to entry that startups often face in the field of artificial intelligence and machine learning Continue Reading

By

• Zach Emmanuel, Computer Weekly

UK tech firms increase exports by more than 20%

The country’s tech sector continues to blossom and has significantly increased the export of both services and goods in recent years Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Nexsan adds Assureon Cloud Transfer for hybrid cloud archiving

Nexsan archiving appliances add hybrid cloud capability to AWS and Azure cloud for unstructured data, targeting users that want to retain files on-site with cloud access Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

Big data skills shortages – and how to work around them

Businesses are finding it hard to recruit enough people with big data and analytics skills, but for CIOs there are alternative strategies to consider Continue Reading

By

• Shamus Rae, KPMG

Interview: How a tech apprenticeship changed one man’s life

Past Microsoft apprentice Joshua Uwadiae explains how in hindsight, he realises his apprenticeship was a life-defining moment in the lead-up to his tech career Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Cloud NAS offers file access across on-site and in-cloud

We run the rule over cloud NAS products that allow customers to build single-namespace file systems, including between in-house datacentres and public cloud storage Continue Reading

By

• Chris Evans