Web development

Introducing ‘focus and leverage’ – the value algorithm of the internet era

Anyone pitching a business idea or designing a new service needs to understand the economics of mature internet technology Continue Reading

IoT R&D projects missed out on £10m of government funding

A series of delays and disruption caused chiefly by changes in project ownership meant the government’s IoT UK Research and Innovation Programme failed to use a quarter of its allocated budget between 2015 and 2018 Continue Reading

Manchester’s evolution from rag trade to e-commerce riches

As Amazon and Moonpig plan to open Manchester hubs, the focus once again turns to the city’s in-demand digital and e-commerce scene Continue Reading

Will the EU Copyright Directive ‘break the internet’?

A new European Union law proposed for copyrighted material has provoked strong reactions from all sides – but what does it mean? Continue Reading

SMEs use fintech in fight against online giants, but fears remain

Online SMEs are turning to financial technology to help them make payment processes easy for customers as they try to compete with online giants Continue Reading

CIO interview: Tamara Lohan, founder and CTO of Mr & Mrs Smith

Head of technology and co-founder of luxury travel firm Mr & Mrs Smith explains how the firm is revamping its technology to provide customers with a seamless experience Continue Reading

Home Office completes initial test of online system for registering EU citizens

Online application process for registering EU citizens in the UK after Brexit has concluded initial trials, and will now be expanded to a wider group Continue Reading

Brighton’s 5G experiment enters new test phase with focus on virtual reality

The latest phase of the Digital Catapult’s 5G mobile network testbed in Brighton has begun, with digital businesses from across Sussex taking part in trials of augmented, mixed and virtual reality technology Continue Reading

Finland’s e-retail sector driven by international growth

Finland has a fast-growing e-retail industry as a positive consequence of the huge job cuts at Nokia Continue Reading

Asda outsources app development to support digital future

Supermarket chain Asda is outsourcing its application development to HCL to access and build skills and experience in agile development methods Continue Reading

Santander plans UK tech hub in Milton Keynes

Santander is opening a UK tech hub in Milton Keynes that will have 5,000 staff Continue Reading

John Lewis blames profit drops on high IT costs

Department store John Lewis has pinned the blame on high IT costs and the rising price of store real-estate for a drop in profit Continue Reading

How Rituals is using Salesforce Commerce cloud to replicate physical experience online

Cosmetics firm Rituals is using Salesforce Commerce Cloud to translate its website into 25 languages, helping the brand reach customers its physical stores can’t Continue Reading

IT leaders at a crossroads as they grapple with digital technology

CIOs have the opportunity to influence their company strategy as digital technology reshapes business. A survey of CIOs across 70 countries charts a path for IT leaders through emerging technologies Continue Reading

National Archives races to create electronic archive of EU law before Brexit

The National Archives faces challenges converting the EU's enormous library of laws into a publicly accessible UK archive ahead of Brexit. The Archives’ digital director, John Sheridan, explains how Continue Reading

M&S partners with Doddle for easier click-and-collect returns

Retailer is using Powered by Doddle on its in-store devices to allow returns of online items, as well as the use of click-and-collect services Continue Reading

Sweaty Betty revamps website to cater for digital customers

Activewear brand has partnered with e-commerce firm Tryzens to launch a responsive site that is better suited to its increasingly digital customers Continue Reading

Three-quarters of UK adults have not heard of open banking

Open banking will struggle to deliver what it promises unless people are made aware of its existence and what it could do for them Continue Reading

Why Pinterest pinpointed features for the visually impaired

Ideas curation site has developed features for people with visual impairment. Its lead designer explains what has been changed and why it matters Continue Reading

Walmart and Microsoft partner to boost digital in retail

US retail giant Walmart has signed a five-year partnership with Microsoft, with the aim of speeding up its digital transformation Continue Reading

Google record fine could lead to Android fork

Amazon’s Android was one of the operating systems mentioned by the European Commission as it imposed a record €4.34bn fine on Google Continue Reading

Investment flows into Nordic startups from all directions

The Nordic tech startup scene is attracting funding from a variety of sources, with private equity firms, banks and traditional IT companies all keen to put money in Continue Reading

Nationwide Building Society to fund tech startups to the tune of £50m

With an available fund of £50m, Nationwide Building Society is the latest traditional financial services provider to support tech startups Continue Reading

BBC launches online archive for 1980s Computer Literacy Project

Archive will enable people to read up on a 10-year project developed by the BBC in the 1980s Continue Reading

Digital transformation is just business change

Don't always start with the technology if you're driving transformation, but always start with the business Continue Reading

Mayor Khan bids to make London the world’s smartest city

At London Tech Week, mayor Sadiq Khan launched a city-wide initiative to harness the capital’s technology talent to address London’s most pressing problems Continue Reading

BBC to show World Cup in virtual reality

Broadcaster will trial virtual reality and ultra HD live streams of the FIFA World Cup through BBC iPlayer and a dedicated VR app Continue Reading

Salary is the biggest motivator for software developers

A survey finds that benefits such as free food and drink or a modern office space are not the main motivator for most developers, with the majority prioritising a higher salary Continue Reading

Marks and Spencer speeds up digital transformation plans as profits plunge

Retailer announces plans to accelerate its business transformation and close 100 stores by 2022 after continued shifts in consumer behaviour Continue Reading

Amazon, Toys R Us and a tale of two technology approaches

Many factors contributed to the collapse of Toys R Us, but did a partnership with Amazon at the turn of the millennium play a part in its eventual demise? Continue Reading

Tesco announces closure of non-food website Tesco Direct

Supermarket giant Tesco has announced it will be closing its Tesco Direct website, which focuses on the sale of non-food-related products Continue Reading

UK government promises laws to police 'Wild West Internet'

UK government plans laws to make online activity safer after green paper reveals more needs to be done to protect citizens Continue Reading

Nordic banks plan major digital transformation of operations

Banks in the Nordic region are set to accelerate their spending on technology as digital services take-up accelerates Continue Reading

Hacking the internet of things just got easier – it’s time to look at your security

Are you taking security for internet-connected devices seriously enough? Continue Reading

Finnish government launches regional digitisation plan

Finland’s government allocates €400m to support digital projects run by the country’s local authorities Continue Reading

Digital economy research projects to get funding

Research projects aimed at building trust, privacy and security in the use of personal data and digital technologies are to receive funding Continue Reading

Stoke-on-Trent websites found to be most leaky ahead of GDPR

The majority of websites in the UK could be prone to cyber attacks, a security scan across 135,035 sites has revealed Continue Reading

Telcos see multiple paths to internet of things revenue

A report from Ericsson has revealed that telecoms operators are testing out multiple routes to monetising the IoT Continue Reading

Estonia’s digital residency programme faces first headwind

The Baltic country’s programme to offer anyone, anywhere a chance to run a company online is facing its first crisis Continue Reading

CIO interview: Richard Tallboy, CIO, Wagamama

Richard Tallboy, CIO of pan-Asian restaurant chain Wagamama, explains why the firm adopted “pay by walking out” technology Continue Reading

Twilio offers IoT developers programmable mobile connectivity

Developers of internet of things applications and devices will be able to use the Twilio Programmable Wireless mobile communications platform to build mobile connectivity into their services 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

Should retail try to save the high street's declining footfall?

Footfall in the high street is declining, but should retailers be trying to claw back visits to stores or is it time for a new digital focus? Continue Reading

IR35 reforms: Calls for inquiry into pre-launch tests of HMRC IR35 assessment tool

HM Revenue & Customs hits back at contractors who claim it failed to test its online IR35 status assessment tool rigorously enough in the run-up to its launch in March 2017, as calls for an inquiry into its dev and test procedures grow Continue Reading

A month with the Google Pixelbook

We assess how well Google's Pixelbook premium Chromebook works in the enterprise Continue Reading

Government must improve quality and awareness of childcare website, say MPs

Treasury Committee says government should launch websites only when they can cope with the expected workload, after childcare website was down for 160 hours last summer Continue Reading

Danish government launches business-focused national digital strategy

Denmark’s government has launched a plan to get more small businesses into the digital economy as it targets being a leader in advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence Continue Reading

Dutch cycling culture pumps up bicycle startups

Bike-sharing services are cropping up in urban areas of the Netherlands but the government wants to restrict their number 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

Retailers need to prepare properly before AI adoption, say experts

Artificial intelligence can help many areas of the retail landscape, but retailers should make sure they prepare before taking on AI adoption, says an expert panel Continue Reading

Scrivito unveils serverless CMS product

By building the CMS with ReactJS, Scrivito gained attraction with development community, according to an analyst. Continue Reading

World Wide Web inventor Tim Berners-Lee wants us to fix the web’s bugs

Too much of the web and people’s personal data is under the control of a handful of mega-corporations. Is there a better way? Continue Reading

Have traditional banks weathered the fintech challenge?

How will the financial technology-based challenger banks evolve as the traditional retail banking industry ups its digital game? Continue Reading

Modern retail: machine learning, customer experience and legacy

As the retail landscape shifts in the wake of new technologies, experts in retail and tech explain how firms need to adapt to cater for modern consumers Continue Reading

CW Europe: Germany’s Lemoncat takes catering to the cloud

Business catering startup Lemoncat has taken advantage of the affordable cost of living in Berlin and is shaking up the catering sector by harnessing the Amazon and Salesforce clouds. Also in this issue, read how Moscow’s government is taking advantage of high penetration of broadband and mobile internet to expand innovative services under the Russian capital’s smart city programme, and how organisations in the Netherlands still have much to do to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation. Continue Reading

Amazon contemplating next move in banking sector

Amazon is in talks with a bank about setting up a current account that will appeal to young people Continue Reading

People at risk of psychological side-effects of screen addiction

Many Brits spend more than 10 hours a day attached to a screen and 60% look at two at once, research shows Continue Reading

Virgin Money launches digital bank

Virgin Money is setting up a digital bank to expand into the current account and SME business account markets Continue Reading

Estonia wants to introduce special visa for digital nomads

Baltic state’s next digital development could be a visa targeted at people who work online and are location independent Continue Reading

What are the retail jobs that don’t exist yet?

As in many industries, technology and new consumer behaviour is changing the shape of retail. But what yet-to-be-created jobs are on the horizon for the sector? Continue Reading

MWC 2018: Samsung Galaxy S9 launch kicks off annual mobile festival

Samsung has raised the curtain on Mobile World Congress 2018 in Barcelona with the launch of a new flagship Galaxy S9 smartphone device Continue Reading

RBS’s first profit in a decade accompanied by major first for mobile channel

News of its first profit in 10 years might overshadow a major first for the Royal Bank of Scotland’s mobile channel Continue Reading

Take-up of chatbots will accelerate over next two years

Chatbots and artificial intelligence are becoming an increasingly important part of customer services Continue Reading

Universal Credit business case still not approved as concerns continue over digital service

MPs reveal internal project reviews that show full business case yet to be approved and ongoing worries over digital system for welfare reform programme Continue Reading

Stay of execution for RBS branches and free devices for some customers

RBS is offering free training and devices to some customers in Scotland to help them eventually live without bank branches Continue Reading

Google Q4 results show businesses are buying into its public cloud

The Google Cloud Platform is earning the search engine giant $1bn per quarter. Expect more cloud investment this year Continue Reading

CIO interview: Vlassios Rizopoulos, CTO, Pricesearcher.com

CTO of independent online search engine Pricesearcher.com explains how it uses big data and high-performance computing to cater to customers who use price as the deciding factor for their purchase Continue Reading

Mastercard sets biometric ID deadline for banks

Mastercard has committed to guaranteeing that every one of its customers will have access to biometric authentication services by April 2019 Continue Reading

Google puts its payment services under one roof

Internet giant is bringing all its payment services under the Google Pay brand, making them “simpler, safer and more consistent” Continue Reading

Air New Zealand to trial digital translation technology

Airline becomes one of the first companies to try out a business case for Google's real-time translation technology Continue Reading

Norway’s print media responds to digital threats

Subscription-based models are among the tactics being deployed by Norway’s print media organisations as they react to the digital threat to their traditional income streams Continue Reading

How technology is transforming healthcare delivery in Gulf region

IT will transform the healthcare sector in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries over the coming years Continue Reading

Tech entrepreneur aims to take digital skills to refugees

Tech entrepreneur Emma Sinclair hopes to raise £150,000 to run an education programme for displaced young people in a Unicef programme that aims to develop skills that might otherwise be lost Continue Reading

Banks across Europe cut thousands of staff and branches as IT replaces them

Banks across Europe cut jobs and close thousands of branches as IT shakes the industry Continue Reading

CIO interview: Daniel Gebler, chief technology officer, Picnic

The Netherlands has the highest supermarket density in the world, yet a technology company has been able to gain market share from the established order Continue Reading

Nordic countries top digital nations ranking, but risk stalling

Nordic countries are leaders when it comes to digitisation – but they must continue to innovate to retain their position Continue Reading

Tesco expands reach for same-day grocery delivery

Supermarket retailer Tesco announces it will be extending its offering of same-day delivery for groceries to across the UK Continue Reading

Wimbledon 2017: The tech behind the tennis

Each year IBM and Wimbledon work together to deliver an excellent sporting experience to both fans and players through the use of technology Continue Reading

UK ranked as top 10 digital economy

The UK has been ranked among the top 10 nations in terms of digital capabilities Continue Reading

Dreamscape to merge with Singapore hosting provider in regional expansion

The Australian hosting provider will tap Vodien’s infrastructure to address the needs of mobile-first businesses in Southeast Asia that are going online for the first time Continue Reading

App-based banking continues its ascent in the UK

The number of people banking from their mobile phones is increasing as more services are made available through the channel Continue Reading

Waitrose joins John Lewis for Jlab 2017

The 2017 JLab will see Waitrose, John Lewis and JLP Ventures band together to mentor and develop several retail technology startups Continue Reading

Dubai financial services regulator launches temporary licence aimed at fintechs

Dubai is making it easier for financial technology companies to test out their ideas through a temporary licence Continue Reading

Customer experience transformation at Macquarie bank brings legacy system retirement as a bonus

Australia’s Macquarie bank builds a data layer on top of legacy IT systems to transform customer experience Continue Reading

Toys R Us introduces tablets for store staff

Toy and games retailer Toys R Us is trialling the use of tablets for store assistance to provide a better customer service experience Continue Reading

Made.com trialling real-time chat for customer advice

Online retailer Made.com has partnered with Hero so showroom staff can chat live with online shoppers to help with queries and shopping decisions Continue Reading

Mayor of London seeks chief digital officer

Capital’s first-ever chief digital officer will oversee the digital transformation of public services across London Continue Reading

HSBC appoints technology advisers to keep pace with IT changes

Bank hopes to gain knowledge about technologies such as artificial intelligence and biometric security through its new technology advisory board Continue Reading

Lloyds Bank digital banking problems an industry warning

Lloyds Bank’s digital banking problems still unresolved after a second day Continue Reading

Tech focus helps Singapore go second in globalisation index

Singapore is the second most globalised economy in the world and its IT infrastructure is critical to this achievement Continue Reading

Top 10 financial services stories of 2016

Here are 10 of the most popular fintech articles on Computer Weekly in 2016 Continue Reading

The United Arab Emirates enterprise IT trends for 2017

The UAE is already a leader in areas such as smart city developments, and 2017 looks set to see organisations in the country increase its adoption of other transformational IT Continue Reading

GDS strategy aims to 'take digital transformation further'

An early draft of the new Government Digital Transformation Strategy, seen by Computer Weekly, aims to tackle the challenge of breaking down civil service IT siloes Continue Reading

John Lewis chooses three retail tech startups to receive 2016 JLab funding

Department store retailer John Lewis selects three retail tech startups to receive their share of the £200,000 JLab funding pot Continue Reading

Australian IT spending to be near A$85bn in 2017

Australian CIOs must plan digital platforms that can connect to customer and business networks – or risk losing customers Continue Reading

Insurers are joining fintech party

Insurers are held back from digital transformation by legacy systems, but insurance-focused IT startups offer them hope Continue Reading

Spotify on benefits of ditching its datacentres and going ‘all-in’ on Google cloud

Spotify’s vice-president of infrastructure opens up about the company’s datacentre downsizing plans, and how taking a multi-cloud to IT consumption would not work for the firm Continue Reading

Reinventing Bahrain’s Kanoo Group through digital technology

In this quarter’s CW Middle East ezine, we feature the IT journeys of three companies in the region with detailed analysis of recent IT projects that were designed to support business transformation in a changing world. We hear how Bahrain-based conglomerate Kanoo Group is dealing with a company-wide digital transformation, Zahid Group’s biggest-ever IT investment, and how Rotana Hotels is centralising security. Continue Reading

Retail websites riddled with security holes, researchers warn

Retailers urged to improve the security of their online stores amid a series of discoveries of cyber criminal campaigns to exploit vulnerabilities in retail websites Continue Reading

IT startups suffer from strict, out-of-date Dutch laws

The Netherlands government needs to ensure that legislation enables disruptive technology to flourish Continue Reading