IT technical skills

Blockchain tourism being replaced by its application to business challenges

Deloitte reveals the next 12 months could see businesses move from exploring blockchain to applying it to business challenges Continue Reading

IT executives think businesses are slow at adopting digital transformation

Digital transformation may be impeded by the slow speed at which businesses are ready to adopt new, digitally empowered ways of working Continue Reading

Openreach launches Scottish fibre training school

Openreach has launched its Scottish engineering school in Livingston as it prepares to train 400 new broadband specialists to run its full-fibre roll-out Continue Reading

If we want equality in tech, we need to ‘evolve the conversation’, says panel

Achieving parity in the technology industry depends on moving away from an entirely gender-focused discussion, say experts Continue Reading

Executive interview: Abby Kearns, Cloud Foundry Foundation

Computer Weekly speaks to Abby Kearns, executive director of the Cloud Foundry Foundation about how open source is a key ingredient of digital transformation Continue Reading

Blockchain technology lacks enough use cases to be disruptive, says Worldpay

Worldpay's Jason Scott-Taggart says although the company is looking at blockchain, there are too few strong use cases for the technology at present Continue Reading

Singapore ropes in local polytechnics in AI talent boost

AI Singapore is working with three polytechnics to train lecturers and students on artificial intelligence while boosting AI adoption among SMEs Continue Reading

Companies need to adapt to new communication demands from millennials

TechSmith has warned businesses younger generations have new multimedia-based communication demands Continue Reading

Tier 2 visa refusals paints grim picture for UK tech skills

More than 3,000 visas for people skilled in science, technology, engineering and maths (Stem) roles were refused entry to the UK since December 2017 Continue Reading

Saudi-con Valley? Kingdom’s bid for global tech leadership

Has Saudi Arabia got what it takes to build the latest Silicon Valley? Continue Reading

We need to inspire young people into tech, claims minister for digital at Innovation Centre opening

During the opening of Salesforce’s London Innovation Centre, minister for digital and the creative industries Margot James emphasised the importance of getting the younger generation involved in tech careers Continue Reading

Wise conference 2018: Tackling the female patent problem

Research by Wise found fewer than 10% of patents filed in the UK have involvement from women. At its annual conference in 2018, Wise set out to discuss why this is the case and how we can address it Continue Reading

Police Scotland did not inform public of mobile phone searches

Members of the Scottish Parliament heard that Police Scotland did not conduct impact assessments or give explanations to the public when they were accessing private data on their mobile phones Continue Reading

Building a tech future between the UK and India

A new tech partnership between the UK and India will benefit the digital economy in both countries, says secretary of state for digital, culture, media and sport Matt Hancock Continue Reading

Demand for big data contractors sees 128% year-on-year increase

The number of job vacancies for people with big data skills has increased in the past year, with the demand for contractors in this area skyrocketing Continue Reading

Schools minister announces programme of support for computing teachers

A National Centre of Computing Science Education has been launched to help the government meet its commitment to training up to 8,000 computing teachers Continue Reading

Security pros must avoid hype, demonstrate value, says RBS CISO

Security professionals must avoid over-hyping cyber threats, and penetration testers need to reinvent themselves to demonstrate value to businesses to remain relevant, says RBS CISO Continue Reading

Britons used contactless for 42% of card payments in 2017

Paymentsense survey confirms rapid growth of contactless payments, but £30 limit is preventing further dominance Continue Reading

Most CIOs not interested in “massively hyped” blockchain, finds Gartner

Despite the noise surrounding blockchain technology, not many CIOs are using it or planning to do so in the near future, finds Gartner Continue Reading

City Police use Lego simulation to teach businesses cyber security

City of London Police are offering to train business leaders and IT security in cyber security using a Lego simulation that is surprisingly close to real life Continue Reading

UK technology recruitment: Turn on the talent

The hottest tech skills will always be in short supply and UK businesses increasingly struggle to find competent people to fill digital roles. But do companies’ approach to recruitment need to change? Continue Reading

Colt DCS pledges support for PwC-led push to boost number of women in tech

Carrier neutral datacentre provider, Colt DCS, is joining a number of other organisations in supporting PwC's push to make the tech sector a more diverse and inclusive place Continue Reading

GDPR is key to driving other transformational strategies in business

With GDPR compliance in place, there are several technologies organisations can use to transform their data analytics Continue Reading

Warning to all banks: TSB needs help from IBM because banking industry has cut thousands of IT jobs

Banks will increasingly rely on suppliers to help them out when IT disasters strike because they simply don't have enough in-house IT experts after years of cuts. Continue Reading

ODI and Sport England launch project using data to break down exercise barriers

Ten startups have been chosen as part of the OpenActive accelerator programme to develop fitness products and encourage people to be active Continue Reading

Digital is a long-term objective, CEOs warned

Don't believe anyone who promises to transform a business digitally in three years, says Gartner Fellow Mark Raskino Continue Reading

Most organisations unprepared for GDPR, survey finds

Despite the vast majority of businesses agreeing that GDPR affects them, only 5% say they are fully prepared for it, according to a BSI survey Continue Reading

Barclays aims to drive entrepreneur startup development with law incubator

Barclays is opening its Eagle Lab incubator in London to help entrepreneurs create successful law businesses. Continue Reading

British banks target Israeli security technology

British banks are turning to Israel’s high-tech sector to protect against cyber attacks Continue Reading

Argos announces 150 new tech roles in the UK

Argos is recruiting an extra 150 IT professionals as part of its strategy to offer a better digital services to customers Continue Reading

European Commission unveils €1.5bn AI funding

Given the UK's new artificial intelligence sector deal, the European Commission is unveiling its own initiative to make Europe a world leader in AI Continue Reading

Scotland’s digital health and care strategy highlights need for collaboration

The Scottish Government will create a joint decision-making board, a national approach to service redesign and a national digital platform to ensure interoperability Continue Reading

Digital Catapult aims to accelerate AR and VR startups to long-term success

Ten augmented reality and virtual reality startups can join 10-week Augmentor accelerator, with access to classes, facilities and mentorship Continue Reading

SuperNova growth programme offers European tech scale-ups chance to pitch for investment

Scale-Up.eu says initiative will enable scale-up companies to grow their business without relying on overseas investment Continue Reading

Next generation of SCADA industrial controls will protect against cyber attack

Oil, energy and chemical companies are rethinking how to control big manufacturing plants, replacing expensive control technology with cheaper, more secure systems, taking their cue from biology Continue Reading

Thales to open ‘digital factory’ in Asia

India and Australia are potential candidates for Thales’s new coding centre that will support digital transformation efforts Continue Reading

AWS commits to improving cloud skills of 100,000 people in Europe during 2018

Amazon Web Services commits to equipping 100,000 people across Europe with cloud skills to help speed up adoption of off-premise technologies and services across the continent Continue Reading

CNCF wants to make Kubernetes ‘boring’

CNCF is about to kick off its its Copenhagen conference. The organisation wants to make containers less exciting and more straightforward Continue Reading

Oracle MBX: Oracle uses interns and grads to encourage others into Stem

Oracle has been working with interns and graduates to help train the next generation of tech experts and use them as role models for others Continue Reading

CyLon continues to drive cyber security innovation with next accelerator cohort

CyLon has selected the next group of innovative cyber security startups for its seventh London accelerator programme Continue Reading

Harvey Nash: 90% of contractors admit post-IR35 reform stress

Harvey Nash Recruitment polls contractors about how they feel the IR35 reforms have affected their livelihoods one year on from launch Continue Reading

PA Consulting announces winners of 2018 Raspberry Pi competition

The winners of the annual Raspberry Pi competition run by PA Consulting have been announced following a tech showcase Continue Reading

Tech Talent Charter aims to tackle diversity outside of London

Not-for-profit organisation partners with Nominet in Oxford to make businesses aware of local initiatives and how to implement best practice Continue Reading

Fintech sector increasingly attractive compared to traditional banking for IT professionals

Fintech job vacancies are growing, while less are being advertised in traditional banking sector companies Continue Reading

Investments in skills, infrastructure and SMEs needed to help UK data economy hit new heights

The UK data economy may struggle to reach its full growth potential between now and 2025 unless action is taken, suggests research commissioned by datacentre operator Digital Realty Continue Reading

Many British workers victims of ‘substandard’ technology in secondary offices, shows research

Workers have claimed they are forced to use poorer technology when outside of the main office Continue Reading

Addressing consumer concerns will drive success for open banking

Experts say consumers will feel more comfortable about sharing their data as part of open banking once more valuable use cases become available Continue Reading

SFO expands use of AI after successful trial in Rolls-Royce investigation

Serious Fraud Office builds on trials of artificial intelligence in criminal investigations by rolling out a new data management platform Continue Reading

HS. focuses on global scaling for healthcare startups in new accelerator programme

HS. is trying to enable healthcare startups to scale internationally as part of its accelerator programme Continue Reading

Pfizer tech startup accelerator will be a shot in the arm for healthcare innovation

Pharmaceutical giant invites startups to apply for its second Healthcare Hub: London accelerator, with the chance to share £50,000 funding Continue Reading

Tech City and Tech North merge to support startups nationwide

Southern and northern groups finalise merger to become Tech Nation as government pledges £21m in funding Continue Reading

Can the government’s Institute of Coding help tackle the UK’s tech skills disconnect?

Many have claimed there is a gap between the tech skills taught by education providers and the skills needed by firms, but can the Institute of Coding help to bridge it? Continue Reading

How Code First: Girls uses partnerships to teach girls to code

CEO of social enterprise Code First: Girls explains how partnerships with firms such as Trainline and Goldman Sachs are helping to reach the firm’s goal of teaching 20,000 women to code by 2020 Continue Reading

Why does India have a higher percentage of women in tech than the UK?

Research by the Open University has assessed the differences between the women in IT landscape in the UK and India Continue Reading

Organisations can use GDPR ambiguity to contest fines in court, experts say

Businesses can use the vagueness of the regulation to argue against fines in court, say experts Continue Reading

Arsenal uses Innovation Lab accelerator to improve worldwide fan experience

Arsenal’s Innovation Lab programme has enabled collaboration with “world-class” startups to offer the best experience for fans in the future, says the club’s IT director Continue Reading

IT staff will need to retrain when automation deskills their jobs

Intelligent agents and automation will be needed to support digitisation efforts in business, but to succeed, IT will need to apply these techniques internally Continue Reading

Ransomware publicity heightened awareness but other threats remain, experts say

Due to several high profile attacks over the past year, ransomware is now well known across organisations, but there are other threats to be aware of, say cyber security experts Continue Reading

Fintechs weigh up their partnership options

Fintechs need to consider what type of companies they should work with to make the most of open banking regulations Continue Reading

What would coders do in ethical grey areas?

Software developers are writing code that affects the lives of millions of people and how businesses are run, but what do coders think about some of the ethical questions they face? Continue Reading

Tech North aims to fill 24 tech jobs in 24 hours

Government-backed initiative is launching a campaign to try to fill 24 digital job vacancies in the north of England within a day Continue Reading

Ireland eyes Brexit-triggered tech investments

The organisation that champions Ireland to foreign investors has seen an increase in IT companies moving to its shores Continue Reading

Researchers use AI, big data and machine learning to find best place in the world to live

West Perth in Australia and Hebden Bridge in the UK are among the top locations ranked by machine learning tool in SAS project Continue Reading

Think tank reports lifts lid on police cyber crime training

UK think tank Parliament Street has lifted the lid on spending by police forces on training staff to deal with cyber crime and recommended greater collaboration in this regard Continue Reading

Where neuroscience meets technology

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we find out how computer scientists are using data, cloud and virtual reality to understand the brain and improve mental wellbeing. We analyse newly published government documents detailing the early problems with the Universal Credit IT project. And we look at how emerging artificial intelligence techniques can help improve cyber security. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Australia pilots visa scheme to ease talent crunch

The Global Talent Scheme follows the government’s move to scrap the 457 visa, but industry watchers say smaller companies will struggle to meet its salary threshold Continue Reading

Experian: How inclusion can solve more than IT problems

Paul Hill, head of global propositions development at Experian, talks about the many advantages and few challenges that Experian encountered when working with autistic technology consultants from Auticon Continue Reading

School uses game-based initiative to find future cyber talent

Skinners’ Academy introduces government-backed Cyber Discovery programme to find cyber security professionals of the future Continue Reading

Tech firms not “walking the walk” when it comes to diversity

Despite high-tech firms claiming to have a good track record in diversity, most do not consider it when making business decisions Continue Reading

Majority of organisations unaware of costs and responsibilities for cloud outages, research finds

Most companies are unaware about the costs associated with a cloud outage and who is responsible for getting systems back online Continue Reading

UK demand for AI professionals has almost tripled in three years

As the technology landscape changes, so do the skills organisations need, and research by jobsite Indeed has revealed a big rise in demand for people with artificial intelligence skills Continue Reading

Tesco appoints new chief technology officer

Supermarket giant’s new CTO joins from Airbus and will continue to implement retailer’s digital transformation programme Continue Reading

Coders feel responsible for impact of artificial intelligence on society

The technologists building artificial intelligence algorithms should take responsibility for the technology’s impact on society, a survey finds Continue Reading

More than 60% of teen girls regret not studying Stem

Accenture study shows 62% of teenage girls regret not studying science, technology, engineering and maths subjects for longer Continue Reading

Infosys announces more US jobs

Indian supplier Infosys continues to open hubs and recruit more IT professionals in the US Continue Reading

Openreach to open 12 fibre broadband engineering schools

Openreach has opened the first of 12 planned training centres around the UK as it sets out to recruit more than 3,000 fibre broadband engineers Continue Reading

Survey reveals what the coders building the future desire

Global survey reveals some of the attitudes of the world's software developers Continue Reading

Assessing the disparate initiatives tackling the UK’s technology skills gap

As the UK’s skills gap widens, initiatives aim to ensure the population has the skills needed for roles now and in the future, but are these disparate efforts helping or hindering the cause? Continue Reading

Unlocking digital change in criminal justice

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we talk to the IT and digital chief at the Ministry of Justice to hear about tackling the challenges of digital transformation across the criminal justice system. European cities are trying to attract British IT talent as a result of Brexit – what does it mean for UK IT? And we take an in-depth look at the fintech sector in our latest buyer’s guide. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Digital for rural areas worth up to £26bn to UK economy

A study commissioned by Amazon has posited that greater use of digital tools and services could be worth between £12bn and £26bn per annum to the UK economy Continue Reading

Politicians need to be more involved in tech, says Sadiq Khan

Flying the flag for the UK capital at the SXSW festival in Texas, London mayor Sadiq Khan says government should “do more” for technology, as well as mitigate the risks that come with it, and calls on social media firms to take responsibility for hate speech on their platforms Continue Reading

Booking.com annual tech awards focuses on creating visible role models

Booking.com has announced the winners of its 2018 Technology Playmaker Awards and emphasised the importance of having more visible female role models in the industry Continue Reading

I promised myself I would use the B–word a bit less in this blog

IT apprenticeships fell in the UK last year which is worrying given the IT skills shortage Continue Reading

Tech City targets companies outside of London for next cohort in accelerator programme

Tech City UK has placed more of an emphasis on companies outside of the capital for its next accelerator cohort Continue Reading

Tech experts want government to help workers prepare for AI disruption

The tech brains working with artificial intelligence think governments have an important role to play in preparing workers for change Continue Reading

Cyber attacks up nearly 20% in 2017

Research by SonicWall shows there were 9.32 billion malware attacks globally last year, but ransomware attacks fell by 71% Continue Reading

Nordic CIO interview: Mikael Ludvigsen, Novozymes

Danish biotechnology company’s CIO tells Computer Weekly about some of the changes he has made to the organisation’s IT department since he arrived 19 months ago Continue Reading

European cities woo English-speaking IT talent

Organisations in major European cities have upped their search for English-speaking talent, including IT professionals, since the UK’s referendum on EU membership Continue Reading

Migration figures could spell trouble for UK tech

Figures show a record number of EU workers choosing to leave the UK and, with fewer people moving to the region, the IT skills gap looks set to widen. Continue Reading

Nesta challenge leverages Open Banking to help small businesses

Innovation foundation invites enterprises of all sizes to compete for a share of a £2.5m prize fund in the second phase of its Open Up Challenge Continue Reading

CIOs ill-prepared for IT changes to enable digital business transformation

Lack of skills, an inability to make the most of advanced analytics internally and slow software development are hampering digitisation efforts Continue Reading

Vast majority of consumers unaware of Open Banking consequences, research finds

Research shows most consumers have little or no knowledge of the Open Banking regulation and how it will affect them Continue Reading

New privacy fears as IT challenges delay surveillance oversight body by a year

IT challenges have delayed government plans for an independent body to authorise requests to access the public’s internet and phone records by nearly a year, raising new legal and privacy concerns Continue Reading

Pizza Hut customers can now pay for meals with Mastercard Qkr mobile app

Pizza Hut has joined a number of UK restaurants in enabling customers to pay at the table using the Mastercard Qkr app Continue Reading

Middle East faces IT talent crunch

Countries in the Middle East are adopting the latest technologies at such a rapid rate that the region faces an IT skills shortage Continue Reading

CA Technologies helps teachers learn more about future jobs

Technology firm CA Technologies has run its first Ambassador Academy to help teachers learn more about what skills will be needed for future jobs Continue Reading

London mayor announces £7m programme to seek out digital talent

Programme launched in London to help attract more young people, women and BAME individuals into technology careers Continue Reading

Almost half of young women don’t feel they have the skills for a tech career

Only a small percentage of young people who want to work in technology are women, with 45% of young women claiming they don’t have the skills for tech Continue Reading

Open Banking could bring an extra £1bn to UK economy

As a result of the Open Banking initiative, an additional £1bn could be available to drive the UK economy forward Continue Reading

Understanding the cyber threat key to UK defence, says NCSC

Understanding cyber threats is key to defending the UK and ensuring it is a safe place to do business, says the National Cyber Security Centre Continue Reading