Mobile technology

IBM revenue declines as company shifts to higher value deals

IBM has reported a 12% decline in profits for the fourth quarter of 2014 following the sale of its System x business to Lenovo Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Younger users prefer biometrics to passwords

Younger bank customers would rather use biometrics than PINs and passwords for security, according to Visa Europe Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Google to buy Softcard in latest round of financial services empire building

Google is in talks to acquire mobile phone payments system Softcard as it increases its financial services capabilities Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

NRF 2015: how retailers are using technology to engage with customers

The National Retail Federation (NRF) conference 2015 took place in New York City between 11-14 January and Computer Weekly was on the ground reporting on all the trends from the show Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Tesco embarks on image recognition technology for product placement

Tesco is looking to pilot image recognition software to improve product placement in its stores Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Atom Bank could be first real threat to traditional banks

Digital-only bank could be the first real challenge to high street banks if it turns its low-cost operating advantage into better rates for customers Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Technology should complement traditional merchandising, says Hershey’s

Retailers adopting innovative technology need to consider how it might affect traditional ways of merchandising at the point of sale Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

International CES 2015: The themes at the biggest tech show of the year

This Computer Weekly photo story explores the themes of this year's 2015 International Consumer Electronics Show held by CEA in Las Vegas. Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Levi Strauss & Co thinks mobile first

Levi Strauss & Co, the company known for Levi’s denim jeans, is thinking mobile first as part of its omni-channel retailing strategy Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

John Lewis to trial location technology for click and collect

John Lewis plans to trial a micro-location technology to improve its click and collect service Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

The internet-enabled car of the future

In this week's Computer Weekly, we report from CES in Las Vegas, where car makers gave a glimpse of how the internet of things is going to improve the driving experience. We look at the price wars in the public cloud market and assess what it means for enterprise IT. And we start our buyer's guide on software-defined everything. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

UK outdone by superfast European broadband

Britain’s fall down the average broadband speed rankings continues, according to web watchers Akamai Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Hackers can exploit free mobile apps to steal data, study shows

Hackers can access private data by exploiting vulnerabilities mainly in free mobile apps, according to security researchers Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Tablet growth slows as consumers hand down devices

Sales of tablets are expected to slow down during 2015 Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Why are retailers breaking online delivery promises?

The Christmas period has seen a wave of UK retailers’ technology failing to meet the basic needs of customers Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Technology needed to help ambulance services cope with increased demand

The future of the ambulance and emergencies services needs more investment in networking Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

IoT will drive a middleware boom

Spending in middleware is expected to exceed $16.3bn, driven by a shift towards agile mobile application integration Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

The state of mobile back end as a service

Common mobile application services are increasingly being hosted on central back-end servers – but what does that mean for the enterprise? Continue Reading

By

• Janakiram MSV

Avaya brings contact centres to Google Chromebooks

Avaya and Google team up to streamline customer service agent workflows by enabling desktop contact centres on Chromebooks Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

JCDecaux partners with Vodafone to build small cell networks

Vodafone joins outdoor advertising firm JCDecaux to deploy small cell technology on billboards to increase network performance Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Digital governments meet in London to commit to best practices

Digital governments from across the world are meeting in London today as part of the inaugural D5 summit Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Barclays expands cheque payment technology

Barclays is expanding a pilot to enable a million customers to pay in cheques online by taking a picture of them Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Virgin money invests in mobile money firm

Virgin Money has partnered with mobile money provider Monitise to provide customers with mobile banking solutions Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Cyber criminals are targeting smartphone supply chains, warn researchers

A new mobile trojan dubbed “DeathRing” is being pre-loaded onto smartphones somewhere in the supply chain, warn researchers Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

ABN Amro re-signs IBM for 10-year, multibillion-euro IT contract

ABN Amro has extended its multibillion-euro outsourcing deal with IBM by another 10 years Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Three pondering bid for O2 or EE, say reports

As BT conducts sales talks with both O2 and EE, reports have emerged the owner of Three is also preparing a bid for one or other of the two networks Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

CGI secures communications between pilots and air traffic control

Satellite communications firm Inmarsat has outsourced the provision of security IT and services to CGI Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

CIO interview: Jon Rudoe, digital and technology director, Sainsbury’s

While supermarkets all over the UK are facing challenging times ahead of them, Sainsbury's is taking its technology and innovation into its own hands by developing digital products for its customers. Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

EE in sales talks with BT

EE owners Deutsche Telekom and Orange eye up a sale to BT just days after news O2’s owner is also looking to exit the UK market Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Pressure on Universal Credit’s digital service mounts as testing begins

Risks remain for Universal Credit as DWP continues its twin-track gradual roll-out of live and digital services Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

National Trust for Scotland overcomes legacy network challenge

The National Trust for Scotland has replaced a historical network infrastructure with a core service from Brocade Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Russian webcam-spying site highlights common security failing

A Russian website collecting images from internet-connected cameras highlights a common security failing, say security professionals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

HSBC launches Paym for business

HSBC launches Paym capabilities to allow business customers to receive payments using mobile phone numbers Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Asda opens technology centre in Leeds

Asda opens a technology centre in its Leeds head office to provide a more streamlined service for online customers Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Increase in mobile users sees 2.7 billion devices worldwide in 2014

Mobile subscriptions have increased by 800 million in 2014, bringing the total number of devices to 2.7 billion worldwide, according to a report Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Worldpay processes billionth contactless payment

Supermarkets account for most contactless payments as payments company Worldpay processes its billionth contactless payment Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Intel merges PC and mobile divisions

Intel plans to merge its profitable PC group with the loss-making division that sells chips for smartphones and tablets Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Can Microsoft change its spots?

Since Satya Nadella took over as CEO of Microsoft, the company has become steadily more open and cross-platform Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Tech Mahindra backs Milton Keynes smart city project

Tech Mahindra’s telco services wing to support development and deployment of smart city solutions and IoT sensor networks Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

CIO success is all about winning friends and influencing people

If Gartner’s predictions are true, CIO working practices have to change to keep IT relevant Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

CIO interview: Enterprise Rent-A-Car European IT director Jeff King

Enterprise Rent-A-Car European IT director Jeff King rose from the shop floor to an executive directing IT across Europe Continue Reading

By

• Mark Samuels

Retail technology – what’s hot?

The world of retail technology is looking hotter than ever from gimmicky augmented reality penguins to serious CCTV solutions. Here’s the Computer Weekly roundup of the potentially disruptive technologies which are hitting the retail market. Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Hull gets dark fibre injection for EE and Three

Mobile Broadband Network Ltd (MBNL), a joint venture between EE and Three, deploys dark fibre backhaul connections to masts in Hull Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Ministry of Justice searches for IT staff to join digital team

The Ministry of Justice is recruiting people to join its team tasked with designed digital public services Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Amazon not the biggest threat to high street retailers

Competition from online-only traders does not pose the biggest threat to high street retailers, with cautious attitudes a bigger risk Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Ofcom to auction tranche of MoD-owned spectrum

190 MHz of spectrum in two bands currently controlled by the Ministry of Defence is to go under the hammer Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Ofcom launches initiative to plug SMEs' lack of confidence in communications services

Regulator Ofcom launches online portal to help business owners exploit commercial communications services Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

ITN deploys wireless transmission technology for breaking news

ITN introduces camera-mounted wireless transmission technology from BT to track breaking news stories around London Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Why national roaming may not be the answer to mobile not-spots

Industry suggests alternative strategies as government threatens to force mobile operators to allow national roaming Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Government asks for more information on digital currencies

The government has released a Call for Information to invite views on the benefits and risks of digital currencies Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Airbus interview: research, innovation and the future of aviation

IT plays a substantial role in creating the aircraft of the future, with research and innovation at the core of the Airbus business strategy Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Problems surface as first users attempt to use Gov.uk Verify

Problems have surfaced as users try to use Gov.uk Verify to prove their identities Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Currency exchange business Travelex cuts HR costs by 25% with cloud IT systems

Travelex's cloud human resources (HR) project survived a budget overrun to cut costs and job recruitment times Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

How the BBC became digital in three-and-a-half years

The BBC has undergone a digital transformation that started 18 months prior to the London 2012 Olympic Games Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Six networks that changed the world forever

The Science Museum opens its Information Age gallery, dedicated to the history of information and communications Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Amazon reports tough quarter despite sales increase

Amazon reported a 20% year-on-year increase in third-quarter sales to $20.58bn, but also posted a net loss of $437m Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Interview: Ed Vaizey MP talks digital economy and digital skills

Minister for the digital economy Ed Vaizey discusses his new role and the future of digital policy Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Social media for communication inside the enterprise

Companies have long used social media technology such as Facebook and Twitter to reach more customers – but how are businesses using it internally? Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Government releases social media guidance for civil servants

New social media guidelines for civil servants have been released by the Cabinet Office Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Disney spreads the magic through wearable technology

The Walt Disney Company is using wearable technology to improve customer experience and engage with visitors Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Forget devices, we still need signal, says WWF IT director

Organisations such as the WWF are still trying to focus on sufficient connectivity for remote workers says WWF director of ICT services, Linda Humphrey. Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Managing digital projects

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we examine the project management challenges for IT teams that are building digital, agile systems. We look at the growing importance of user experience testing driven by mobile app development. We assess the main products in the scale-out NAS market for storage. And Intel’s CIO talks about managing IT at the world’s largest chip manufacturer. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Cope could be the future of mobility, says BBC technology chief

A corporate-owned, personally enabled (Cope) implementation could be the best option for mobility plans in the future Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Comic Relief’s digital challenge: talent, data and the No Make-Up Selfie

Social media campaigns such as the No Make-Up Selfie and the Ice Bucket Challenge threaten charities such as Comic Relief with their digital reach Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

B&Q launches online kitchen planning and design tool

The DIY retailer debuts its B&Q Spaces planning and design tool which allows customers to plan their kitchen, bathroom and bedroom projects online Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Embedded SIMs key to unlocking internet of things

GSMA’s eUICC Embedded SIM Specification will help M2M communications and the IoT become mainstream, say analysts Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

PC shipments remain steady as market segments shift

PC sales in the third quarter of 2014 declined by just 0.5% year-on-year according to research firm Gartner Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Housing associations launch shared internet service from BT

BT promises housing association tenants lower internet costs through new scheme Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Retailers buy into Zapp mobile wallet

Large retailers such as Sainsbury’s and House of Fraser will allow customers to pay using the Zapp mobile wallet service. Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Timberland focuses on online customer experience

After internationalising its e-commerce offering across Europe, Timberland's next priority is refining its online experience Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Engineering company rolls out talent management software across 17 countries

Meggitt is deploying cloud-based HR technology as it seeks to integrate 60 diverse business units into a multinational operation Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Mothercare uses mobile to engage with customers, not just to sell

Mothercare is continuing to use mobile to improve customer service and engage with users Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Barclays concludes first round of fintech accelerator

Barclays has finished the first round of its financial services technology (fintech) startup accelerator, following a demo day Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

CIO interview: Ben Hine, technology director, UKTV

UKTV director Ben Hine says every piece of the company's technology has been replaced over the last four years Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Oracle OpenWorld 2014: Lloyd's Register goes mobile with Oracle

Lloyd’s Register Group tells delegates at the Oracle OpenWorld 2014 conference how it developed a mobile working application for clients and staff Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Microsoft readies Windows 10 Technical Preview

Microsoft is today releasing a preview of Windows 10, the next version of the Windows desktop operating system Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Oracle OpenWorld 2014: Toms expands global e-commerce

Footwear retailer Toms relaunches e-commerce websites with Oracle platform to grow and improve customer experience Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

BlackBerry Passport: A first look

BlackBerry has changed the rules for phablets, with a an almost square device, promising 25 hours of battery life are highly readable screen Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Visa loses mobility director to Apple

Mary Carol Harris, former director of mobile for Visa Europe, has left the firm to take up a position at Apple Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Councils and Countryside Alliance back Vodafone rural 3G plan

Local councils and the Countryside Alliance lend support to Vodafone’s Rural Open Sure Signal programme for rural broadband Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

BlackBerry Passport delivers a real keyboard and high-res screen to business

BlackBerry has introduced its Passport smartphone featuring a 4.5in hi-res screen, a qwerty keyboard and 13MP camera Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

The digital CIO: Why embrace digital innovation?

Having the right digital strategy can make or break an organisation Continue Reading

By

• Peter Thornton

Lloyds creates online appointment booking in attempt to save branches

Lloyds Bank has introduced a system which allows customers to book in-branch appointments online Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

SAP acquires Concur to build cloud-based expense management

SAP has agreed to acquire online travel and expense management SaaS provider Concur Technologies for $8bn Continue Reading

Customer loyalty biggest challenge for banks

Banks have cited customer loyalty as their main concern, according to a survey by financial services firm Temenos Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

CIO interview: Stephen Hale, head of digital, Department of Health

“I want to make digital less of a novelty,” says the Department of Health’s head of digital Stephen Hale Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Clarks shoes steps into digital

Shoe manufacturer Clarks is replacing its legacy e-commerce sites with a global cloud-based system next month Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Retailers need to adopt ‘fail fast’ attitude to technology

Retailers experimenting with digital technologies must take a “fail fast” approach so they can deliver new innovations quickly Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Boots to roll out real-time stock visibility in coming weeks

Health and beauty retailer, Alliance Boots, is about to roll out real-time stock visibility to its stores and customers using SAP Hana Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

The digital CIO: ‘Fear of Google’ and the ethics of digital business

Could the big digital players be using their dominance by exerting unfair competition? Continue Reading

By

• Brinley Platts and Peter Thornton

John Lewis sales reflect omni-channel growth

John Lewis and Waitrose have attributed an increase in sales and customers to their growing omni-channel offerings Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

UK retailers must invest more in digital technologies

The UK’s biggest retailers are ‘under-investing’ in in-store digital technologies Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

BP spends £2m developing apps to train business leaders

BP is scrapping online courses in favour of apps and portals that can deliver bite-sized information and training when it's needed Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Barclays bank launches biometric authentication

Barclays bank plans to launch biometric readers that read users' finger veins to authenticate customers Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Apple and FBI launch iCloud hack investigation

Apple and FBI investigate the breach of Apple’s iCloud causing fresh business concerns over cloud security Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Nude celebrity pictures posted online after alleged iCloud hack

Hundreds of nude images of female celebrities have been leaked, allegedly after Apple’s iCloud service was hacked Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Brighton & Hove Albion deploys free Wi-Fi at Amex Stadium

Brighton & Hove Albion picks The Cloud and Ruckus to supply a new Wi-Fi solution at the American Express Community Stadium Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Tesco to reduce IT spend in a bid to cut costs

Supermarket giant Tesco has announced that it will be cutting costs from its IT budget to save money Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist

Former bank chief launches financial trading app

A trading social network on Apple’s App Store hopes to attract more than 100,000 consumer traders as members by the end of 2014 Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Government appoints former Credit Suisse CIO as deputy CTO

The government has appointed former Credit Suisse CIO Magnus Falk as its new deputy chief technology officer (CTO) Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Baldwin, Freelance editor and journalist