News

IT for government and public sector

• May 08, 2018 08 May'18

  Salford gets chief digital officer

  Jon Corner has been appointed the city’s first chief digital officer to lead Salford’s smart city and digital technology work

• May 08, 2018 08 May'18

  Virtual tripwire to keep elephant poachers out of Zambian national park

  Cisco and Dimension Data are working to protect Zambia’s at-risk elephant population after a successful pilot project in South Africa

• May 04, 2018 04 May'18

  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

• May 03, 2018 03 May'18

  Fibre network breakthrough has implications for data security

  Researchers have devised a new protocol that they claim vastly extends the range of quantum key distribution over fibre networks

• May 03, 2018 03 May'18

  Netherlands to harness blockchain for waste management operations

  Authorities are trying out blockchain to automate many of the processes related to waste transportation in the EU

• May 02, 2018 02 May'18

  Fresh blow for Facebook as court refuses stay in Max Schrems legal action

  Facebook has lost a legal attempt to delay the Irish High Court from seeking answers from the European Court of Justice over the legality of EU-US data transfers

• May 02, 2018 02 May'18

  Up to 270 women may have died due to breast cancer screening IT failure, says health secretary

  Computer algorithm failure caused 450,000 women to miss their breast cancer screenings – some of whom will have "had their lives shortened" by the error, Jeremy Hunt has admitted

• May 02, 2018 02 May'18

  Cabinet Office updates spend controls

  Revamped spend controls policy aims to give departments more flexibility, but requires them to keep a 15-month pipeline plan of any current and intended technology spend above £5m

• May 02, 2018 02 May'18

  Finnish government launches regional digitisation plan

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

• May 02, 2018 02 May'18

  Ransomware still a threat to business, F-Secure warns

  Ransomware attacks tapered off towards the end of 2017 after an explosion in such attacks earlier in the year, but ransomware remains a threat to big business, a report reveals

• May 01, 2018 01 May'18

  Gulf Cooperation Council smart city initiatives garner momentum

  The Middle East is a hotbed for smart city developments, with activities in the region maturing and adapting to what citizens want

• May 01, 2018 01 May'18

  HMRC dismisses criticism of ‘perfectly good’ IR35 online assessment tool

  Senior figures from HM Revenue & Customs have hit back at claims that its online IR35 status tool is not fit for purpose, as survey data suggests public sector contractors are being assessed without the tool’s help anyway

• May 01, 2018 01 May'18

  CIO interview: Martyn Wallace, CDO, Scottish Local Government Digital Office

  Scottish local government’s chief digital officer describes the challenges of driving digital change across the country’s councils

• May 01, 2018 01 May'18

  Bristol’s historic bridge pressed into service for rural broadband

  Gigaclear is running cables underneath Bristol’s historic Clifton Suspension Bridge to bring ultrafast full-fibre services to forgotten communities

• April 30, 2018 30 Apr'18

  Getting cyber security innovation to market is key, says NCSC

  Getting cyber security innovation to market is an important area of focus, according to the National Cyber Security Centre, which runs a cyber accelerator programme and recently stated a Dragons Den style security innovation pitch at the 2018 ...

• April 30, 2018 30 Apr'18

  Over a million homes can now access FTTP, says Ofcom

  Access to viable broadband services continues to improve across the UK, according to Ofcom

• April 30, 2018 30 Apr'18

  Yorkshire and Humber region awards HSCN contract to Redcentric

  Network services provider Redcentric wins the first major regional Health and Social Care Network contract as procurements around England gather pace

• April 30, 2018 30 Apr'18

  Even the smallest of Dutch towns are becoming smart

  An increasing number of Dutch towns and cities use street sensors and big data to tackle societal problems. From smart lighting to artificial intelligence that spots violent behaviour in surveillance footage, smart technology is booming in the ...

• April 27, 2018 27 Apr'18

  DWP to spend nearly £15m on GDPR

  A single government department plans to spend nearly £15m on preparing for new European data protection legislation, a report reveals

• April 27, 2018 27 Apr'18

  Government given six months to rewrite snoopers’ charter

  The government has until 1 November 2018 to rewrite a key section of the Investigatory Powers Act 2016, after the high court declared them unlawful in a judicial review brought by human rights group Liberty

• April 27, 2018 27 Apr'18

  BEIS yet to begin procuring IT systems needed for Brexit, PAC finds

  Public Accounts Committee chair Meg Hillier says the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy “appears to be operating in a parallel universe where urgency is an abstract concept”, as it needs upwards of 12 new digital systems and so ...

• April 27, 2018 27 Apr'18

  Welsh government plans digital pilots in the Valleys

  As part of its digital vision for the Valleys, the government looks to pilot Uber-style transport app for NHS patients, a community Wi-Fi scheme and better use of data mapping tool

• April 26, 2018 26 Apr'18

  EC calls on online platforms to develop common code of practice to tackle ‘disinformation’

  The European Commission says online platforms such as social media and video sites, have not done enough to tackle unethical use, and calls on them “to decisively step up their efforts to tackle online disinformation”

• April 26, 2018 26 Apr'18

  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

• April 26, 2018 26 Apr'18

  NCSC shows support for common standards for secure communication

  The UK cyber security authority is supporting an industry drive towards common standards for secure communication by joining an industry organisation that aims to achieve this goal

• April 26, 2018 26 Apr'18

  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

• April 25, 2018 25 Apr'18

  Government promises £300m extra funding as part of £1bn AI sector deal

  To become the number one destination for artificial intelligence, the UK needs more specialist skills, and a new injection of funding is aimed at boosting the country’s AI skills pool

• April 25, 2018 25 Apr'18

  Police forces use Motorola mobile apps to digitise frontline ops

  The States of Jersey Police force plans to phase out inefficient paper-based activities with mobile applications, while other forces around the UK report improvements to their overall processes

• April 25, 2018 25 Apr'18

  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

• April 25, 2018 25 Apr'18

  EC sets out plans for sharing health data across borders

  The European Commission wants to introduce EU-wide standards for health records, and allow EU citizens to access and share their patient information securely across member states

• April 25, 2018 25 Apr'18

  Home Office Brexit app only works for Android users

  Home Office app for EU citizens registering to stay in the UK post-Brexit only works on Android devices as iPhones do not share passport chip data

• April 25, 2018 25 Apr'18

  Government urges UK businesses to beef up cyber crime defences

  Government is urging UK organisations to defend against cyber crime, as newly released figures show that large numbers of businesses and charities suffered at least one cyber attack in the past year

• April 25, 2018 25 Apr'18

  One month to GDPR compliance deadline

  With one month to go before the deadline for compliance with EU’s General Data Protection Regulation, organisations should ensure they are able to meet minimum requirements to defend against adverse scrutiny

• April 24, 2018 24 Apr'18

  Full-fibre broadband specialist CityFibre acquired for £538m

  Full-fibre broadband specialist CityFibre is to be bought by a Goldman Sachs-backed consortium as it seeks more cash to fulfil its expansion plans

• April 24, 2018 24 Apr'18

  Unified communications supplier Mitel bought by VCs

  Unified communications and networking technology supplier Mitel is to be acquired by affiliates of Searchlight Capital Partners for $2bn

• April 24, 2018 24 Apr'18

  NHS shared care records: progress, projects and privacy

  Sharing health records across health and social care has been something the NHS has worked towards for a long time. As the NHS ramps up its plans, has it finally got the right balance between patient care, privacy and feasibility?

• April 24, 2018 24 Apr'18

  Criminal Courts Review Commission findings in Post Office computer case raise further enquiries

  The Criminal Courts Review Commission forensic examination of the IT system at the centre of a legal case against the Post Office has raised further questions

• April 24, 2018 24 Apr'18

  Ransomware attack hit Ukraine energy ministry website

  Cyber attack on Ukraine’s energy ministry shows that websites remain a weak point for many organisations online, say security experts

• April 24, 2018 24 Apr'18

  Vodafone CityFibre broadband venture gathers pace

  Residents of four more cities – Coventry, Edinburgh, Huddersfield and Stirling – will be hooked up to the ultrafast full-fibre broadband service in the coming months

• April 23, 2018 23 Apr'18

  Capita’s £500m loss raises more questions for outsourcing

  The latest loss announced by Capita adds uncertainty to an outsourcing sector already tarnished by the collapse of Carillion

• April 23, 2018 23 Apr'18

  Data and digital infrastructure key to genomic sequencing success, say MPs

  Science and Technology Committee says genomics had potential to revolutionise the NHS, but is worried delays to NHS digital projects and data sharing concerns could threaten progress

• April 23, 2018 23 Apr'18

  GDS on the hunt for new chief operating officer

  Cabinet Office offers up to £130,000 for chief operating officer role, to act as Kevin Cunnington’s deputy and be responsible for the internal transformation and day-to-day running of Government Digital Service

• April 23, 2018 23 Apr'18

  Community Fibre gets £25m to fund broadband in London

  Broadband supplier receives backing from the National Digital Infrastructure Fund to bring full-fibre services to 100,000 more properties across London

• April 23, 2018 23 Apr'18

  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

• April 19, 2018 19 Apr'18

  UK surveillance laws a potential ‘sticking point’ post-Brexit

  The UK’s controversial Investigatory Powers Act could be an impediment to achieving an adequacy agreement for free data exchanges with the EU post-Brexit, says privacy lawyer

• April 19, 2018 19 Apr'18

  UK Commonwealth cyber security funding welcomed

  The security community has welcomed the UK government announcement of funding to help Commonwealth countries strengthen their cyber security capabilities

• April 19, 2018 19 Apr'18

  UK and Indian governments agree tech partnership

  Agreement aims to identify organisations in the two countries that can work together and open up opportunities for tech entrepreneurs

• April 19, 2018 19 Apr'18

  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

• April 18, 2018 18 Apr'18

  PAC sets June 2018 deadline for Department of Health to count NHS cost of WannaCry

  Government spending watchdog orders Department of Health and Social Care to work out the cost of the WannaCry ransomware attack on the NHS so trusts know where to target their cyber security spending

• April 18, 2018 18 Apr'18

  Huawei debuts its first intent-based networking proposition

  At its Shenzhen Analyst Summit, Huawei unveiled its intent-based networking concept, promising to address enterprise customer pain points around network management