IT for government and public sector

Home Office Brexit app finally available for iPhone

A mobile app to help EU citizens apply for Settled and Pre-Settled Status after Brexit is finally available for Apple iPhone devices, but only on newer generations Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

NHSX could transform NHS security capabilities

The health sector is increasingly confident that NHSX can deliver a streamlined, effective cyber security policy for the health service Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Report calls for urgent replacement of health screening IT

Major review of cancer screening programmes urges NHSX to prioritise the update of the underlying technology systems Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Government shelves age verification plans for online porn

Plans to introduce age verification to access online pornography will not go ahead, with provisions around protecting children from inappropriate content on the internet to become part of wider regulations Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Government IT hosting providers fail to provide emissions data

Cloud computing is driving the government’s IT and sustainable tech strategy, but cloud and hosting providers are unable to divulge emissions data Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

HMRC fails to get new customs system ready for Brexit

A National Audit Office report reveals that HMRC has opted for a multimillion-pound enhancement of a legacy platform rather than working on its planned replacement Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

UK government aims to measure success of digital initiatives

Responding to a critical parliamentary report on digital progress, the government has laid out plans to develop better metrics and to overhaul legacy IT Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

TfL to use artificial intelligence to run London’s road network

Transport for London is seeking input from companies about how it can use data-intensive technologies to predict the impact of road problems across the capital Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

UK government confirms gigabit broadband roll-out, rows back on 2025 delivery commitment

UK government confirms plans to roll out gigabit-capable broadband across the UK, yet quietly shelves previous pledge to do so by 2025 Continue Reading

By

• Joe O’Halloran, Computer Weekly

NHS Digital brings in biometric login functionality

Two new libraries released to allow developers in the NHS to include functionality to digital services Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Deputy chief executive at NHS Digital departs

NHS Digital’s deputy chief executive, Rob Shaw, will leave the organisation in December to work with foreign governments on national health and care infrastructure Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

How code reuse drives business change at the DWP

Department for Work and Pensions is using application programming interfaces to promote reuse of granular microservices across the organisation Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

OECD pushes international digital services tax agenda

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development wants to reach agreement on addressing issues around taxation for online giants by 2020 Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

How AWS is cracking the public sector cloud market

The public sector cloud business takes time and resources to build, but the rewards can be meaningful, as the founder of Amazon Web Service’s public sector division has found Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

CW Middle East: Saudi banks trial biometrics in ATMs

Biometric and blockchain technologies are being used in tandem to provide ID verification at Saudi Arabian cash machines. Also read about the first government organisation in Bahrain to migrate to Amazon Web Services, and an interview with Yasmeen Al Sharaf, head of fintech and innovation unit, Central Bank of Bahrain. Continue Reading

Mental health issues concern UK tech professionals

Staff shortages, long hours and lack of flexibility are impacting the wellbeing of people in the sector, according to a Harvey Nash survey. Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Survival of accountants 'at stake' as HMRC presses ahead with tax digitisation

Advances in technology are bringing a series of dilemmas for professionals as the government continues plans to digitise all tax for UK businesses, according to a new report Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Podcast: The Computer Weekly Downtime Upload – Episode 33

In this week’s episode of the Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcast, Brian McKenna and Clare McDonald are joined by Alex Scroxton to talk about cyber warfare and digital healthcare Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Senior Analyst, Business Applications
• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor
• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

HETT 2019: Digital literacy gap will never be fully closed, says panel

The increasing use of digital technology in healthcare means it is important for people to be digitally literate to take part, but the digital literacy gap will always be there, says an expert panel Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

More Institute of Technology centres planned to tackle skills gap

A second wave of centres offering higher technical education nationwide has been announced Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Nadella sees Azure as the world’s computer

The Microsoft CEO wants organisations to consider Azure as a distributed cloud for next-generation AI applications Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

What next for GDS?

Digital government has lost momentum, according to MPs. As the Government Digital Service enters its “third era”, what will it do to regain its authority and deliver real change? Continue Reading

Showcasing the potential of 5G

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we visit an ambitious trial in Bristol that is showcasing the possibilities offered by 5G roll-out. We look at how emerging automation technologies are enhancing the use of identity and access management tools. And we assess the Government Digital Service plan for transforming public services. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Scottish Parliament launches inquiry on police use of facial recognition

The circumstances and implications of the technology’s application in the police service will be investigated in the coming months Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

UK chief data officer recruitment plans still on

Minister says CDO will work closely with the chief digital and information officer, who is still to be recruited Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Government departments sign up to web data-sharing plan

All but four Whitehall departments have so far agreed to share web analytics data to allow the government to monitor user behaviour across the Gov.uk domain Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

UKtech50 2019 – help us find the most influential people in UK technology

Computer Weekly’s annual search for the 50 most influential people in UK technology reaches its 10th anniversary – let us know who you would like to nominate for this year’s list Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Home Office picks supplier for £300m biometrics project

The department has chosen US company Leidos to provide critical elements of the national system under a £300m contract with a 10-year timespan Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Swedish authorities introduce robots to help social workers

Software robots free up time for social workers to help benefits claimants find employment Continue Reading

By

• Jane Hamrin

Government planning for ‘undeliverable’ ESN

The government has agreed to all of the Public Accounts Committee’s findings in its investigation into the Emergency Services Network, but there is still a chance the programme could collapse Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Government issues Brexit guidance for technology firms

Ten-point checklist released to help firms prepare for leaving the European Union without a deal Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Local authorities hit by 800 cyber attacks every hour

Local authorities and councils in the UK have reported being hit by more than 263 million cyber attacks in the first six months of this year Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Post-Brexit passport checking tool to start pilot

The government is looking for companies that can carry out large-scale tests of the Document Checking Service, which will allow organisations to digitally check the validity of passports Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Podcast: The Computer Weekly Downtime Upload – Episode 32

In this week’s episode of the Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcast, Brian McKenna, Caroline Donnelly and Clare McDonald talk about Computer Weekly’s diversity and inclusion event, Oracle Open World 2019, and government technology Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Senior Analyst, Business Applications
• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK
• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

HMRC extends contract with Capgemini but embeds flexibility

Department’s technology sourcing programme seeks to access the services of more tech providers, including SMEs and startups Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

UK government readies bus open data portal

The government’s bus data service is part of plans to provide better information to get more people to use bus services Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Healthcare and technology have cultural similarities, says NHSX CEO

Common factors in healthcare and technology could help bring about a shift in attitudes, says Matthew Gould Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Chancellor Sajid Javid set to make £5bn investment commitment to improve UK broadband coverage

The Chancellor Sajid Javid is expected to take to the stage at the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester later today, to set out the group’s “infrastructure revolution” plans, which include ramping up broadband coverage across the UK Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

UK Parliament readies cyber security change programme

A request for information has been launched to find a consultancy firm to support and shape the Parliament’s cyber security project, which will be delivered in two years’ time Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Innovative supplier selection is the key to government procurement success

The government has improved its procurement processes for SMEs and acknowledges the importance of small suppliers, but there are important steps that still need to be taken Continue Reading

By

• Elizabeth Vega

Data challenges jeopardise service provision in government

Several challenges have to be tackled to make the government’s new data strategy work and departments have “barely scratched the surface” of what needs to be done, says PAC report Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

HMRC chief digital and information officer departs

Jacky Wright, HMRC chief digital and information officer, will return to Microsoft in October after a two-year loan arrangement Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Government launches guidelines for AI procurement

Document intended to inform public sector buyers has been created by the Office for AI and the World Economic Forum Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Brazilian fintech Creditas chases UK tech talent

Latin American firm Creditas is looking to lure senior professionals who may be leaving the UK to its technology hub in Spain Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

PM invites global leaders to discuss ethics in tech

London summit next year will invite countries to discuss standards for emerging technology Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

UK government reaffirms commitment to using Oracle tech with cloud MoU

Government procurement chiefs in the Crown Commercial Service sign new agreement with database giant aimed at making it easier and cheaper for public sector organisations to use its cloud Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

National Library of Scotland says aye to Scality object storage

National digitised archives move off Hitachi SANs and Qualstar tape, object storage is embraced and a “no backup” strategy put in place with petabyte-scale Scality S3/file deployment Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

What next for GDS?

Digital government has lost momentum, according to MPs. As the Government Digital Service enters its “third era”, what will it do to regain its authority and deliver real change? Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Government looks into digitising cultural collections with AI

A government report and trial investigate possibilities around mapping and connecting digitised cultural material with emerging technologies Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Cross-government collaboration is key to overcoming legacy IT issues

Senior civil servants highlight some of the challenges with legacy IT systems and what can be done to overcome them Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

The UK’s digital identity policy conundrum

The UK government’s recent consultation on digital identity suggests that past mistakes and assumptions have yet to be resolved – a different, more user-centric vision is required Continue Reading

By

• Colin Wallis, Kantara Initiative

Civil service chief appeals to ‘wise, experienced, powerful’ IT leaders to apply for CDIO job

John Manzoni explains why the new government digital leader will carry the power and authority of a Whitehall permanent secretary Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief
• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Defra chief digital information officer steps down

John Seglias is leaving the department most impacted by Brexit to join National Grid, after four years in the civil service Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Government insists 'nothing sinister' about web user data gathering

Government Digital Service responds to allegations that personal data gathered through Gov.uk portal could be used to target political messaging to citizens Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Government relaunches search for chief digital and information officer

The role, which will tackle issues such as eradicating legacy and leading data strategy, has been redesigned and elevated at permanent secretary level Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Universities tempting targets for cyber criminals, warns NCSC

As hundreds of thousands of students prepare for the new academic year, universities have been warned that they are at high risk of cyber attack Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Emotet phishing botnet returns from summer vacation

The Emotet phishing trojan-turned-botnet is back in action after a three-and-a-half month break, say threat researchers Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Robotics and Automation: UK must tackle skills, immigration and SME challenges

Home-grown skills may not be enough to enable the UK to build on the government's Industrial Strategy and push robotics and automation Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Northwestern cuts storage costs in half with Komprise

Komprise’s Deep Analytics helps university classify and migrate research data to cheaper disk and cloud as it cuts storage costs from $1.1m to $680,000 per annum Continue Reading

By

• Antony Adshead, Storage Editor

The five software testing techniques every software developer should know about

Five simple testing techniques that will help developers test their software systematically, thoroughly and quickly Continue Reading

By

• Brian Hambling

Network Rail to use automation and analytics in tunnel examinations and station security

Operator Network Rail will tap into its £357m R&D fund to back innovation competitions aimed to improve assessment of more than 600 rail tunnels and station surveillance Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Ecuador citizens’ data breach holds lessons for enterprises

What caused the mass breach of Ecuadorian citizens’ data, and what can businesses learn from it? Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Gartner Catalyst: Prepare for web giants crushing your industry

Companies like Amazon and Alibaba are taking a bigger chunk of the customer journey, but they are also spreading across industry sectors Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Councils awarded funding to boost online services

Local authorities received more than £750,000 in the second round of the Local Digital Fund, aimed at improving citizen offerings in areas such as housing and payment Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

NHSX emphasises need for ethical patient data access

The health service's digital unit welcomed the launch of Health Data Research hubs, but stressed that it will control the design of research collaborations Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Police use of algorithms needs stronger safeguards to prevent bias, report says

A study by the Royal United Services Institute calls for new code of practice to guide use of algorithmic tools in policing Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton , Senior reporter

Ditch hoodies and hackers to encourage diverse security recruitment

The cyber security industry needs to address a systemic image problem if it is to succeed in recruiting more diverse teams Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

When AIs go to war: Autonomous cyber weapons ‘inevitable’

CISOs must start thinking about how to engage with intelligent, adaptive, non-human attackers, says Trend Micro’s Rik Ferguson Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Dutch banks to work together in fight against money laundering

Dutch banks are sharing expertise and resources to help reduce money laundering through their accounts Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Justice system transformation sees delays and reduction of scope

“Ambitious” timescales and scope for £1.2bn modernisation of services had to be scaled back, says NAO report Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Industry opposition to no-deal Brexit hardens, says TechUK

A survey of TechUK members has found that 71% believe a no-deal Brexit at the end of October will negatively affect them in spite of their preparations Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

The right way to get on with building UK tech success is to get a Brexit deal now

The UK technology sector does not want a no-deal Brexit, and recognises the damage it would cause. If we're leaving the EU, the Prime Minister needs to get a deal Continue Reading

By

• Julian David, TechUK

Government seeks views on post-Brexit security alignment

The government has called for views on its proposals to align the UK’s post-Brexit cyber security policy to that of the European Union Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

ICO to probe government over Gov.uk data collection plan

The ICO is to look into the government’s leaked data collection plans over fears they may breach the law Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

UN agency Unicef praised for response to accidental data leak

The UN’s children’s agency has disclosed an inadvertent leak of personal data belonging to users of its online learning platform Agora Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

CW Europe: Dutch authorities call temporary halt to datacentre construction

Two Dutch municipalities are putting all datacentre construction on hold while they put together a strategy to help them control developments. A local alderman said datacentres take up a lot of space and place a large burden on the electricity grid. Also read how France is racing ahead of Germany in making the most of service companies in India, and about Google’s plans for a new datacentre and technology training hub in Finland. Continue Reading

Mirai descendants dominate IoT threat environment

Attacks leveraging compromised IoT devices are growing in size, scale and frequency, report security experts at F-Secure and Trend Micro, with Mirai-related botnets a major source of trouble Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Government departments urged to publish R&D spending roadmaps

Issues including funding concentration in the “golden triangle” of London, Oxford and Cambridge must be addressed, according to a Science and Technology Committee report Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Could Boris Johnson and Dominic Cummings' ‘secret’ data sharing plan work?

Prime minister Boris Johnson and his controversial special advisor, Dominic Cummings, are “secretly” working on a plan to gather citizen data from across Whitehall to be used for targeting ... Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

UK consumers want biometrics but fear driverless cars and AI

Report also shows many adults across the country have never heard of the internet of things or big data Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

GDPR non-compliance worse than feared

Over half of UK businesses do not yet appear to be fully GDPR-compliant, and many have de-prioritised their compliance efforts Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

UK calls for cyber capacity-building at UN security group

The UK’s representative to a United Nations cyber security working group has called for increased investment in capacity around cyber security Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Tech startups can boost UK shipping market after Brexit

Increased connectivity and propositions based on tools such as AI and blockchain can provide opportunities to the shipping sector after Brexit, says report Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

BT gears up to take on rogue drones

BT’s Enterprise unit is offering customers an anti-drone security solution to protect their physical sites from intrusion Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Ministry of Defence unveils innovation priorities

Artificial intelligence and 3D printing are among the key areas of focus for the Ministry of Defence's latest approach to emerging tech Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Is there substance in Boris Johnson’s full-fibre broadband vision?

The new prime minister made a bold promise to roll out full-fibre broadband across the country by 2025 – but it’s a challenging task that requires serious investment and planning Continue Reading

By

• Julian David, TechUK

A tech boost for social care

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we explore how local authorities across the UK have been looking at assistive technologies, ranging from collaborative robots to voice assistants, to support delivery of adult social care services. We also look into the ramifications of HMRC targeting 1,500 GlaxoSmithKline IT contractors. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

How UK councils are using technology to support adult social care

As budgets dwindle and central government delays the creation of an overarching strategy around the future of care, local authorities are looking into innovations such as robotics and voice assistant technologies to ease the pressure on resources. Continue Reading

Terror watchlist faces reform after court rules it violates rights of people entering US

A secret US terrorist database containing information on more than 1.2 million people – who face repeated interrogations, detentions and electronic searches – violates constitutional rights, a US judge said last week Continue Reading

By

• Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly

Social engineering a factor in virtually all cyber attacks, report claims

Almost every single cyber attack will, at some stage, require a human to be tricked into doing something, according to research by Proofpoint Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Loyal Dutch IT professionals not being rewarded enough, survey shows

Companies warned they could lose loyal IT staff because salary rises do not match those on offer from rival employers Continue Reading

By

• Kim Loohuis

Towns invited to bid for connectivity boost

Some 100 places in England are eligible to get resources from the £3.6bn fund aimed at creating local jobs and economic growth, with broadband as a key priority Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Royal Navy readies autonomous technology push

A competition ran by new accelerator NavyX will seek to find mature ideas around the approach to improve operations and increase efficiency in maritime operations Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Security pros doubt officials can enact effective security laws

Elected officials cannot be trusted to enact effective cyber security legislation and social media firms should be subject to strict privacy regulation, according to most information security professionals in a survey Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

New funding announced to tackle online child abuse

Government announces £30m of new cash to tackle online child harm as part of Spending Review 2019 Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Businesses need to keep investing in tech and hope to avoid a no-deal Brexit

A no-deal Brexit could have serious consequences for the UK tech sector and skills base, making it more difficult to recruit technology specialists and hire freelancers Continue Reading

By

• Albert Ellis, Harvey Nash Group

Gartner: Eight ways blockchain can support governments

Distributed ledgers are not just limited to finance and smart contracts. Gartner explores how blockchain can tackle government inefficiencies Continue Reading

By

• David Furlonger, Gartner

Post Office changes IT leadership reshuffle decision

The Post Office has changed its IT leadership reshuffle weeks after announcing its original plan Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Nearly £1m of EU funding to boost tech skills in UK SMEs

An initiative led by the Department for Work and Pensions will focus on enhancing skills in rural locations to unleash competitiveness in areas such as agritech and biorenewables Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Interim GDS boss gives preview of priorities

Alison Pritchard sets out key areas of attention for the digital service, from analytics to Brexit work Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari