IT technical skills

UK’s security sector failing on most diversity measures

A DCMS report on the state of the UK’s cyber security workforce highlights a huge lack of diversity and a substantial skills gap Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Security pros just want to be loved, report finds

Being valued by the business for their role in keeping the organisation safe and upholding ethical standards is a primary motivator for CISOs and other security professionals Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Schoolgirl security experts prepare to do battle

The finals of the CyberFirst Girls contest will take place on 16 March as the culmination of the NCSC’s annual competition to unearth future security talent Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Three network technologies driven by cloud-native computing

Networking technologies are being driven heavily by digitisation and cloud computing. Gartner picks three networking trends to watch Continue Reading

By

• Andrew Lerner and Danellie Young

Winners announced for the 2020 FDM everywoman in Technology awards

Women’s network everywoman has announced the winners of the 2020 everywoman in Technology Awards, sponsored by FDM Continue Reading

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• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

IR35 tribunal sees Nationwide project manager lose £70,000 tax bill appeal to HMRC

IR35 tribunal judge concludes working relationship between two parties is one of employment, with project manager Robert Lee described as ‘part and parcel’ of Nationwide’s organisation Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Ansible limitations for network automation

Ansible can be a powerful tool for network automation, but users should be aware of its limitations with debugging, performance, complex data structures and control flow. Continue Reading

By

• Terry Slattery, NetCraftsmen

Long, dark winters contribute to Finland’s advantage in video game development

Finland and Southern California are worlds apart at first glance, but both are leaders in video game development. We find out why. Continue Reading

By

• Matthew Staff

Hidden cost of cloud puts brakes on migration projects

Lack of skills and complexities in rebuilding software for the cloud are among the main factors inhibiting cloud success Continue Reading

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• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Finland launches free AI skills course for EU citizens as presidency parting gift

Finland is making a course in basic artificial intelligence available to citizens of all European Union countries Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

Thousands of UK entrepreneurs register businesses in Estonia since Brexit referendum

UK entrepreneurs are registering businesses in Estonia to make sure they can continue to trade freely in the EU Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Mastercard creates 1,500 tech jobs in Ireland

New roles at tech hub in Dublin will include professionals with expertise in artificial intelligence, cyber security, blockchain and user experience Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

WikiLeaks founder Assange ‘put lives at risk’ by disclosing names in leaked documents, court hears

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange ‘put lives of US informants at risk’ by publishing unredacted documents, lawyers for the US argued at the first day of a week-long extradition hearing Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Investigations Editor

Tech reaction to UK’s upcoming immigration rules

The government has outlined its plans for a new points-based immigration system to ensure only skilled workers can enter the UK – but what does the technology sector think? Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

How to build the perfect tech team despite talent shortages

The technology skills gap is growing worldwide, despite digital skills being as important as ever. So how can IT leaders develop the perfect tech team in the current talent environment? Continue Reading

By

• Cath Everett

Girlguiding hosts interactive cyber security workshop

100 Guides from South West England took part in an NCSC event to learn more about security fundamentals Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Untrusted security teams being left out of business decisions

Only a third of organisations are involving their cyber security function at the planning stage of business initiatives Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Most CISOs ready to move jobs if something better comes along

The shortage of skilled security pros is creating an active recruitment market, with over 80% of CISOs saying they would consider a new role if approached Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Ex-soldiers to become ethical hackers

A new programme will give armed forces veterans in Scotland a grounding in cyber security skills, including penetration testing and ethical hacking Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

From Pixar to GovTech: The inside story of Singapore’s AI whizz

After nearly a decade at Pixar, GovTech’s Chong Jiayi is leading a team of experts to solve hard problems in robotics and artificial intelligence Continue Reading

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• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

CIO Interview: Siim Sikkut, Estonian government CIO

Siim Sikkut is one of a generation of tech native Estonians, who is turning his knowledge and experience to transforming government services Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

IR35 private sector reforms: Protesters demand government halts April 2020 roll-out date

With contractors due to stage an anti-IR35 reform protest march at the Houses of Parliament today, stakeholders pen open letter to the Chancellor outlining their concerns about how the changes are affecting the self-employed sector Continue Reading

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• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

IR35 private sector reforms: Research suggests 75% of contractors will leave posts by April 2020

Just eight weeks before the IR35 reforms are due to be extended to the private sector, new research suggests contractors are planning to vote with their feet and leave their positions as blanket bans take hold Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Average UK tech salary grows to £74,000 a year in 2019

Salary rises for UK tech workers outstrip those in San Francisco and New York, according to career marketplace brand Hired Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Two-thirds of workers at risk of robot-driven redundancy are unaware of the threat to jobs

People who do jobs that are most likely to be automated through technology are unaware and unprepared of the impending threat to their livelihoods, with Nesta calling on the government to do more to up-skill those at risk Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Digital gig workers are suffering at the hands of tech, says Doteveryone

Responsible tech think tank recommends ways the government and digital platforms offering gig work can change to improve the lives of people using these technologies for work Continue Reading

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• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Makers calls for ‘change in narrative’ around women in tech

As it opens nominations for its second annual Women in Software Powerlist, software bootcamp Makers calls for a “change in narrative” around women in tech Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Nordic industries increase IT outsourcing for IoT and big data skills

Nordic industries are outsourcing more to support their internet of things and big data capabilities Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

SAP ECC policy change may offer a further 15 years of support

Should you run legacy business software for 15 more years? Following SAP’s decision to extend ECC support, that is a question many CIOs will ask Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Stressed, overworked CISOs losing £23k a year in unpaid overtime

Nominet’s latest CISO Stress Report has revealed the extent to which organisations are taking advantage of their security staff, and the deleterious effects of overwork and stress on mental health Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

ASEAN’s tech talent crunch pushing up IT wages

Higher IT salaries were seen across the board in the region, with more than half taking home a bigger pay check last year Continue Reading

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• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

SAP gives ECC users a five-year reprieve

Standard support is being extended to 2027, while SAP will continue to offer extended support until 2030, in a bid to get businesses to migrate to S/4 Hana Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Azimo gets loan from European Investment Bank to build cross-border payments infrastructure in EU

UK fintech gets validation from EIB through €20m loan which will contribute to building its smartphone app-based payments infrastructure Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Government announces fast-track visa scheme for scientists and researchers

Government also removes cap on the number of people who can enter the UK via the Exceptional Talent route Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Estonian CIO gives UK IT professionals hope as Brexit removes rights

Tech chief says Estonia’s door is open to UK IT professionals if they want to continue enjoying an EU lifestyle Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

UK’s Tier 1 Exceptional Talent visa system ‘does not work well’, says MAC

During a review of whether the government should introduce a points-based system for migration, the Migration Advisory Committee claims the current Tier 1 system for exceptional talent is not fit for purpose Continue Reading

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• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

NCSC launches study on cyber security diversity

The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre wants to improve the diversity of the cyber security sector Continue Reading

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• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

UK cyber security sector worth more than £8bn

The UK’s cyber security industry employs 43,000 full-time workers, and contributed nearly £4bn to the UK economy in 2019, according to DCMS Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Techxit Britain

BT’s press office has reported some “worrying” findings as part of its Skills for Tomorrow programme, designed to “close the digital skills knowledge gap that exists between parents and children”. ... Continue Reading

By

• Ryan Priest

CTO interview: Juan Villamil discusses changing IT culture

Juan Villamil has worked at the Department for Work and Pensions for nearly five years. As he heads off to take up a new challenge at Imperial College, we speak to him about change and transformation Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Digital economy pushing up IT salaries in ANZ

About eight in 10 IT professionals in Australia and New Zealand earned more over the past year while 23% were rewarded with a bonus, survey finds Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Security Think Tank: Bug bounties are changing the image of hackers

The traditional picture of a hacker is of a script kiddie in a hoodie hunched over a computer keyboard, but this stereotype is stale and outdated. Is it time to move away from a fear-based approach to security? Continue Reading

By

• Paul Holland, Information Security Forum

SANS Institute calls on Manchester security pros

Manchester will play host to a week-long cyber security training event during February Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Gender funding gap reveals complacency in the Nordics

Tech investors are biased towards men when it comes to investing – even if they are not aware of it Continue Reading

By

• Matthew Staff

Milan hosts Cisco’s first European security innovation unit

Cisco has cut the ribbon on its first Cyber Security Co-Innovation Centre in Europe, at Milan’s Leonardo da Vinci Science and Technology Museum Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Brexit an opportunity for global collaboration on edtech, says universities minister

Universities minister Chris Skidmore tells 2020 BETT education show that forming global partnerships in the edtech space will spur innovation Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

End-user security ignorance laid bare in new report

Proofpoint’s 2020 State of the Phish report highlights an urgent need for better user training and reporting Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

UK and EU AI communities will only be globally significant if they work as one

The European Union and the UK will be left behind in artificial intelligence research and development if they take separate paths after Brexit Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Nicky Morgan says new government will be pro-tech

DCMS minister outlines five key ways the government aims to support technology going forward, including being “unashamedly” pro-tech Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Two-fifths of Middle East IT staff would change job for more money

IT professionals in the Middle East are mostly motivated by money when it comes to finding a new job, according to a Computer Weekly survey Continue Reading

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• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Over a quarter of Middle East businesses have no women in their IT department

Businesses in the Middle East are failing to balance their IT workforces between men and women, and a quarter have no women in IT roles Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

IR35 private sector reforms: IBM joins list of enterprises applying blanket ban to PSCs

Tech giant IBM has notified its personal service company IT contractors that they must switch to PAYE terms or use umbrella companies from the end of March, as the private sector races to achieve IR35 compliance Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Norway’s government to upgrade digital in school curriculum

Primary and secondary schools in Norway will introduce more digital learning, following the latest government reforms Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

NCSC makes final call for entries to CyberFirst Girls contest

Entry to the National Cyber Security Centre’s CyberFirst Girls 2020 competition is about to close Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Amazon seeks 600 skilled workers for Manchester office

Online cloud and retail giant opens new office in Manchester and aims to increase tech skills in the region Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

TTC benchmark shifts focus from women to diversity in tech sector

Latest instalment of Tech Talent Charter benchmarking report signals move away from solely gender and towards diversity in tech more widely Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

CW APAC: Trend Watch – digital disruption

Adoption of new technologies is growing rapidly and transforming the business landscape. In this handbook, focused on digital disruption in the Asia-Pacific region, Computer Weekly looks at how business and IT leaders can implement a coherent and cohesive approach to digital transformation. Continue Reading

Just 1% of female jobseekers aspire to work in startups

Despite technology industry hype about diversity and inclusion, startups are still failing to attract female employees Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Loan charge under review: IT contractors slam government's planned policy revamp

The IT contractor community shares its verdict on the UK government's plans to revamp its controversial loan charge policy, which has left thousands of people facing life-changing tax bills and financial ruin Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Case study: How Trainline keeps customers satisfied

The Trainline is encouraging customers to discover cheaper rail fares for the same journey with its AI-enabled SplitSave option Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Building the internet of the future

In this week’s Computer Weekly, Cisco unveils the $5bn platform that it believes will be the future of the internet – we look through the details. The McLaren Formula One team discusses how IoT and data analytics have been key to its revival on the track. And we examine the importance of diversity in software development. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

The UK civil service is broken and needs reform to deliver true digital government

Boris Johnson’s special adviser, Dominic Cummings, has attracted criticism for his plans to overhaul Whitehall culture, but one former government digital chief argues that he is absolutely right Continue Reading

By

• Paul Shetler

Security Think Tank: Hooded hackers? More like ruthless competitors

The traditional picture of a hacker is of a script kiddie in a hoodie hunched over a computer keyboard, but this stereotype is stale and outdated. Is it time to move away from a fear-based approach to security? Continue Reading

By

• Vladimir Jirasek, Foresight Cyber

AI skills and explainable data models are top concerns for 2020

New research from IBM finds that 2020 is the year when executives want to deploy real-world artificial intelligence applications Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Deliveroo exceeds tech recruitment target in Edinburgh

Food delivery firm has increased the number of technology staff it wants in its Edinburgh hub Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

2019: a whirlwind year for AI in APAC

Asia-Pacific is proving to be a magnet for entrepreneurial activity from AI firms, though the escalating US-China trade tensions have put one firm in a tough situation Continue Reading

By

• Avanti Kumar

Virtuous circles: Skilling up for an ethical web

Tim Berners Lee’s Contract for the Web aims to drive the internet in a more ethical, open and human-centred direction. What does this mean for the future of IT skills and governance? Continue Reading

By

• Jim Mortleman

Women in tech show strong presence in 2020 New Year’s Honours list

The New Year’s Honours list showcases many women from the IT world for service to the technology industry, equality and STEM education Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Can the UK government’s efforts solve the cyber skills gap?

There has been an active effort by the UK government to tackle the lack of skills in the cyber security space – but is it enough? Continue Reading

By

• Cath Everett

Top 10 enterprise IT in the Middle East stories of 2019

Here are Computer Weekly’s top 10 enterprise IT in the Middle East stories of 2019 Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

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

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• 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, Informa 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