News

IT for government and public sector

• April 17, 2018 17 Apr'18

  China’s ZTE a national security risk, UK telcos warned

  UK national cyber security authority has warned telecommunications companies against using equipment and services from Chinese network equipment supplier ZTE, citing national security risks

• April 17, 2018 17 Apr'18

  Judge in Max Schrems v Facebook action raises red flag on EU-US data transfers

  The Irish High Court (Commercial Division) has once again cast a long shadow, with a very short deadline, over the arrangements for the safe and legal transfer of data between the EU and the US

• April 17, 2018 17 Apr'18

  Norway’s tax administration combats economic crime through IT

  Authority has updated its IT system to step up the fight against tax evasion

• April 16, 2018 16 Apr'18

  UK and US accuse Russia of targeting network infrastructure

  The UK and US have accused the Russian government of targeting network infrastructure, calling on network operators to take the necessary protective measures

• April 16, 2018 16 Apr'18

  HMRC to stop or delay transformation projects to ensure customs system is ready for Brexit

  HM Revenue & Customs chief executive confirms several major programmes will be affected due to prioritising development of new customs IT systems

• April 16, 2018 16 Apr'18

  UK businesses urged to ensure they do cyber security basics

  The cyber threat to business has never been greater, so the National Cyber Security Centre is urging UK companies to ensure they have implemented all the basic, best-practice cyber security controls and processes

• April 15, 2018 15 Apr'18

  Ethics key to AI development, says Lords committee

  House of Lords Select Committee calls for government to draw up an ethical code of conduct, which organisations developing AI can sign up to

• April 13, 2018 13 Apr'18

  EU-US data sharing under threat as Irish court refers Facebook case to Europe

  The Irish High Court is seeking answers from the European Court of Justice in a case that could have huge implications for EU-US data sharing and raises questions about US government surveillance of EU citizens. The move could bring a five-year ...

• April 13, 2018 13 Apr'18

  UK playing central role in Facebook data misuse probe

  Data protection is a hot issue and all about increasing confidence in the way data is handled, says UK privacy watchdog

• April 13, 2018 13 Apr'18

  Crown Hosting and Fujitsu urge SIs to rethink approach to public sector IT in cloud era

  Crown Hosting and Fujitsu claim shift away from large, multi-year outsourcing deals is a change some systems integrators are intent on ignoring

• April 12, 2018 12 Apr'18

  Cyber security a shared responsibility, says Amber Rudd

  The UK home secretary has emphasised that cyber security is a shared responsibility and committed to promote EU cyber cooperation post-Brexit at the National Cyber Security Centre’s conference in Manchester

• April 12, 2018 12 Apr'18

  GCHQ growing cyber capability to match threat

  GCHQ continues to grow and develop its cyber capability to match the rapidly expanding and evolving threat landscape, says agency director

• April 12, 2018 12 Apr'18

  UK cyber attack reporting set to be more streamlined

  Government funding has been allocated to help streamline cyber attack reporting, according to the National Cyber Security Centre

• April 12, 2018 12 Apr'18

  22 European countries sign up to blockchain partnership

  The UK and 21 other countries have signed a declaration aiming to share blockchain experience and expertise across Europe, as well as preparing to launch EU-wide blockchain applications

• April 12, 2018 12 Apr'18

  O2 and Arqiva begin small cell roll-out in London

  Mobile operator will use small cells to boost 4G mobile network data capacity in busy areas, such as around stations

• April 11, 2018 11 Apr'18

  New cyber incident classification to boost UK response

  A new cyber attack categorisation system has been unveiled to improve UK response to incidents

• April 11, 2018 11 Apr'18

  CBI calls on government to get post-Brexit regulations right

  Ensuring the UK gets rules and regulations right is key to a thriving economy, and convergence with the digital single market is critical for tech companies, according to the CBI

• April 11, 2018 11 Apr'18

  Diversity key to more effective cyber security, says NCSC

  Diversity in defence teams is key to improved cyber security, according to the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC)

• April 11, 2018 11 Apr'18

  NSA calls for cyber security community collaboration

  A US National Security Agency (NSA) representative has called for cyber security community collaboration at the National Cyber Security Centre’s conference in Manchester

• April 11, 2018 11 Apr'18

  UK to launch crackdown on dark web

  The UK is to enhance its specialist law enforcement response to crack down on criminals operating on the dark web

• April 11, 2018 11 Apr'18

  Finnish government backs national AI development strategy

  Government is harnessing Finland’s tech base to help make the country a leading location for the artificial intelligence industry

• April 10, 2018 10 Apr'18

  NWIS and Life Sciences Hub Wales to create digital health ecosystem

  The NHS Wales Informatics Service and Life Sciences Hub Wales have joined forces to launch a digital health and care network to help tech companies access the sector and share innovations

• April 09, 2018 09 Apr'18

  Cyber threat to UK business greater than ever, report reveals

  The cyber threat to UK business is “bigger than ever” and the best way to defend against it is collaboration between government, law enforcement and business, a report shows

• April 09, 2018 09 Apr'18

  Norway government backs ambitious datacentre investment plan

  Norway has a plan to be a leading location for datacentres with a policy that will put it in direct competition with some of its Nordic neighbours

• April 09, 2018 09 Apr'18

  Autonomous drones will fly into danger zones for emergency services

  Automated drones will use sophisticated visual systems and machine learning techniques to carry out search and rescue missions where humans fear to tread

• April 05, 2018 05 Apr'18

  5G mobile spectrum auction raises £1.3bn

  The principal bidding stage in Ofcom’s latest mobile network spectrum auction has concluded, raising more than £1bn for the Treasury

• April 05, 2018 05 Apr'18

  Interview: GDPR will give Dutch privacy watchdog its teeth

  The Netherlands’ privacy watchdog has not handed out fines so far because there has been no reason to, says the organisation’s chairman, Aleid Wolfsen

• April 05, 2018 05 Apr'18

  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

• April 04, 2018 04 Apr'18

  Average attacker dwell time nearly six months for EMEA, study shows

  Firms in Europe, the Middle East and Africa take nearly six months to detect cyber attacks on average, a report reveals

• April 03, 2018 03 Apr'18

  Data policy move to DCMS causes mixed reactions

  Some believe Theresa May handing over government data policy responsibility to DCMS is “downgrading digital government” while others see it as a positive move

• April 03, 2018 03 Apr'18

  Future of internet regulation is focus of Lords inquiry

  Inquiry will seek evidence on whether or not the law is up to the job of regulating online platforms such as Facebook, and what improvements can be made

• March 30, 2018 30 Mar'18

  GDS loses government data policy to DCMS

  Prime minister confirms long-rumoured move in written statement to Parliament as MPs left for Easter recess

• March 29, 2018 29 Mar'18

  Business unaware of scale of cyber threat

  Many businesses, especially board members, do not understand the scale of the cyber threat, but international efforts to combat cyber crime are being hampered by political barriers

• March 29, 2018 29 Mar'18

  UK government secures public sector discounts on Microsoft cloud products to April 2021

  Government procurement chiefs have secured ongoing preferential pricing on Microsoft cloud products for the public sector through Digital Transformation Agreement

• March 29, 2018 29 Mar'18

  IR35 reforms: IT contractors express concerns over ‘inevitable’ private sector roll-out

  Research suggests IT contractors are resigned to the IR35 reforms being implemented in the private sector, and many fear an announcement to that effect will come this year

• March 28, 2018 28 Mar'18

  Home Office ‘over-promised’ on exit checks programme, report finds

  Chief inspector of borders and immigration calls on Home Office to re-establish exit checks project with proper data quality in place, but department rejects recommendation

• March 28, 2018 28 Mar'18

  Home Office issues guidance on tech to prevent identity fraud

  Advice highlights the benefits of using identity document validation to audit and share data on fraudulent documents

• March 28, 2018 28 Mar'18

  Government should take a ‘Lego brick’ approach to public services, report says

  Report calling for a radical reform of public services says government should open up, standardise processes and stop developing services that already exist

• March 27, 2018 27 Mar'18

  Case study: Berkshire NHS trust provides mental health support through social network

  Berkshire NHS is using its Support Hope and Recovery Online Network to provide 24/7 support and advice to service users struggling with mental health issues

• March 26, 2018 26 Mar'18

  UK government publishes export strategy for UK cyber security

  The government has published a guide for UK cyber security firms on how it plans to support their efforts to find and secure opportunities to export their products and services

• March 26, 2018 26 Mar'18

  Swedish study talks up benefits of artificial intelligence

  A major report has reassured Swedish society that artificial intelligence will be a positive force for change despite fears of job losses

• March 24, 2018 24 Mar'18

  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

• March 23, 2018 23 Mar'18

  Private sector over-investing against nation-state attacks

  The creator of a routing technique that protects the domain name system says the money spent on guarding against nation-state actors could have been better used for other purposes

• March 22, 2018 22 Mar'18

  GP contract calls for increased digital uptake

  NHS England’s GP contract says practices must move to e-referrals by October 2018, and work on improving uptake of patients using online services to 30%

• March 22, 2018 22 Mar'18

  Privacy group calls for UK response to data exploitation

  Policy-makers need to respond swiftly to the Cambridge Analytica and Facebook data exploitation scandal, according to privacy rights group

• March 22, 2018 22 Mar'18

  CityFibre consumer broadband collaboration hits Peterborough

  CityFibre is returning to one of its earliest Gigabit City projects with Vodafone in tow to upgrade thousands of homes in Peterborough to gigabit-capable full-fibre broadband

• March 22, 2018 22 Mar'18

  Mayor of London kick-starts drive to make city top for AI

  London mayor Sadiq Khan commissions a study to look at improving the capital’s readiness for artificial intelligence

• March 22, 2018 22 Mar'18

  HMRC sets August launch date for customs IT system

  HMRC plans to begin a phased deployment of its Customs Declaration Service this August, with completion expected by early 2019

• March 22, 2018 22 Mar'18

  UK local councils favour hybrid cloud as legacy IT management needs persist

  Research into the IT buying habits of more than 300 local authorities in the UK reveals a growing appetite for using cloud, as councils continue to grapple with managing and maintaining legacy IT

• March 21, 2018 21 Mar'18

  Shared services project is about user needs, not tech, says strategy director

  If you’re hoping for the government’s shared services strategy to “break revolutionary ground” in terms of tech, you’ll be disappointed. It’s about serving user needs – not tech – says its strategy director Andy Helliwell