Software licensing
Software licensing can be a contentious and complex area for IT managers, but is essential to getting value from your software investments. While new models such as software as a service (SaaS), open source and freeware offer new ways to source software, auditing and compliance for your existing software estate remain an important part of IT governance. We analyse the latest trends in this important field.
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News
12 Dec 2024
Post Office scandal in 2024 – part 2: Capture, the prequel
Users of the Post Office’s Capture system had similar experiences to those who struggled with the Horizon system, which came later, but their stories are only just coming out now Continue Reading
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News
11 Dec 2024
Police not ruling any person or crime out of Post Office scandal investigation
Metropolitan Police provides update on Operation Olympos, its national investigation into potential criminality in the Post Office Horizon scandal Continue Reading
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News
11 Dec 2024
Post Office scandal in 2024 – part 1: A year in the mainstream
Read this year’s 10 most read Computer Weekly articles about the Post Office Horizon IT scandal Continue Reading
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News
10 Dec 2024
Controversial Horizon system to remain in Post Office branches as part of tech ‘fusion’, says source
A source says the Post Office is set to buy the Horizon system from Fujitsu and combine it with both in-house developed and commercially available software Continue Reading
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News
09 Dec 2024
Post Office senior leadership warned of IT project data safeguarding risk
Post Office board members and senior executives have been made aware of the risk to data related to its ill-fated Horizon system replacement project Continue Reading
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Podcast
05 Dec 2024
Justifying ECC upgrade: A Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcast
We speak to the chair of the UK and Ireland SAP User Group about SAP ECC and the need to upgrade at your own pace Continue Reading
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News
05 Dec 2024
Post Office Fujitsu contract extended by a year as decision time looms
The Post Office has let contractors and third parties go as it completes its analysis of the future Horizon replacement options Continue Reading
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Feature
04 Dec 2024
Oracle Java licensing explained: Addressing complexity, cost and audits
Now that Oracle Java SE is sold as a subscription, organisations using the Oracle JDK have a minefield of licences to navigate Continue Reading
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News
27 Nov 2024
Post Office Capture users invited to pivotal meeting with government
About 80 former Capture users have now come forward for legal support in making claims against the Post Office Continue Reading
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News
26 Nov 2024
Post Office scandal redress echoes Windrush compensation problems
Campaigning former subpostmaster Sir Alan Bates met with Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) over financial redress scheme Continue Reading
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News
25 Nov 2024
Post Office scandal: How much deeper and wider can it get?
It took decades to expose the Post Office Horizon scandal but that effort has laid the groundwork for others to seek justice and financial redress Continue Reading
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News
22 Nov 2024
Convictions of Post Office Capture system users to be reviewed by statutory body
Statutory body to look at the convictions of subpostmasters who used a pre-Horizon branch accounting system Continue Reading
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News
22 Nov 2024
Government looking into third faulty Post Office IT system
The Department for Business and Trade will look into claims that a third Post Office branch system caused unexplained shortfalls that branch workers and subpostmasters were blamed for Continue Reading
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News
20 Nov 2024
Post Office to harness technology to automate scandal financial redress payments
Technology that could speed up financial redress for subpostmasters is being worked on in-house by the Post Office Continue Reading
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News
20 Nov 2024
Post Office project taking control of Horizon data from Fujitsu as part of messy split
The Post Office will no longer rely on Fujitsu for Horizon data past and present once cloud migration project is complete, in a major uncoupling of the 30-year relationship Continue Reading
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News
19 Nov 2024
Post Office is paying lawyers too much, admits minister
When pushed, a government minister admits the Post Office is paying lawyers too much money in relation to the Post Office scandal Continue Reading
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News
19 Nov 2024
Subpostmasters hit by Post Office scandal plan to meet over 'nuclear option'
Members of campaign group Justice for Subpostmasters Alliance will discuss taking legal action in their pursuit of full, fair and final financial redress Continue Reading
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News
19 Nov 2024
Post Office scandal: Inquiry’s final phase exposes dysfunction past and present
Conclusion of the seventh and final phase of the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry hearings is another landmark in a scandal that has unfolded over a quarter of a century Continue Reading
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News
18 Nov 2024
Post Office IT boss calls for subpostmasters to judge him on his actions
Recently installed Post Office chief transformation officer tasked with replacing controversial IT system tells Computer Weekly the organisation’s leadership understands the challenges ahead Continue Reading
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News
15 Nov 2024
IT leaders raise concerns over IT security overspend
How many IT security products does it take to secure a business? Too many, according to some IT decision-makers Continue Reading
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News
15 Nov 2024
Post Office to decide on Horizon before April, Fujitsu board considers final contract extension
Chief transformation officer tells Computer Weekly about ongoing work on replacing controversial Post Office Horizon system and extending contract with Fujitsu Continue Reading
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News
12 Nov 2024
Post Office requested four-year Horizon extension, as Fujitsu boss arrived at public inquiry
Fujitsu boss says the Horizon system has reached the end of its life and a long contract extension might not be possible Continue Reading
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News
11 Nov 2024
Post Office scandal not caused by software errors, says combative Fujitsu boss
During a sometimes heated appearance at the public inquiry, Fujitsu’s European boss Paul Patterson said the inquiry has shed light on who is to blame for the scandal Continue Reading
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News
08 Nov 2024
Government announces Green Paper on future of scandal-ridden Post Office
Consultation process will enable a wide range of people to air their views on the future of the scandal-hit Post Office Continue Reading
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News
08 Nov 2024
Gartner Symposium: How Specsavers saved on Oracle costs
The high street opticians chain has swapped Oracle support for Pinnaker third-party support to help drive its business transformation Continue Reading
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Feature
08 Nov 2024
Storage explained: Consumption models of storage procurement
We look at consumption models of storage purchasing and how cloud operating models have made them mainstream and supplanted the traditional three-year lift-and-shift datacentre refresh Continue Reading
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News
07 Nov 2024
Post Office wrongly used public funds to pay for legal battle
Senior civil servant’s appearance at public inquiry reveals Post Office broke spending rules when it diverted money to legal battle Continue Reading
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News
07 Nov 2024
Post Office appointing third-party reviewer of current Horizon system
According to government representative on the Post Office board, an independent reviewer of Horizon is being appointed Continue Reading
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News
06 Nov 2024
Post Office was reluctant to cut costs despite 143 central staff earning more than £100k
Former Post Office minister told public inquiry that Post Office boss did not want to cut central costs, despite how many staff were earning more than £100k Continue Reading
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News
05 Nov 2024
Post Office data breach caused by botched website upgrade
Data breach exposed personal details of the hundreds of former subpostmasters who had defeated the Post Office in the High Court Continue Reading
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News
05 Nov 2024
Gartner Symposium: Why ServiceNow wants to be seen as the AI platform for business transformation
We report on how a deal between ServiceNow and Rimini Street may offer IT leaders an alternative route to enterprise AI Continue Reading
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News
04 Nov 2024
Government’s £600,000 offer to Horizon scandal victims was 'political'
The Post Office was blindsided by the previous government’s decision to offer £600,000 to all subpostmasters wrongly convicted of financial crimes as a result of Horizon failures Continue Reading
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News
01 Nov 2024
Bank of England warns against AI ‘complacency’
UK financial services regulator wants to increase understanding of AI’s benefits and how firms are managing the risks it poses, as take-up grows and use cases increase Continue Reading
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News
31 Oct 2024
Post Office scandal affected relationships of two-thirds of victims
The Post Office scandal, regarded as the UK’s widest miscarriage of justice, destroyed the financial wellbeing of former subpostmasters, took away their liberty and inflicted grief on their relationships Continue Reading
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News
31 Oct 2024
Fujitsu boss to face tough reappearance at Post Office inquiry, following inaction and sidestepping
Fujitsu’s European boss will have to justify why promises made at the public inquiry months ago have not been followed through Continue Reading
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News
30 Oct 2024
No simple replacement for digital evidence rules, says Post Office Horizon trial judge
Judge in Post Office Horizon trial says a more flexible approach to how digital evidence is used in court cases may be required as IT complexity increases Continue Reading
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News
24 Oct 2024
Warning shots fired as former subpostmasters have ‘useful’ meeting with Post Office CEO
Acting CEO meets two campaigning former subpostmasters emphasising need for their input into the Post Office’s future direction, including its branch system development Continue Reading
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News
23 Oct 2024
Federation requests government investigation into third Post Office branch system
Following public anger over the Horizon scandal and the subsequent unravelling of the controversial Capture system, subpostmaster federation wants third branch IT system to be reviewed Continue Reading
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22 Oct 2024
Government backs Danish version of ChatGPT
Danish language version of ChatGPT to be developed in a project led by the country’s Chamber of Commerce Continue Reading
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News
22 Oct 2024
Former Post Office IT boss alleged to have misrepresented alternative to in-house build
Internal Post Office document reveals allegations that former transformation boss misrepresented off-the-shelf option to replace Horizon Continue Reading
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News
21 Oct 2024
Post Office worker who allegedly told staff to destroy evidence could return, as police investigate
Post Office to allow employee, who allegedly told staff to destroy evidence of possible interest to public inquiry, to return to work during police investigation Continue Reading
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News
21 Oct 2024
Review of late evidence doesn’t change Post Office Capture system report
Conclusions reached in government-commissioned report into pre-Horizon software are unchanged after late evidence reviewed Continue Reading
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News
17 Oct 2024
Sir Alan Bates tells Prime Minister to guarantee Post Office scandal victim redress by March 2025
Campaigner tells Keir Starmer to finalise full and final financial redress to victims of the Post Office scandal by March next year, or face legal action Continue Reading
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News
16 Oct 2024
Half of business IT deemed outdated
Combining survey data with its own monitoring service, Kyndryl has estimated that half of the world’s most critical infrastructure is not resilient Continue Reading
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News
11 Oct 2024
Post Office set to axe in-house-developed New Branch IT software
Troubled business may ditch its plan to build a new core branch system in-house and buy an off-the-shelf alternative Continue Reading
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News
10 Oct 2024
Post Office dragging its feet getting rid of tainted staff, despite government ‘green light’
Former minister gave Post Office ‘green light’ to take robust action against existing staff with links to Post Office scandal wrongdoing Continue Reading
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News
08 Oct 2024
Post Office IT transformation project was ‘set up to fail’, chairman tells inquiry
Post Office interim chairman tells Horizon public inquiry that the Post Office needs to reset New Branch IT project Continue Reading
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E-Zine
08 Oct 2024
Digital government on a budget
In this week’s Computer Weekly, we examine how Labour’s version of austerity will affect the government’s desire for digital transformation. We find out how the use of AI in the workplace is negatively affecting low-income workers. And an SAP customer explains how it plans to keep running after the end of support for ECC. Read the issue now. Continue Reading
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News
07 Oct 2024
Post Office boss Nick Read ‘inadequate, greedy and self-interested’, whistleblowers tell inquiry
Outgoing Post Office boss Nick Read faces public inquiry for three days this week, with no shortage of questions to answer Continue Reading
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News
04 Oct 2024
Post Office recruiting tech-savvy board member amid unravelling IT disaster
Public inquiry told that the Post Office is currently recruiting a tech-savvy non-executive director Continue Reading
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News
04 Oct 2024
Late evidence in Post Office Capture investigation could not be reviewed
Evidence failed to reach investigators in time for report into controversial pre-Horizon Post Office software Continue Reading
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News
03 Oct 2024
Post Office and Fujitsu: from blood brothers to bad blood
Former Post Office chief transformation officer’s evidence to the public inquiry reveals organisation’s strained relationship with main IT supplier Fujitsu Continue Reading
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News
02 Oct 2024
Post Office spending £80,000+ a week on engineers who can’t work, as IT project burns cash
Revelation is latest evidence of the Post Office’s struggles to replace Fujitsu’s controversial Horizon software used in branches Continue Reading
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News
30 Sep 2024
Investigation finds 'reasonable likelihood' Post Office Capture software caused accounting losses
An independent forensic analysis finds the predecessor to Horizon IT system was also likely to have caused shortfalls for which subpostmasters were blamed, years before the Post Office scandal Continue Reading
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News
27 Sep 2024
More parallels between Post Office Capture and Horizon scandal revealed
Post Office dramatically increased the number of investigations into subpostmasters after Capture Software was introduced Continue Reading
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News
26 Sep 2024
Subpostmasters living years with disputed but unresolved debts to the Post Office, inquiry told
Continued errors with the Horizon system mean subpostmasters have unresolved account shortfalls hanging over them for years Continue Reading
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News
24 Sep 2024
Post Office IT department’s focus on chasing a discount meant botched procurement
Post Office IT team and executives slammed for rushing into tech hardware purchase while eyeing a discount Continue Reading
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News
24 Sep 2024
How VMware is supporting AI workloads
VMware claims its Private AI Foundation with Nvidia platform that speeds up AI deployment in private cloud environments is gaining significant traction in the Asia-Pacific region Continue Reading
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News
23 Sep 2024
Fujitsu faces financial challenges, with doubts over its commitment to righting Post Office wrongs
Fujitsu worker tells Computer Weekly that firm only cares about shareholders and not subpostmaster suffering Continue Reading
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News
23 Sep 2024
Metro Bank outsources IT to Infosys to cut costs and digitally transform
Indian IT services giant taken on to support Metro Bank’s digital transformation in multi-year deal Continue Reading
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News
22 Sep 2024
Zendesk debuts outcome-based pricing for AI agents
Zendesk customers only pay for successful AI query resolutions, easing the transition to AI-powered customer support and improving scalability during peak periods Continue Reading
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News
20 Sep 2024
Interview: Keeping SAP ECC running without support
We speak to the CIO of Spanish gas distribution firm Madrileña Red de Gas about keeping SAP running after official support ends Continue Reading
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Definition
12 Sep 2024
What is a software license?
A software license is a document that provides legally binding guidelines for the use and distribution of software. Continue Reading
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News
09 Sep 2024
Post Office scandal victims given route to appeal unfair financial settlements
Subpostmasters who feel they received inadequate financial redress in the Horizon Shortfalls Scheme can appeal the settlements through a new independent process Continue Reading
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News
04 Sep 2024
Lloyds Bank uses artificial intelligence to check trade finance documents
Bank is automating checks of digital and paper-based documentation in trade financing with the help of artificial intelligence Continue Reading
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News
04 Sep 2024
Post Office and Fujitsu malevolence and incompetence means huge final taxpayers’ bill
The human tragedy caused by the Post Office scandal cannot be measured, but the total financial cost will be well beyond the £1bn set aside by the government Continue Reading
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News
03 Sep 2024
Swedish law firms debate AI’s future impact on profession
Swedish law firms examine the use of artificial intelligence in their businesses as the sector sees a surge in take-up Continue Reading
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News
03 Sep 2024
Nationwide development platform uses Red Hat technology
Building society is speeding up its software releases through Red Hat cloud application development platform Continue Reading
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E-Zine
03 Sep 2024
The politics of techno-refusal
In this week’s Computer Weekly, we learn about the politics of techno-refusal and the lessons to be learned from a group of IT workers who spent the early 1980s sabotaging tech infrastructure. Following the controversy around Broadcom’s purchase of VMware, we examine some alternative virtualisation solutions. And our latest buyer’s guide looks at the state of software-defined wide-area networking. Read the issue now. Continue Reading
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News
02 Sep 2024
Navigating the shifting sands of open source
As open source matures, the Cloud Native Computing Foundation is grappling with issues ranging from licence rug-pulling and the rise of artificial intelligence to the changing dynamics of open source contributions Continue Reading
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News
27 Aug 2024
Government backs Danish version of ChatGPT
Danish language version of ChatGPT to be developed in a project led by the country’s Chamber of Commerce Continue Reading
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News
21 Aug 2024
How open source is shaping AI developments
The Linux Foundation outlines efforts to bolster enterprise AI adoption through a framework for managing and deploying AI applications, standardised tooling and open data alternatives Continue Reading
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News
21 Aug 2024
Post Office Horizon crash disconnected branches from datacentre
The Post Office has apologised to subpostmasters affected by a major IT outage, which stopped them from doing business Continue Reading
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News
20 Aug 2024
Post Office systems crash hits 'collapsing' Horizon system
Thousands of subpostmasters were unable to log into the controversial Horizon IT system at the start of business Continue Reading
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Feature
19 Aug 2024
Keeping control of SaaS costs
The ease with which someone with a corporate credit card can buy a SaaS product can lead to runaway costs and data leakage risks Continue Reading
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E-Zine
13 Aug 2024
Designed to deceive – reviewing the Post Office scandal inquiry
In this week’s Computer Weekly, we review the marathon latest phase of the Post Office scandal inquiry, as ministers, civil servants, executives and lawyers were shamed. We look at IOWN – a candidate for the next generation of networking technology. And we examine best practice in software asset management. Read the issue now. Continue Reading
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Feature
12 Aug 2024
Forrester: Rethink your software asset management practices
Software as a service needs to be managed as part of software asset management. Forrester analysts offer some practical advice on how to succeed Continue Reading
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E-Zine
06 Aug 2024
Migrating to S/4Hana – how the Co-op made its move
In this week’s Computer Weekly, as SAP users prepare for the deadline to move off the ECC platform, we find out how the Co-op is migrating to S/4Hana. Our latest buyer’s guide looks at how to manage SaaS and on-premise software licensing. And we talk to former NCSC CEO Ciaran Martin about the true risks from nation-state cyber attacks. Read the issue now. Continue Reading
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News
05 Aug 2024
What are the options when migrating from VMware?
Broadcom’s changes to VMware licensing means some people are facing big price increases – we look at how these can be avoided Continue Reading
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Feature
05 Aug 2024
How to optimise SAM budget in today’s heterogeneous environments
Hidden software costs and ecosystem complexity make managing a mixed software estate harder than ever. Here’s how to optimise your spending Continue Reading
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News
30 Jul 2024
How to stop AI costs from soaring
Generative AI promises to improve business efficiency, but Gartner has found many projects are failing to get beyond pilot roll-outs Continue Reading
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News
30 Jul 2024
Government commits at least £540m to financial redress for wrongfully convicted Post Office staff
Hundreds of eligible former subpostmasters and branch staff are yet to come forward to have convictions overturned, but government hopes new scheme will encourage them to do so Continue Reading
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News
28 Jul 2024
Nearly a third of GenAI projects to be dropped after PoC
At least 30% of generative AI projects will be abandoned by 2025 as organisations struggle to realise the value of the technology, says Gartner Continue Reading
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News
26 Jul 2024
Vince Cable says the Post Office ‘lied’ to the government over Horizon issues
In the latest Post Office scandal public inquiry hearings, Vince Cable and Greg Clark reflected on their time as the minister heading the department responsible for the Post Office Continue Reading
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News
24 Jul 2024
Post Office ‘acted the victim’ and civil servants ‘abandoned their principles’, says former minister
Former government minister tells inquiry the Post Office always played the victim of subpostmasters that it considered either ‘incompetent’ or ‘criminal’ Continue Reading
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News
23 Jul 2024
Former minister felt she was fighting department over Post Office controversy
Former government minister was fighting with Shareholder Executive officials as she probed for information following allegations brought to her by MPs Continue Reading
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News
22 Jul 2024
Ed Davey and Jo Swinson ‘handled’ by civil servants in Post Office cover-up, says Sir Alan Bates
Evidence in public inquiry revealed how ministers in charge of Post Office were left in the dark at a time when campaigners, MPs and journalists were looking for answers Continue Reading
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Feature
22 Jul 2024
Riding the cloud database wave
There is set to be a surge in demand for cloud databases, driven by new use cases and greater decentralised IT spending Continue Reading
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News
18 Jul 2024
Government trusted ‘abuser’ over the abused on Post Office scandal
The government referred allegations about subpostmasters’ mistreatment by the Post Office to the alleged abuser itself Continue Reading
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News
15 Jul 2024
Schools hit with cost hike as free Microsoft licences end
The A1 Plus academic licence, which gave teachers and pupils access to the Microsoft productivity suite, stops in August Continue Reading
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Opinion
01 Jul 2024
How Broadcom cemented its European cloud sovereignty credentials
The owner of VMware targets flexible deployment options for European public cloud sovereignty Continue Reading
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News
13 Jun 2024
VMware/Broadcom: Prepare for legacy support
VMware is not going away anytime soon. While some IT leaders may be feeling the pain of Broadcom’s changes, they still need to seek a long-term plan Continue Reading
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E-Zine
11 Jun 2024
Drilling into data to help the UK’s energy transition
In this week’s Computer Weekly, we find out how data is accelerating the UK’s energy transition to net zero. With Windows 10 support ending next year, we examine the issues around preparing to upgrade to Windows 11. And we explore the key considerations when deploying artificial intelligence infrastructure to harness its full potential. Read the issue now. Continue Reading
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News
10 Jun 2024
Post Office Capture software training deficit echoes systemic Horizon problems
Post Office branch managers have told Computer Weekly they had no training on how to use Capture software, which pre-dated Horizon Continue Reading
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News
06 Jun 2024
Mystery Post Office software developer revealed in 1995 Horizon project document
Capture software was used by about 2,000 subpostmasters in the 1990s, with allegations that errors in the software caused account shortfalls Continue Reading
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Opinion
04 Jun 2024
Building a more secure, and sustainable, open source ecosystem
In April 2024, the discovery of an intentionally-placed backdoor in the open source XZ Utils data compression caused concern. Sentry's Chad Whitacre says a more thoughtful approach is needed to balance the individual freedom and creativity of open source, with more rigorous security practice. Continue Reading
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News
22 May 2024
Broadcom/VMware: Joining the dots to migrate off VMware
It may take several years to move off VMware. In the meantime, Nutanix and Rimini Street have ramped up efforts to target unhappy customers Continue Reading
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News
21 May 2024
Nutanix ramps up VMware opportunity
During its annual Next conference in Barcelona, Nutanix has expanded its hardware partner programme to grab new business from Broadcom Continue Reading
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News
21 May 2024
Post Office clique deepened Horizon scandal
A general counsel annoyed by independent investigators and comms director that bragged about his contacts were part of a Post Office clique with former CEO Paula Vennells Continue Reading
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E-Zine
21 May 2024
Can AI supercharge human creativity?
In this week’s Computer Weekly, we talk to Getty Images about the challenges of balancing human creativity with the risks and opportunities of generative AI. Our latest buyer’s guide examines the latest best practice in desktop IT management in a world of flexible working. And we review the benefits of open source software in the enterprise. Read the issue now. Continue Reading
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News
20 May 2024
Post Office directors went crawling back to Fujitsu when IBM project got complex, inquiry told
More details emerge about how close IBM came to replacing Fujitsu and its controversial Horizon system at the Post Office Continue Reading
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News
20 May 2024
The fall from grace of ex-priest and Post Office boss Paula Vennells
As Paula Vennells faces statutory public inquiry into Horizon scandal, Computer Weekly compiles some of its must-read articles about the controversial former Post Office boss Continue Reading