IT technical skills

Top 10 software development stories of 2019

Here are Computer Weekly’s top 10 software development stories of 2019 Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

JavaScript, Linux and R among most learned tech skills in 2019

Pluralsight reveals the most learned and most in-demand skills on its platform across different technology disciplines over the past year Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Top 10 women in tech and diversity in tech stories of 2019

As the year draws to a close, Computer Weekly looks over the top 10 diversity in tech and women in tech stories of 2019 Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Looming skills crisis, IR35 and Brexit set to ramp up S/4 Hana rates

SAP is only committed to support its ECC system until 2025, so customers have just five years to migrate – but a lack of skills is hampering progress Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Top 10 IT careers and skills stories of 2019

Here are Computer Weekly’s top 10 IT careers and skills stories of 2019 Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Waltham Forest Tech Camp gives local residents tech experience

Tech Camp employer-led programmes are aiming to give local residents of London boroughs skills and connections with employers to tackle the growing skills gap Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Women in tech still feel there’s a ‘glass ceiling’ in the sector

The number of women in the tech sector who think there is a “glass ceiling” has risen over the past year, according to research Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Industry, academia and government are joining forces to drive AI education

Building a diverse, advanced skills base in the UK will support the thriving technology sector and encourage the adoption of artificial intelligence across the broader economy Continue Reading

By

• Ray Eitel-Porter , Accenture Digital

Reskilling the UK in the face of AI growth

The government has introduced the National Retraining Scheme alongside funding to tackle the UK’s growing tech skills gap, but will it be enough in the wake of artificial intelligence adoption? Continue Reading

By

• Cath Everett

Splunk.conf 2019: How men can be allies and why D&I has to be in your DNA

Suzanne McGovern, chief diversity officer at Splunk, told Computer Weekly how having allies can take the burden off of the minority when calling out problematic behaviour, and why D&I has to be built into an organisation from the top Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Cyber security takes its place alongside UK’s armed services

Head of armed services says cyber security will take its place alongside the army, navy and air force as a key pillar of the UK’s defence strategy Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

RMIT to tackle cyber security challenges

Australia’s Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology has teamed up with Amazon Web Services to launch a Cloud Innovation Centre to solve cyber security challenges Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Percentage of women in tech remains low at 16%, with little growth in 10 years

The WISE campaign is calling on the STEM sector to increase the number of women in core roles to 30%, after finding the ratio of men to women in IT has been static for a decade Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Black Hat Europe: Red teams and blue teams must evolve in the 2020s

The red team versus blue team dichotomy is somewhat arbitrary and risks pigeonholing skilled security professionals into certain roles, says Facebook’s Amanda Rousseau Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

General Election 2019: Which manifesto is best for the UK’s tech sector?

Computer Weekly breaks down each political party’s technology policies ahead of the upcoming General Election to see how they compare Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Liberal Democrats: We want to lead the world in ethical, inclusive technology

Layla Moran, Liberal Democrat MP and party spokesperson for digital, culture, media and sport, writes about the party's technology policies ahead of the upcoming General Election Continue Reading

By

• Layla Moran, Liberal Democrats

UK government urged to ramp up digital skills

Programme for International Student Assessment results show UK is lagging behind Asian powerhouses, according to Open Knowledge Foundation Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

The 50 most influential people in UK IT 2019

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we reveal our 10th annual list of the 50 most influential people in UK technology, and profile this year’s UKtech50 winner, Demis Hassabis, CEO and founder of AI pioneer DeepMind. Also, we examine how continuous software development can improve application security. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Changes in the CI/CD pipeline

Continuous integration/continuous delivery is responsible for pushing out a set of “isolated changes” to an existing application. We look at how big these changes can be Continue Reading

By

• Adrian Bridgwater
• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Hack Friday: This Christmas, fight back against cyber criminals

It’s nearly Christmas, and cyber attacks and fraud attempts in the retail sector are ramping up. Is it time to panic? And is there anything we can do beyond hammering home the message around basic cyber security hygiene? Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

UKtech50 2019 winner: Demis Hassabis, co-founder and CEO, DeepMind

Computer Weekly profiles the achievements and journey of the founder of one of the world’s pioneering artificial intelligence companies, after his recognition as the most influential person in UK technology for 2019 Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Most data scientists plan exit in 2020, Women in Data conference hears

Survey shows lack of management support is behind a majority of data scientists planning to change jobs next year Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Enterprise Applications Editor

Australia’s Fenner Dunlop ditches tape backups for cloud

Australian manufacturer of conveyor belts Fenner Dunlop has freed up its IT staff to focus on future projects by moving tape backups to the cloud Continue Reading

By

• Beverley Head

More women expected to join tech sector in 2020

Research by travel booking platform Trainline has found more than half of people in tech think there will a rise in the number of female tech workers over the next year Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Stemettes and Monster: Why focusing on STEM confidence is vital for girls

Job site Monster and social enterprise Stemettes have partnered for a fourth year to run workshops aimed at preparing girls for the world of work and encouraging them into the STEM sector Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Security skills gap will take a decade to fill

The British education systems cannot move fast enough to address the security skills crisis, and in the absence of government action increased reliance on automation may be the least worst solution Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

CW500 Interview: Paddy Francis, CTO, Airbus CyberSecurity

In this CW500 video, Paddy Francis, CTO, Airbus CyberSecurity shares his advice and experiences of keeping tabs on security when trying to introduce emerging digital technologies into large organisations. Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

CIO interview: Paul Stein, CTO, Rolls-Royce

The aerospace engine manufacturer is at the leading edge of technology developments such as electric power, and already makes extensive use of advanced IT systems such as AI Continue Reading

By

• Sooraj Shah

Life under the loan charge: An IT contractor’s story

Thousands of IT contractors are being pursued by HMRC for “life-changing” tax bills for work they did up to 20 years ago, as part of a disguised remuneration clampdown known as the loan charge policy. One of those affected anonymously shares his take on what it’s like to live with a six-figure tax demand hanging over you Continue Reading

By

• An anonymous IT contractor

Finland’s ministry of transport floats tech-enabled four-day week

Government department says four-day working week is made possible by technologies such as artificial intelligence Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

Holy grail of digital banking is, at first glance, a new channel, not a new concept

Details of Google’s plans in the financial services sector have emerged with nothing groundbreaking so far, but the sector is guessing what comes next Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

A third of LGBTQIA+ people in tech believe there is a wage gap

Research has found wage gaps across the technology sector, with LGBT+ people, BAME individuals and women being paid less than their white, straight, male counterparts Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Podcast: The Computer Weekly Downtime Upload – Episode 37

In this week’s episode of the Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcast, the team talks about the Labour Party’s “free fibre broadband for all” pre-election pledge, HMRC’s controversial loan charge policy, big data and catches up on what went on at the most recent CW500 Club event Continue Reading

By

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

Loan charge under review: The 20-year retroactive tax policy pushing IT contractors to the brink

Thousands of IT contractors are at risk of financial ruin as HMRC pursues them for tax it claims they owe on work they did up to two decades ago and were reimbursed for via loan remuneration schemes. Computer Weekly investigates Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

WISE calls out tech industry for slow approach to equality

At the 2019 WISE awards, chair of the campaign Trudy Norris-Grey called upon the audience to help find ways to speed up the move to equality in the tech sector Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Zopa opens testing for its banking products to customers

Zopa's move into the banking sector is gathering pace as customers test out its savings product Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Abu Dhabi AI university is key to UAE’s future as the oil dries up

Abu Dhabi’s fledgling artificial intelligence university is part of a highly ambitious 30-year plan to transform the UAE’s economy and culture Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Global security workforce must more than double to meet demand

There are about 2.8 million cyber security professionals working today, and the world needs four million more Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Professional cyber criminals command $75k per annum

An ill-advised career in cyber crime is potentially almost as well-paying as a job as a threat researcher in the industry, according to Tenable researchers Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Initiative offers £1.5m for 15 projects to reduce digital exclusion across UK

Initiative spearheaded by Good Things Foundation and JP Morgan awards funding to 15 projects with the aim of closing the digital divide Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Thousands apply to Abu Dhabi AI University in first week

Artificial intelligence university in Abu Dhabi gets more than 3,000 applications in the week following its application process being opened Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

IR35 reforms: Concerns raised over private sector’s lack of preparedness for April 2020 start date

As the countdown towards the IR35 reforms coming into force in the private sector continues, research by recruitment firm Hays draws concerns over an apparent lack of awareness and preparation amongst enterprises Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

What will succeed the National Cyber Security Strategy?

As the National Cyber Security Strategy nears the end of its working life, the government is considering what comes next, and is asking probing questions of its successes and failures Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Businesses at risk as mainframe skills die out

Most businesses that are heavily reliant on mainframes fear a shrinking skills pool Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

IR35 reforms – the difficult decisions facing IT contractors

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we examine the difficult choices facing UK IT contractors from the controversial IR35 tax reforms. Social engineering is a major source of cyber security attacks – we look at mitigation strategies. And the IT chief at Mercedes F1 explains what it takes to support a world championship team. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

College plans tech school at Bletchley Park

Planning application aims to turn a selection of the listed buildings that housed Britain’s codebreakers in the Second World War into a facility for up to 1,000 students Continue Reading

By

• Joe O’Halloran, Computer Weekly

Splunk.conf 2019: Mentorship, advocacy and confidence for women in tech

At Splunk.conf 2019 in Vegas, senior women in technology from firms such as Splunk, Boeing, and Sandia National Laboratories gave advice for navigating a male-dominated industry Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Take responsibility for cyber security basics, urges NCSC CEO

At the launch of its third annual review, NCSC head Ciaran Martin appealed for individuals and businesses to address the fundamentals of cyber security hygiene to help lighten the load Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Over-30s tend to do better at cyber security than younger colleagues

Attitudes to workplace cyber security differ by age group, but not in the way one might imagine, according to a new study by NTT Security Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Do non-compete clauses risk stifling cloud innovation?

Non-compete clauses in tech employment contracts are commonplace – and understandably so – but could they be limiting innovation in the public cloud? Continue Reading

By

• Sooraj Shah

Abu Dhabi AI university open for applications

New university in UAE aims to enable students, businesses and governments to increase the use of artificial intelligence technology Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Digital and innovation apprentices to start NatWest programme

NatWest is kicking off a tech apprentice programme, with its digital innovation hub set to play a key role Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Future.now launch: Biggest barrier for digital skills is motivation

Digital sector must overcome its “image problem” to attract more people to learn new skills, says Lord Mayor at launch of digital skills project Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

The Security Interviews: Applying AI to Lego, and security

Ann Johnson, Microsoft corporate vice-president of cyber security, is on a mission to prove that artificial intelligence holds great promise for the security sector, and she has the analogies to back it up Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Data management strategies are evolving – so must enterprises

A growing number of data-driven initiatives, alongside heightened demand for security in governance, data management and compliance, has led to the rise of a more holistic approach – integrated risk management Continue Reading

By

• Peter Ray Allison

Dutch AI Coalition wants to put the Netherlands on artificial intelligence map

To ensure the Netherlands keeps pace in the artificial intelligence race, an AI coalition has been formed to help organisations in the sector to collaborate Continue Reading

By

• Kim Loohuis

Hype vs reality: Is the tech industry on the cusp of another ‘AI winter’?

Artificial intelligence is a hot topic for enterprise users, but will the technology fail to live up to the hype this time around, ponder panellists at the NetEvents Global IT Summit in San Jose Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

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

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

Turbocharging Full Fibre/5G Broadband

The INCA Conference provides an opportunity to "help" DCMS put flesh on the announcement of £5 billion for broadband at the Conservative Party Conference Continue Reading

By

• Philip Virgo, Winsafe Ltd

What is UK plc doing to address the tech skills gap in the face of Brexit?

The growing technology skills gap in the UK is widely known, with firms complaining of a lack of skilled workers – but what are they doing fill their empty roles? Continue Reading

By

• Cath Everett

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

Future Decoded: AI-powered data revolutionises software development

Microsoft believes artificial intelligence will drive an entirely new way to develop software that can take advantage of massive data growth Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Future Decoded: How AI plus automation adds up to transformative change

Robotic process automation combined with artificial intelligence is a recipe for digital transformation, and new research suggests businesses that use AI are gaining a competitive advantage Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

The most influential women in UK technology 2019

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we announce our annual list of the 50 most influential women in UK technology. Meet the winner, Debbie Forster, CEO of Tech Talent Charter, and find out who are this year’s five rising stars. Also, our latest buyer’s guide looks at the latest developments in robotic process automation. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

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

Most Influential Women in UK Tech 2019: Entrants to the Hall of Fame

Each year, Computer Weekly announces the women who will be added to its Hall of Fame, a list of women recognised for their lifetime achievements to the technology sector Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Computer Weekly announces the Most Influential Women in UK Tech 2019

Computer Weekly has announced the 2019 list of the 50 Most Influential Women in UK Tech, including this year’s winner Debbie Forster Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Most Influential Women in UK Tech 2019: Rising Stars

Computer Weekly reveals the judges’ choice for this year’s female Rising Stars of the UK technology industry Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Inclusion for everyone, not just the under-represented, says Most Influential Woman in UK Tech 2019

People need to be more clued up on the benefits of inclusion, says Tech Talent Charter CEO Debbie Forster, the 2019 winner of Computer Weekly’s Most Influential Woman in UK Technology accolade Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

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

Australia’s RMIT teams up with AWS on cloud skills training

Two new online courses will equip IT and business professionals with the skills to thrive in a cloud-first world Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

How Malaysia is nurturing data analytics talent

The Southeast Asian nation has spearheaded several programmes to build up its data analytics talent pool in efforts to improve efficiency and productivity of Malaysians Continue Reading

By

• Avanti Kumar

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

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

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

Storage and DevOps: What is required for agile development?

DevOps brings continuous and agile application. Storage has to fit in and make itself just as responsive to development that does away with the inertia of stifling hierarchies Continue Reading

By

• Eric Ebert

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

Male coding salaries overtake female earnings, despite higher starting salaries for women

Analysis of starting salaries from coding academy Makers has found some firms are paying female junior developers more than their male counterparts, but the pay gap swings the other way for more senior positions Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Inside Oman’s new tech startup drive

Oman is aspiring to be a tech startup hub and is on a mission to compete with its neighbours in the Gulf Continue Reading

By

• Alicia Buller

The five software testing techniques every software developer should know about

Five simple testing techniques that will help developers test their software systematically, thoroughly and quickly Continue Reading

By

• Brian Hambling

Podcast: The Computer Weekly Downtime Upload – Episode 30

The Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcast team returns from its brief summer hiatus to discuss HPE’s hardware refresh processes, the financial services industry’s changing relationship with cloud and a charity that is helping people with chronic illnesses find work in tech Continue Reading

By

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

Inside NatWest Ventures

NatWest Ventures is helping NatWest bank to remain relevant to its SME businesses customer community through digital innovation Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Loyal Dutch IT professionals not being rewarded enough, survey shows

Companies warned they could lose loyal IT staff because salary rises do not match those on offer from rival employers Continue Reading

By

• Kim Loohuis

Cutting the cord: Negotiating cloud contracts with problematic customers

How accountable should cloud firms be for the actions of the customers that use their platforms, and how much thought should they give to aligning themselves with problematic brands before hosting them? Continue Reading

By

• Sooraj Shah

Businesses need to keep investing in tech and hope to avoid a no-deal Brexit

A no-deal Brexit could have serious consequences for the UK tech sector and skills base, making it more difficult to recruit technology specialists and hire freelancers Continue Reading

By

• Albert Ellis, Harvey Nash Group

Nationwide Building Society harnesses low-code platform

Software development platform makes it quicker to build apps Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Assessing China’s machine learning platforms

In a new market research report, technology analyst firm IDC offers insights on key suppliers of machine learning platforms in China Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Nearly £1m of EU funding to boost tech skills in UK SMEs

An initiative led by the Department for Work and Pensions will focus on enhancing skills in rural locations to unleash competitiveness in areas such as agritech and biorenewables Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Software drives changes in network engineer skills, certifications

Learn what network analysts think about network engineer skills and certifications in the modern networking industry. Hint: Proprietary hardware is in the rearview mirror. Continue Reading

By

• Jennifer English, Executive Editor

IR35 reforms: HMRC defends off-payroll rules guidance against "woeful" IPSE jibes

HMRC promises there are more preparatory materials in the pipeline to help the private sector prepare for the April 2020 IR35 rules, after IPSE brands its current guidance "woeful" Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

How IT departments can upskill in the new economy

There is a skills crisis. Traditionally, IT has outsourced to fill the skills gap, but in the gig economy, there are new approaches to sourcing technical skills Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Girls now account for more than 20% of computing GCSE entries

This year has seen an increase in female students choosing computing at both A-Level and GCSE - and they are outperforming boys Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

CW Nordics: Copenhagen woos tech startups

Copenhagen offers all the advantages startups need to get off the ground and many are setting up with the intention of staying there for the long haul. Also read how shipping giant Maersk is employing a cloud-first strategy to disrupt competition and build innovation, and why three Finnish banks are sharing a core IT platform. Continue Reading

Almost 40% of UK tech talent resides in London bubble

Despite cities around the UK being home to a multitude of tech talent, the London bubble still prevails, with a majority of those with digital skills collecting in the capital Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Inside Facebook’s engineering culture

An open and transparent culture that encourages developers to take risks and assume the best intent of co-workers has been the defining character of Facebook’s engineering organisation Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Buyers think SD-WAN is too expensive and complicated

Building and maintaining an SD-WAN is perceived as a complicated endeavour, and the industry’s messages are not getting through, says a new report Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Computing A-level rises in popularity, despite drop in overall A-level candidates

While the number of people choosing to participate in A-levels has fallen, computing candidates are on the rise Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Digital developments for the elderly on the rise in Norway

The Nordic region's tech startup industry is geared towards creating tech in the healthcare sector with apps aimed at the elderly a growing segment Continue Reading

By

• Matthew Staff

Dutch province pioneers no-code platform

Software development platform removes the need for expert programmers when adding functionality to applications Continue Reading

By

• Kim Loohuis