Olivier Le Moal - Fotolia
Top 10 enterprise IT in the Nordics stories in 2017
The Nordic region might be best known in IT circles for its startup communities – but it has much more to offer
The Nordic region punches above its weight when it comes to digital transformation. It is well known that Nordic countries are a rich source of tech startups – but there is much more beyond this.
This is a pioneering region when it comes to IT, and it is often said there is a high level of IT competency in the Nordics. It is this availability of skills as well as a willingness to try new things that has seen many IT pioneers emerge in the region.
But organisations cannot guarantee they will always have the right staff available to them, and the top story in this review of 2017 looks at what organisations in the region need to do to ensure they retain skills as competition increases.
IT may be similar in most regions, but in the Nordics it’s a bit different. Even public sector organisations are not afraid to have a bit of fun with technology. Read how Sweden’s National Land Survey, Lantmäteriet, is using Minecraft-friendly downloads to increase interest in geospatial information and open data, particularly among younger citizens.
This attitude perhaps indicates why startups in the Nordics are increasingly targeting business customers rather than aiming directly at consumers, which is bringing them into contact with some of the region’s biggest and most traditional industries.
In this top 10, we also feature CIO interviews with some of the people leading IT departments at Nordic organisations. Find out how they are addressing their business and operational challenges through IT.
1. Talent shortage keeps Nordic IT companies focused on job satisfaction
Nordic companies are aiming to win the race for scarce IT professionals through improving the workplace and concentrating on employees’ job satisfaction levels.
2. Sweden uses Minecraft for urban planning
The Swedish National Land Survey has put its maps on Minecraft to promote its work.
3. Nordic CIO interview: Kari Finnskog, Västtrafik
Swedish transport authority has opened up its IT to ensure it provides customers with a service that suits them.
4. Brexit is a potential boost for Swedish fintech
Stockholm could be set to benefit from the UK’s exit from the European Union by attracting more fintech investment.
5. Nordic CIO interview: Peter Krantz, Sweden’s national library
Making information accessible for hundreds of years is the challenge facing the CIO at Sweden’s Kungliga Biblioteket.
6. F-Secure’s Mikko Hyppönen on the Nordics, Russia and the internet of insecure
Computer Weekly sat down with Finnish cyber security expert Mikko Hyppönen to talk about security in the Nordics, Russia and the trouble with connected devices.
7. Nordic CIO interview: Ann Hellenius, City of Stockholm
Stockholm’s CIO is relishing the challenge of trying to make the Swedish capital the smartest city in the world.
8. Nordic digitisation brings unwanted consequence of heightened cyber security risks
The Nordic region is becoming highly connected – which has not gone unnoticed by cyber criminals.
9. Nordic CIO interview: René Engman, Viking Line
Viking Line CIO tells Computer Weekly about his strategy for meeting the upcoming EU General Data Protection Regulation.
10. Nordic states deepen cyber defence collaboration
Nordic and Baltic government leaders discuss pooling technologies and competences to counter hybrid threats within the cyber security domain.
